Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
Abstract
Abstracts The cities are the most outstanding symbols of modernity and are the main context for constructing and developing public spheres. In Iran, the urban public spaces, despite their significant function in creating social interaction, have usually been neglected and unused. Urban gardens and parks, as public spaces, due to this neglecting, encounter many physical and social problems. Reparation and reconstruction of these public spaces could create an emancipating context for social and economic participation and for developing physical and aesthetic aspects of cities. This research using mixed methods rely on social impact assessment approach to study the economic, social and cultural impacts of reparation and reconstruction of urban gardens and parks on everyday life of people. Social impact assessment approach argues that any project in the field of development should be oriented to increase participation of people. So, the best model of development is sustainable development. Social impact assessment approach includes the process of analyzing and managing the intended or unintended consequences of any social policy, especially urban planning. In other words, social impact assessment approach attempts to explain and predict the consequences of a project in the context of people’s everyday life. This approach can help the policy-makers and decision-makers to pay attention to the cultural, ritual and social aspects of the local residents. In this research, we have used mixed methods (quantitative and qualitative) to study the different dimension of reparation and reconstruction urban gardens and parks. In quantitative section, survey method and questionnaire technique were used to study the residents of discrete 18, and in qualitative section we have used individual interview and focused group interview to study the opinions of experts and policy-makers. In this way, social impact assessment of reparation and reconstruction urban gardens and parks, in quantitative section, was analyzed in two different aspects: from the viewpoints of respondents and in relation to civilities and social interaction. But in qualitative section it was analyzed in aspects such as “the impact of reparation and reconstruction urban gardens and parks on cultural and social interaction”, “the impact of reparation and reconstruction urban gardens and parks on social security of the residents”, “the impact of reparation and reconstruction urban gardens and parks on mental and physical health”, “the impact of reparation and reconstruction urban gardens and parks on availability of urban equipments”, and “the impact of reparation and reconstruction urban gardens and parks on the social and economic situation of interested groups. The findings show that this repairing and reconstructing result in positive aspects like increasing social solidarity, social trust, social capital, sustainable development and individual gratifications. In other words, we can say that it has different functions such as psychological, social and cultural, aesthetic, environmental and political. Therefore, it is argued that all the urban residents are the interested groups in these projects. According to the results, some suggestions could be provided like: providing security for urban gardens and parks, preventing any kind of vandalism, inventing counseling centers and recreational equipments, and increasing the interaction between residents and policy-makers.
Keywords
- Key words: reparation and reconstruction
- Social impact assessment
- sustainable development
- for urban gardens and parks
Main Subjects
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