Key Factors Affecting Citizens' Vitality in Urban Spaces (Case Study: Poldokhtar City)

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Assistant Professor, of Geography, Payame Noor University,

Abstract

This research seeks to identify factors and provide solutions to create a more vibrant and desirable city for the citizens of Pol-e-Dokhtar. The present research is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive-analytical in terms of method. The statistical population was local people and urban citizens in Pol-e-Dokhtar city. Using simple random sampling method, 382 residents of this city were selected. To collect data and information, a questionnaire and structured interview were used according to the models and purpose of the research. To analyze the data and information, the logistic regression model (LM-Newton-Marquardt-Raphson method) in the Eviews software and the Radar model were used. The results of the study indicated that among the 7 main and general factors at a significance level of 0.000, the built environment factor with an impact coefficient of (0.243), the ecological factor with an impact coefficient of (0.249), the visual factor with an impact coefficient of (0.206), the mental factor with an impact coefficient of (0.142), and the political and institutional factor with an impact coefficient of (0.141) had the greatest relationship and effects on the vitality of citizens in the spaces of the city of Pol-e-Dokhtar. The results of the variables also showed that the ability to walk in the city and recreational spaces and urban leisure time, the scenic environment/attractive view of the neighborhood and the city, urban green space and green and happy neighborhoods in the city space, appropriate access of citizens to clean and green space, the presence of appropriate urban furniture were the most important variables affecting urban vitality in the space of the city of Pol-e-Dokhtar. The results of the research on strategies to increase vitality also showed that out of the 15 identified strategies, 5 strategies to revitalize city spaces for cultural use, encourage private sector investment, increase security and a sense of belonging for citizens, design green sidewalks with urban furniture, and develop linear green spaces along the Kashkan River are the most important strategies to increase the vitality of the city of Pol-e-Dokhtar.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

