Analysis of identity dimensions of new settlements and its effect on citizens' sense of belonging (Case study: Sepahanshahr, Isfahan)

The identity crisis is evident as one of the consequences of the phenomenon of globalization, especially in new cities, and is one of the obstacles to attracting the population of these soulless cities. These cities are at best dormitories that do not create a sense of belonging and identity in the inhabitants. This can be seen in the basic principles of design of these cities, which include the formation of separate maps and taking into account the historical and climatic characteristics of the environment and the economic, social and cultural conditions of the people who are to live in it. By creating spatial and identity features, one can create and strengthen the sense of belonging to a place or city. Accordingly, this study was conducted with the aim of analyzing the dimensions of urban identity and their effect on the sense of belonging of the citizens of Sepahanshahr and seeks to answer the question of what indicators are effective on the identification of new settlements? And to what extent do these indicators increase the sense of belonging of citizens? The research method is descriptive-analytical and the data obtained from the distribution of the questionnaire among 150 residents of Sepahanshahr has been analyzed by structural equation modeling in amosographic software. The results show that social and functional indices with a regression weight of 0.683 and 0.430, respectively, directly affect the sense of belonging of Sepahanshahr residents and natural-environmental index with a regression weight of 0.386 on a functional index and physical-spatial and historical-cultural indices with a regression weight, 0.256 and 0.232, respectively affect the social variable and through it the citizens' sense of belonging.