Investigating the Harms of Using Infill Development in the Middle Textures of Cities Using the Structural Equation Model (Case Study: KocheMeshki Neighborhood in Zanjan)

In the battle between sustainable development and prosperity,achieving an intensive urban model and infill development is considered as the key to protecting the land.Despite the positive effects this growth pattern has on the sustainability of cities. If its principles are not implemented,this pattern will face negative consequences. Implementation of infill development in the middle of texture Zanjan in the form of construction of apartment units in the barren lands left in the recent years, has caused several negative effects on the lives of the residents.The aim of this study was to determine these effects by descriptive and causal methods (after occurrence),the necessary data were collected by survey tools. The relationships between the concepts were formulated using theoretical foundations and the structural equation model was used to test the relationships using Smart PLS software. Testing the general model shows the dissatisfaction of the residents of the KocheMeshki neighborhood because of the infill development that has occurred (GOF=0.37).The effects of the loss of local jobs, increased density, increased pollution,reduced access to affordable housing, and the destruction of farmland were not confirmed. In contrast to the effect of declining per capita and quality of life, reduced social relations, reduced security on dissatisfaction with infill development with90% confidence interval was confirmed.The effect of legal barriers on reducing access to affordable housing was also confirmed. The findings of the model showed that the most important disadvantages of infill development for the residents of the neighborhood are:reduction of per capita land use and quality of life,reduced security and social relations.