Allahyari, S., & Shakoor, A. (2025). Analysis of Family Factors Affecting Urban Poverty Using Structural Equation Modeling (Case Study: Poldokhtar, Lorestan). Geography and Regional Urban Planning, 15(57), 1-28. https://doi.org/10.22111/gaij.2025.52438.3295 (In Persian)  
Ballas, D., (2013). What makes a ‘happy city’? Cities, 32, 39–50.
Borghesi, S. and Vercelli, A., (2012). Happiness and health: two paradoxes. Journal of economic surveys, 26 (2), 203–233. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6419.2010.00635.x
Brule´, G., & Veenhoven, R. (2014). Freedom and happiness in nations. Why the Finns are happier than the French. Psychology of Well-Being: Theory Research and Practice, 4, 17.
Cairnes, L. (2019). The Compact City: A Sustainable Urban Form; Urban Design International: Palgrave Macmillan, UK,1, 293–294.
Chang, E. C. Yu, T. Lee, J. Kamble, S. V. Batterbee, C. N. H. Stam, K. R. Chang, O. D. Najarian, A. S. M. and Wright, K. M. (2018), Understanding the Association Between Spirituality, Religiosity, and Feelings of Happiness and Sadness Among HIV-Positive Indian Adults: Examining Stress-Related Growth as a Mediator, Journal of Religion and Health, 57 (3): 1052- 1061. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-017-0540-8
Chen, C. W. (2023). Can smart cities bring happiness to promote sustainable development? Contexts and clues of subjective well-being and urban livability. Developments in the Built Environment, 13, 1001- 1008. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dibe.2022.100108
Council, S. (2021). Healthy China 2030. Available online: http://www.gov.cn/xinwen/2016-10/25/content_5124174.htm (accessed on 12 September 2021).
Duncan, G (2008), Should Happiness-Maximization be the Goal of Government? Journal of Happiness Studies, 11(2): 163–178.
Hekmatnia, H., Mousavi, M. N., Rasouli, M., & Saeedpour, S. (2021). Analysis of Scenarios Affecting the Realization of Happy City Components (Case Study: Urmia City). Geography and Regional Development, 19(1), 237-264. https://doi.org/10.22067/jgrd.2021.50954.0 (In Persian)                                                                      
Hezarjaribi, J., & Astinfeshan, P. (2009). An Investigation of Factors Affecting Social Vitality (With an Emphasis on Tehran Province). Journal of Applied Sociology, 20(33), 119-146. https://dor.isc.ac/dor/20.1001.1.20085745.1388.20.1.7.9
Gao, S., Ge, X., Li, H., & Zhou, H. (2025). Analysis of urban vitality and its driving factors in Zhengzhou’s main urban area based on multi-source data and XGBoost. Ecological Indicators, 179, 114-121.‏ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2025.114187
Johnson, J. and Wood, A. M. (2017), Integrating Positive and Clinical Psychology: Viewing Human Functioning as Continua from Positive to Negative Can Benefit.
Kazemi, A., Ahangari, M., Sarlak, K., Akhavan, A., & Razavizadeh, H. (2025). Happy Citizen, Sustainable City: An Examination of the Dimensions of Tehran Municipality's Role. In Proceedings of the 29th National Conference on Urban Planning, Architecture, Civil Engineering, and the Environment. Tehran, Iran. (In Persian)
Kavandi, S., & Shaddel, T. (2013). The Impact of Geographical Factors on Ethics. Bioethics Quarterly, 3(9), 89-121https://doi.org/10.22037/bioeth.v3i9.13959. (In Persian)
Kuang, B., Yang, H., & Jung, T. (2025). The Impact of Visual Elements in Street View on Street Quality: A Quantitative Study Based on Deep Learning, Elastic Net Regression, and SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP). Sustainability, 17(8), 3454.‏
Kooshali, D., Azeri, A., Parvizi, R., Hosseini, S(2015). Effect of Environmental Physical Elements in Creating Residential Complex's Vitality for the Enhancement of Social Interactions. The journal of Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 201(3):255-264. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.08.174 (In Persian)
Long, Y.; Huang, C. (2019). Does block size matter? The impact of urban design on economic vitality for Chinese cities. Environ. Plan. B Urban Anal. City Sci., 46, 406–422. https://doi.org/10.1177/2399808317715640
Lee, M. and Yoon, K., (2020). Effects of the health promotion programs on happiness. Sustainability, 12 (2), 528.
Malmir M, Khanahmadi M, Farhud D.D. (2017), Dogmatism and Happiness, Iran J Public Health, 46(3):326-332.
Nabati Shahrzaei, F. Z., & Saberi, H. (2024). The Liveliness of Urban Public Spaces in the Hezar Jarib Neighborhood of Isfahan. Geography and Regional Planning, 14(56), 41-59. https://www.jgeoqeshm.ir/article (In Persian)
Nasiri, A., Ebrahimi, L., Ramezanipour, M., & Bozorgmehr, K. (2024). Explaining the Status of Happy City Criteria in Urban Planning, Case Study: Salmanshahr City. Geography (Journal of the Geographical Association of Iran), 22(80), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.22034/iga.2024.709220 (In Persian)
Nieuwenhuijsen, M. and Khreis, H., (2019). Integrating human health into the urban development and transport planning agenda: a summary and final conclusion. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 5(12), 707–718. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74983-9
Parducci, A. (1995), Happiness, Pleasure, and Judgment: The Contextual Theory and Its Applications. Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Pan, J., Zhu, X., & Zhang, X. (2022). Urban vitality measurement and influence mechanism detection in China. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(1), 46.- 61. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010046
Paul, A. (2024). Assessment of metropolitan livability variations using objective-subjective approach. World Development Sustainability, 4, 101-117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wds.2024.100135
Sadat Siadati, F., & Karimifard, L. (2021). Investigating and Reinterpreting the Continuity of Urban Life at Night Based on the Vitality and Liveliness of 24-Hour Urban Spaces; Case Study: Darband Neighborhood. Urban Management, 17(50), 99-123. http://ijurm.imo.org.ir/article-1-2166-fa.html (In Persian)
Sadeghpoor, F., Ranjbar, E., Esmaeilinasab, M., Valiloo, M.H.S., Nieuwenhuijsen, M.J. (2024), Streets and Stress: A Pilot Study on How Quality and Design of Streets Impacts on Urban Stress. HERD. 2024 Jan;17(1), 224-248.  https://doi.org/10.1177/19375867231200584  (In Persian)
Sadeghi, Kh., Bazrafshan, J., Hajinejad, A., & Yasouri, M. (2020). Factors Affecting the Vitality and Liveliness of Rural Households (Case Study: Fuman County). Journal of Rural Research, 11(2), 250-269. https://jrur.ut.ac.ir/article_75412.html (In Persian)
Sadeghi, Kh., Hajinejad, A., Bazrafshan, J., & Yasouri, M. (2022). Geography of Vitality: Spatial Analysis of Vitality Influenced by Socio-Economic Factors at the Rural District Level (Case Study: Villages of Torbat-e Heydarieh County). Journal of Rural Research, 13(4), 700-715. https://doi.org/10.22059/jrur.2022.343590.1747 (In Persian)
Statistical Center of Iran. (2016). Detailed Results of the General Population and Housing Census: Lorestan Province. Tehran: Statistical Center of Iran.
Tu, W.; Zhu, T.; Xia, J.; Zhou, Y.; Lai, Y.; Jiang, J.; Li, Q. (2020). Portraying the spatial dynamics of urban vibrancy using multisource urban big data. Comput. Environ. Urban Syst., 80, 101-118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compenvurbsys.2019.101428
Parducci, A. (1995), Happiness, Pleasure, and Judgment: The Contextual Theory and Its Applications. Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Ura, K, et al. (2015). Provisional Findings of 2015 GNH Survey. Thimphu: The Centre for Bhutan Studies
Veenhoven, R. (2017), Greater Happiness for a Greater Number: Did the Promise of Enlightenment Come True? Soc Indic Res 130, 9–25. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-015-1128-x
Wang, Z., Wang, X., Liu, Y., & Zhu, L. (2024). Identification of 71 factors influencing urban vitality and examination of their spatial dependence: A comprehensive validation applying multiple machine-learning models. Sustainable Cities and Society, 108, 105491.‏ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2024.105491
Weijs-Perrée, M., Dane, G., and van den Berg, P., (2020). Analyzing the relationships between citizens’ emotions and their momentary satisfaction in urban public spaces. Sustainability, 12 (19), 7921. DOI:10.3390/su12197921
Yue, W.; Chen, Y.; Thy, T.M.; Fan, P.; Zhang, W. (2020). Identifying urban vitality in metropolitan areas of developing countries from a comparative perspective: Ho Chi Minh City versus Shanghai. Sust. Cities Soc, 65, 102-109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2020.102609
 
Geography and Territorial Spatial Arrangement
Volume 16, Issue 60
October 2026
Pages 169-194

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 09 February 2026
  • Revise Date: 03 May 2026
  • Accept Date: 30 June 2026

Share

How to cite

Statistics