Structural Modeling of Livability Effect on Quality of Life based on the Public Survey Case Study: Dorud City

Extended Abstract
Today, we live in a city century, a period in human history, where the growth of urbanization has become a major issue. The growing trend of urban population can have a negative impact on cities. If the current growth process continues, there will be serious tensions among many economic, social, and environmental forces that will significantly affect the quality of life of residents. With the start of the local program crisis, a new set of global indicators has appeared in 2005, which has been proposed as a method to assess the livability of city. Livability is one of the most important and effective factors on the citizens’ quality of life which became a popular issue in the 1980s and early 1990s. Human beings are always looking to improve their quality of life and make it livable. In the last few decades, the occurrence of various crises in social, economic, environmental, and physical dimensions that result from inappropriate planning of cities, has led to a decline in quality of life and a reduction in livability levels, especially in small towns. These cities are faced with problems such as lack of education, employment, healing, recreation, etc. and also social, economic, environmental challenges that have lowered the quality of life and livability factors. In this regard, one of the problems of Dorud city, is the challenge of improving urban livelihood and increasing quality of life. The city faces dangers such as the negative effects of factories on the city center, lack of facilities and infrastructure, the lack of proper planning of the city, will turn into an uncomfortable city. By examining the factors affecting the livelihood, managers are given the opportunity to improve the quality of life in Dorud city by strengthening the indicators of livability. In this research, the main factors and indicators are measured in improving the livability and quality of life and the effect of livability on quality of life. Improving the quality of life in urban communities is the ultimate goal of urban programs, but at the present, poor living conditions have caused the majority of compatriots to lack the desired quality of life.
 
This study is an applied research in terms of purpose, and in the research literature, the library method and field studies have been used to collect data and information. Field studies of this research were conducted through a researcher-made questionnaire. In order to process data and information for analysis in the study area, structural equation modeling and statistical analysis methods including SPSS and AMOS software programs have been exerted and also to obtain required maps ARC GIS software has been used. In order to determine the sample size
 
according to the statistical population of 121638, in Dorud, based on the last census of 1395, the Cochran formula was used. According to the formula, 30 questionnaires were distributed among residents of neighborhoods, and based on the obtained variance from the primary sampling unit of the research, the sample size was 320. The validity of the research tool, which includes a questionnaire, has been reviewed by university professors and confirmed after removing deficiencies. In this research, the reliability of the questionnaire was calculated using Cronbach's alpha method. The calculated alpha value for the viability index was 0.862 and for the quality of life index was 0.774, which indicates the desirability of the questionnaire.
 
This section showed the analysis findings and response to research hypotheses. For scientific inference, structural equation modeling and t-test were used. The first hypothesis, the inadequacy of the quality of life index in Dorud city, has been evaluated using a one-sample t-test. The test results with a confidence level of 0.95 indicate that quality of life indices (economic, social) are significant and the environmental index is not significant in general, but all the averages of the indicators and their items are less than the desired value. Therefore, it can be said that the situation of the quality of life index in the city of Dorud, is not appropriate. The second hypothesis, which evaluates the inappropriate situation of the livability index, is measured by one-sample t-test, which the analysis of the results, is such that the livability situation is also undesirable in the study area. The findings from the conceptual model of the research also show that livability as an independent variable affects quality of life as a dependent variable. The final result indicates that the educational factor, with a regression coefficient of 0.72, had the greatest effect on the livability and environmental element with a factor weight of 0.82 had a greatest effect on the quality of life in the city. Finally, livability with a regression coefficient of 0.98 has a major effect on the quality of life in Dorud.
 
Due to the growing growth of the number of people living in cities, habitation in cities is increasingly challenging, so that if the current population trend continues, cities will face tensions that will significantly affect the quality of life and livability in cities. Today, important factors are effective on lowering the level of quality of life, which livability as an important factor is one of the most effective of these factors. The results show that the educational index, including school quality and teachers, and the possibility of walking to school and etc. among other criteria, has had a significant impact on livability in the city. Although the creation of desirable educational conditions such as quality and suitable educational level for all sections and etc. are the most important habitat patterns in the study area that should be considered by managers, experts and decision-makers to improve the residents’ quality of life in the field of urban development, livability patterns may be completely different from one region to another.  Among the specific indicators of quality of life, the environmental index shows as the most effective factor on increasing quality of life. This declares that more successful settlements will focus on environmental issues, including air quality, which is also a significant factor in the studied city.