Urban Governance (Dec 2021)
Analysis of quality of life across Tehran districts based on designated indicators and relational database management system
Abstract
Tehran's demography and urbanization have undergone dramatic changes since its designation as the capital city over two centuries ago. Currently, the city possesses 22 districts and a few associated regions (cemetery and southern suburbs).We considered and developed 11 indicators to evaluate the quality of life of Tehran using Structured Query Language (SQL) algorithms. Indicators were classified into two large groups: ‘population characteristics’ and ‘city features’. Except for literacy, sharp differences existed between the minimum and maximum values for each indicator. Noticeable differences in public transport were shown among districts. Comparison of the housing units with over 220 square meters size area among districts also revealed a difference between maximum and minimum values with a factor of 31, the per capita of greenery spaces and car parking capacities with a factor of 23.Each indicator was considered individually to select districts having the most optimum condition. Between two and four indicators were also combined to nominate those districts with a higher number of indicators with optimum conditions. Our proposed approach and selected indicators showed high relevancy and appropriateness to assess quality of life in a typical large city.Finally, we concluded the paper with practical and political remarks that may help streamline theories of urban governance into the actual conditions of urban dwellers across the world.
