Integrated assessment of city residents' satisfaction with viability in Tabriz city by structural equation method (Case study: Zone 8)

Considering that local satisfaction is closely related to viability it can be expected that the environment and neighborhood relations in the neighborhoods of Tabriz have a significant impact on viability. Therefore, in this study, satisfaction with the urban environment and neighborhood relations in urban areas as factors affecting viability in the city of Tabriz has been studied. In this regard, the improvement of urban environments should be prioritized in a way that increases access to urban facilities and encourages residents to interact with each other. Considering that the neighborhood relations factor is known as an influential factor on viability, at present, this research presents an empirical analysis of the city of Tabriz. Tabriz is an example of a city that has experienced rapid urbanization and is becoming a model of development for many cities in Iran. Reflection on the factors affecting the residents' satisfaction with the viability of the city of Tabriz can have important consequences for many developing cities in our country. Therefore, to fill the existing knowledge gap, research questions are posed as follows: 1) How do satisfaction with the urban environment and neighborhood relations in the neighborhoods of Tabriz affect the viability? (2) What is the relationship between the neighborhood in terms of the mediating effect between satisfaction with the urban environment and viability?       

This article has been done using descriptive-analytical and survey method and using library and field tools. The data collection was done with a questionnaire, the statistical population of the eight city of Tabriz zone is 29384 people based on the statistical yearbook of 2016 and the sample size was 379 people, which was obtained based on Cochran's formula. In addition, respondents were randomly selected. Survey questions were created and modified based on a review of previous studies. Items were ranked using a five-point Likert scale. First, satisfaction with the urban environment was ranked in terms of accessibility, pleasantness and safety. The access factor was measured through the level of satisfaction with access to public institutions, cultural facilities, commercial facilities and medical facilities. Access was assessed for human perception and emotion. The pleasant factor was also measured in terms of satisfaction with green parks and the surrounding natural environment. The safety factor was measured in terms of safety from natural disasters, crime, etc. According to previous studies, the section on neighborhood relations included questions about the reliability of relationships between neighbors and the repetition and quality of their social interactions, and so on. In this study, accessibility, pleasantness and safety, which are sub-components of urban environmental satisfaction, were organized as exogenous variables, while neighborhood relations were classified as a mediator and viability was considered as an endogenous variable. All analyzes were performed using SPSS and AMOS software. On the other hand, structural equation (SEM) can determine the direct and indirect effects on the dependent variable. At this time, the indirect effects can be calculated by the mediator.

The results showed that by comparing the total effect of each factor on viability, the access factor had the greatest impact. In addition, the indirect effect of neighborhood relationships between safety and viability was found to be greatest. This means that greater satisfaction in neighborhood relationships can increase the impact of safety on viability. It was also found that the higher the satisfaction of the urban environment, the more positive effect it has on viability.

Therefore, in order to improve the quality of viability in the city of Tabriz, more attention should be paid to satisfaction with the urban environment and neighborhood relations.