تأثیر عوامل اجتماعی مکان در سکونتگاه‌های غیررسمی بر توانمندسازی اجتماعی ساکنان مطالعه موردی: سکونتگاه‌های غیررسمی شهر تبریز

ABSTRACT
Empowerment is one of the most effective ways to improve the situation of informal settlements. The social dimension of empowerment is the concern of many thinkers who consider it effective in solving the problems of marginalization. The purpose of the research is to investigate the effect of social factors of place in informal settlements on the social empowerment of its residents. Regarding the data collection and analysis method, the current research is of the correlation type and is based on the structural equation model. The library and field data collection method is a questionnaire that is completed with a sample of 150 people from the informal areas of Tabriz city. This research evaluated social factors of place, the independent variable, and social empowerment as the dependent variable. Based on the findings of the research in the theoretical part of social factors affecting the place of two factors, social capital and sense of security, in the informal settlements of Tabriz city, there is a significant relationship between the social factors of the place that affect the body of these settlements and social empowerment (awareness, interaction, and social participation). Also, the factor of social capital has a greater impact on social empowerment than the factor of sense of place security. Among the criteria of social capital, the criterion of social belonging and the components of a sense of security, supervision, and control have the most significant impact on the social empowerment of residents. Therefore, the use of public space, the existence of mixed uses, and the improvement of visual accessibility will impact the social empowerment of the residents of informal settlements
Extended Abstract
Introduction
The unbalanced and rapid physical development of cities has many adverse economic, social, and physical consequences, one of which is the development of informal settlements, and the empowerment strategy for organizing these settlements has a high place in the world in different economic, social, and psychological dimensions. The social dimension of empowerment concerns many thinkers who consider its effect on marginalization much more than other factors. Social empowerment makes people use their social capacities and potential to progress at different personal and social levels. In terms of people's socialization, being in key social environments and creating social interactions can accelerate the process of people's socialization. Considering that space is a platform that can influence social behaviors and their effects, the research aims to investigate the impact of social factors in the body of informal settlements on the social empowerment of its residents. In this regard, the current research intends to answer the question of what effect the social factors of the place in informal settlements have on the social empowerment of its residents. To achieve success, the impact of these factors must be examined, and the most influential component, the social dimension of the empowerment approach in such contexts, must be introduced for special attention.
 
Methodology
 The research method is based on the objective, applied, and based on the method, descriptive-analytical. The data collection method was carried out in two ways as library and field studies. In other words, the documentary and library method was used in the subject and background literature section, and the questionnaire technique was used in the field studies section. The statistical population of the research is the residents of four informal areas of Tabriz city (north, northwest, south, and southwest areas), and the sample size was considered to be 150. The basic research method is a correlation; in order to evaluate the operational pattern of research and determine the relationship between independent variables (social factors of place) and dependent variables (social empowerment) simultaneously, the multivariate method of modeling structural equations has been used, which is a combination of factor analysis and it uses path analysis. Then, the factor load of each criterion and the position of each component of the theoretical model were determined.
 
Results and discussion
 Based on the existing literature, the findings of the theoretical part of the research show that the factors of social capital and sense of security affect the physicality of the place and that the factor of social capital includes the components of interaction, participation, trust, and social belonging. Also, a sense of security includes the components of permeability, monitoring, control, and activity. According to the analyses carried out to improve informal settlements, paying attention to the social factors affecting the structure of these environments increases the social empowerment of its residents, and the factor of social participation is the most effective factor of social empowerment compared to the two factors of awareness and social interaction.
 
Conclusion
The results of data analysis and structural equation show that, without a doubt, the environment plays an essential role in developing and improving people's social skills and abilities; the presence of people in an environment with constructive communication can cause the transfer of constructive social capacities of people to other fields as well. In fact, it can be said that the social factors affecting the body of the place in the informal settlements of Tabriz have an effect on the social empowerment of its residents. Among the social factors affecting the physicality of the place, the social capital factor has more influence on the social capability of the residents than the sense of security. Among the factors of social capital, the components of social belonging and trust, and among the factors of the sense of security, the components of supervision and control have the most influence. Considering that responding to the social needs of humankind and providing the necessary opportunities for social experiences requires the existence of space, and public space has a huge capacity to respond to this aspect in urban societies, so thinking of measures to realize and increase belonging, social trust and monitoring and control in these neighborhoods and spaces, such as the use of public space, the existence of mixed uses and improving visual access, help to improve the process of residents' participation, and as a result, make empowerment projects successful in the social dimension.
 
Funding
This research is supported by Iranian Urban Regeneration Company with contract number 16997 dated 2022 - 7 - 27.
 
Authors’ Contribution
All of the authors approved the content of the manuscript and agreed on all aspects of the work.
 
Conflict of Interest
Authors declared no conflict of interest.
 
Acknowledgments
 The authors express their gratitude to Iran's Urban Regeneration Company and all those who helped us in conducting this research.