Analysis of Vitality of Urban Commercial Streets, Case Study: Nobahar Boulevard in Kermanshah

Abstract

Objective: At present, Kermanshah, as the largest Kurdish city in Iran and the center of the province, has failed to realize vibrant urban spaces. Of course, Nobahar Street is one of the few spaces in this city that is considered somewhat lively. The present study aims to analyze the vitality of this street. Methods: This study is analytical-interpretive. At first, vitality indices were extracted from valid researches and were arranged in the form of a questionnaire. The validity of the questions has been confirmed by receiving the opinion of experts and the reliability by calculating Cronbach's alpha (0.806). The statistical population includes all citizens of Kermanshah who have visited Nobahar Street for commercial and entertainment. The sample size was based on Cochran's formula of 384 items, which is approximately 400. The sampling method is simple random. Data analysis was performed using factor analysis and linear multivariate regression model. Results: Findings show that 38 indicators represent the vitality of an urban shopping street that are categorized in 8 factors including "Walkability", "Space to Stay", "Invigorating", "Shopping Convenience", "Accessibility", "Inclusiveness", "Flexibility" and "Memorable". Meanwhile, the two factors of Walkability and Space to Stay have the greatest impact on people's satisfaction with the vitality of a commercial street. Conclusion: In the case of Nobahar Street, it was observed that although this street has a good vitality, dissatisfaction is evident in two factors: "Accessibility" and "Inclusiveness ". Therefore, strategies in this regard are presented.

Keywords

• urban vitality
• urban space
• vibrant street
• environmental quality
• kermanshah