Evaluation of Social Capacity in Accepting Smart Urban Growth Principles (Case Study: Kashan)

Document Type : Research article

Authors

1 Professor of Geography and Urban Planning, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran

2 Professor of Geography and Urban Planning, Kashan University, Kashan, Iran

3 PhD Candidate in Geography and Urban Planning, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Introduction
Cities like living creatures have normal growth and a city’s normal growth can be considered as a growth proportionate to its population.  The city’s growth is a negative factor when it voids its normal trend because it can threaten its stability.  After the Second World War, in the developed countries and after the Islamic revolution in Iran, the physical development of cities has exceeded even the population growth rate and resulted in unplanned and unstrained growth that caused a phenomenon in the urban planning called urban sprawl which is contrary to the urban stability. After the negative consequences of urban sprawl became known, many theories and patterns were propounded. Currently, smart urban growth strategies are considered as an abstract, encompassing all the past theories to rationalize the urban  development. Smart growth seeks to rely on mixed uses with multiple transportations (public transport, cycling, walking, etc.) to reduce reliance on cars in urban trips to direct the cities towards a compact and vertical form. What is important at this time is to achieve a model of urban development that is more adapted to the principles of sustainability. Following the appearance of unpleasant consequences of sprawl, smart growth policies have global solutions compatible with sustainable development. In addition, making capacity and assessing people's capacity is required to achieve sustainable development. Capacity building has been focus of the sustainability agenda in the Brundtland Report. Capacity-building efforts at all levels of society have been supported as a vital and indispensable strategy for future sustainable development. Chapter 37 of Agenda 21 is specifically dedicated to the issue of capacity building for sustainable development. As part of the chapter, it explained that the ability of a country to pursue the path of sustainable development is determined to a large extent by the capacity of people and institutions as well as geographical and ecological conditions of the country. To encourage the cooperation of the community and stakeholders suggests conduction of surveys to increase citizen involvement in solving urban problems.
Methodology
The aim of this study is to investigate the social capacity of 10 areas of Kashan in accepting the ten principles of smart growth. The Principles of smart growth are compound and its acceptability has compared in the form of policy in 10 areas and then regional differences have been surveyed in accepting the principles. This is an applied study. To achieve the required data, we have used library studies. The questionnaire data in Likert scale have analyzed the parameters using SPSS software. The spatial analyses as maps have been made using Geographic Information System (GIS) software (ArcGIS10.7). The statistical population is households living in Kashan city (66731 households). The total number of samples is 320 and the number is determined by the Cochran formula.  The samples are selected by a systematic random sampling method. 
Results and discussion
Kashan can be categorized into four textures including old, middle, new and rural-urban. Urban sprawl has created many problems in this city in recent years. Most of the problems are including inappropriate distribution of green space, a lack of applications for sport, culture, and leisure in the city center, lack of identity sense in the new context and undesirable appearance and ancient ruins.
In this study, the principles of smart growth were studied as the solution for the problems with combining the principles by analysis variance (ANOVA) tests. The results indicated that, in terms of all participants in the survey, smart growth principles are suitable for the growth and development of Kashan. In the total scale of Kashan city, there is the appropriate social capacity to enforce the principles of smart growth. In more detailed studies, the results of the ANOVA test for each principle show that social feature of citizen and the physical condition of each area has created different capacity in the adoption of the following principles. The mix use offers a variety of transportation options, making neighborhoods accessible by walking, strengthening communities by filling out development and redevelopment, generation of options for intelligent development and encouraging attractive communities with a strong sense of place. However, there is no significant difference among the ten areas of the city in accepting the increasing choices and housing opportunities, protection of open space, farmland and critical environmental areas, using innovative design techniques, and encouraging cooperation among community and shareholders.
Acceptance of smart growth principles based on rank for Kashan was carried out by using the Friedman test; thus, the priorities are obtained as following:

Encouraging attractive communities with a strong sense of place
Generating a variety of transportation options
Making neighborhoods accessible by walking
Mix use
Protection of open space, farms, and critical environmental areas
Development of housing choices and opportunities
Encouraging community and stakeholder collaboration
Strengthening communities through full development and redevelopment
creating incentives for smart development in order to make it predictable, fair and affordable cost to build.
Using innovative design techniques and intensive

Conclusion
The results indicate, in general, that although there is no significant difference in the principles of smart growth in the areas of the city, examining each principle in the area of Kashan show that social capacity in areas are different in the six principles of smart growth. It can be concluded that there is a high social capacity to implement smart growth strategies, although strategies implementation should not be the same for all areas. Its implementation must be conducted according to the requirements of each area. The higher mean values of the principles in an area show the needs of the area for consideration in a particular field. Since this questionnaire is designed to measure social capacity in order to implement the smart growth principles in Kashan city, grade average principles show implementation priorities for any principles. In other words, the implementation of smart growth principles in order of priority causes more welcomed and cooperation of people. Therefore, it will bring a greater success rate in this city. The respondents believe that the highest average rating is attractive communities with a strong sense of place and the lowest rank related to use of innovative design techniques and compacting.

Keywords

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Geographical Urban Planning Research (GUPR)
Volume 7, Issue 2
July 2019
Pages 239-264

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