برنامه ریزی فضایی (Sep 2022)
Empowerment of Informal Settlements with Emphasis on Desirable Urban Governance Indicators (Case Study: Informal Settlements of Tabriz metropolis)
Abstract
AbstractToday, one of the critical approaches to controlling and managing informal settlements is the approach of good urban governance. Good urban governance can be defined as the method and process of managing urban affairs with the constructive participation of public, private, and civil society sectors in order to achieve sustainable urban development, create a healthy city, and improve the quality of life. In the current research, the informal settlement areas of the Tabriz metropolis have been investigated with the approach of optimal urban governance. The research method is descriptive-analytical using statistical calculations, and the research data analysis is based on SPSS, EXCEL statistical software, and statistical techniques including T-test. Research data were collected in two ways - library and survey (using a questionnaire). The statistical population of the research includes 1400 households living in informal settlements of the Tabriz metropolis and a sample size of 300 heads of households were selected using Cochran's formula and by the simple random sampling method. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used for the reliability of the questionnaire, and the calculated value was 0.6. Valuation of the variables has been done using the Likert scale. The results of the surveys based on the indicators of good urban governance, participation, accountability, legality, justice, transparency, responsibility, effectiveness, and efficiency show that the utilization rate of good urban governance in Tabriz is at a medium and low level.IntroductionThe amount of informal settlements in the world is increasing, and the World Bank has predicted the number of urban poor to be more than 1500 million people by 2025. At least 600 million people, primarily poor, live in polluted urban environments in health-threatening conditions. One-third of urban residents live in substandard housing. At least 250 million urban dwellers do not have immediate access to clean tap water and 400 million people do not have proper sanitation facilities. Also, many urban centers are surrounded by problems such as increasing crime and delinquency, corruption and bribery, organized crime, drug trafficking, prostitution, and the like. The theory of optimal urban governance, which has been accepted by elites and experts and emphasized by international organizations, especially the United Nations Center for Human Settlements known as Habitat, seeks to make cities more efficient, fairer, safer, and more sustainable. Obviously, the first and most crucial step for any kind of planning and control will be to understand the problem through scientific and logical methods. The essential characteristics of informal settlements can be distinguished into three physical, social, and legal areas )Hakimi & Oskoi, 2021).Informal settlements, marginal settlements, slums, temporary, unconventional settlements, etc., are among the manifestations of urban poverty that show their ugly face in different ways in the housing sector. The history of the contemporary metropolis of Tabriz as a settlement point goes back to the Ashkanian and Sasanian periods. This point was called by various names, such as Tourez, Tourej, and Tabrizo Tori, although it was no more than a small village at the beginning of the Islamic era.The area of this type of settlement in Tabriz is 400 hectares with a population exceeding 450,000 people. Examining the factors affecting the formation of marginalization in Tabriz city shows that unemployment, low income, low housing rent, and large migration from small urban areas and rural areas of the province are important elements. The current slums, despite having a proper connection with urban tissues, do not have a proper urban structure. Among the indicators that determine the difference between the neighborhoods with informal settlements and existing slums and other urban tissues of Tabriz is the fact that they are inhabited by immigrants and their unplanned context. The administrators of the city are so struggling to solve acute problems such as environmental pollution, bad housing, urban traffic, lack of services per capita, huge population flood, etc. that there is less opportunity or even the ability to find solutions to the root of such problems ) Jahanbin et al., 2021). Materials and MethodsThe present study's research method combines descriptive and analytical studies to achieve the desired goals. According to the topic under investigation and the applied nature of the research, information was collected in two ways -- documentary, and survey. The most common way to obtain basic information or statistical data is to obtain it directly from the residents and city managers, which has been used through observation and questionnaires. After collecting the information from the questionnaire questions, it was analyzed with statistical software to achieve the goals of this research. For statistical calculations and analysis of the research data, SPSS, Excel statistical software, and urban and regional planning models, including dispersion coefficient, T-test, and GIS geographic information system were used to prepare and draw maps. For this purpose, 120 people have been selected as the sample size using a simple random sampling method. It should be mentioned that the statistical population of the research was about 1400 people. In this case, the first step was taken by using the scales tested in the research related to informal settlements and asking for the opinion of professors and experts in this field. Then, the compiled questionnaire was completed in two preliminary and final stages, by examining the answers obtained from 30 initial questionnaires and performing the necessary statistical calculations. The analysis has been calculated using the reliability analysis method of the alpha coefficients of all questions. Based on the tests, the alpha coefficients of all questionnaires are more than 0.6 and the total alpha coefficient is 0.752.Research FindingsOut of 300 respondents, 255 are men, and 45 are women, which make up %70.8 and %29.2 of the sample population, respectively. After examining all the questionnaires, it was found that the heads of the families aged 21-30 years were , % 13.3 the heads of the families aged 40- 31 years were , %35 the heads of the families aged 50- 41years were %30, the heads of the families aged 60- 51 years were %15.8 and heads 60 years 8 were %5.0 By dividing the households from 1 to 8 in the questionnaires, it can be seen that %17.6 of the households were less than 3 people%45.8 between 3 and 5 people, %28.3 between 5 and 8 people, and finally, %8.3 of the households were more than 8 people. This indicates the large size of the households in these areas. Of the total respondents to the questionnaires, %62.5 of their previous residence was a village and %37.5 was a small town.In general, the analysis of urban management indicators is significant according to the tests conducted. It can be said that there is a significant difference in the level of error between the actual average and the hypothetical average, and since the actual average obtained is lower than the hypothetical average, it can be concluded that from the point of view of the citizens, all the indicators analyzed were evaluated below the average level of the Likert scale and the inefficiency of the urban management system played a decisive and effective role in the formation and expansion of informal settlements in the city of Tabriz.By emphasizing the amount of t-value obtained, the seven elements of urban governance include participation, accountability, legality, equality and justice, transparency, responsibility, effectiveness, and efficiency. Discussion of Results and ConclusionsSince the actual average obtained in Eidalo and Mollazaynal areas is lower than the hypothetical average, it can be concluded that from the citizens' point of view, the amount of using good urban governance according to the seven analyzed indicators is at a low level among the mentioned areas. Therefore, based on the results of the sample T-test, the citizens have evaluated the level of good governance in the districts below the average. It indicates that the urban management system of Tabriz, despite its efforts, has not been able to attract the satisfaction of the citizens in the mentioned marginal areas, since the level of desirable urban governance indicators is lower than the average level of the Likert scale.In the surveys conducted on the informal neighborhoods of Tabriz, all indicators, including economic, social, cultural, physical, environmental, etc., are at a low level compared to other central structures of the city. For this reason, paying attention to the various aspects of shortcomings and developing an executive plan to fix them can facilitate the movement toward the goals and frameworks related to the issue.In the field of participation, using the opinions of citizens, especially educated and academic people, along with the creation of specialized meetings is important. Considering the accountability factor, inviting citizens to cooperate in various fields, especially students who have more free time and energy than other citizens, should be considered. Optimizing the effects (i.e. creating, strengthening, and empowering people's organizations at the level of localities and districts of the city through holding regular and continuous meetings in the municipality and consulting about the problems of the city with councils and city managers) can also be used to solve the problems of this settlement. Keywords: Empowerment, Urban Management, Informal Settlement, Urban Neighborhoods, Tabriz. 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