Evaluation of the Level of Social Sustainability in Urban Historical Contexts (Case Study: Ardabil City)

There is a consensus among researchers that the need to turn urban historic neighborhoods into places for better collective life is a consideration of the aspects of social sustainability in these neighborhoods. The significance of this issue is to the extent that it can be said that the most important aspect of the protection of historical neighborhoods in the process of sustainable urban development is to return to its social component. Therefore, measuring the dimensions of social sustainability in urban historical contexts was the main objective of this study, which was done by studying the six neighborhoods of the historical context of Ardabil city. The research method used in this study was descriptive-analytic and the sample consisted of 384 residents of Ardebil's historical context, who were selected by simple random sampling. The research measures were implemented based on theoretical framework of the research in a researcher-made questionnaire with 10 main components and 68 questions Including: Social security, social participation, social trust, collective identity, vitality, social interaction, sense of belonging, quality of housing, economic benefit, and spatial justice. The results showed that the rate of social sustainability in the historical context of Ardebil is generally low. But some of the components of social sustainability such as crime security, social participation, social interaction, and sense of belonging were more favorable than other components. However, the instability in the economic situation of residents and the low quality of physical condition of this area associated with inadequate access of residents to public services is a major factor in the escalation of social instability in the historical context of Ardebil. Also there are significant spatial differences in the level of social sustainability among the neighborhoods.. The results of this study highlight the social dimension of sustainable development in improving the quality of historical textures. An important point to be made as a conclusion from the analyses is that by reinforcing the social aspects of historical areas, their physical inadequacies can be largely achieved and reduced to habitat and activity. The results of this study emphasize the importance of assessing the social sustainability of urban areas, highlighting the social dimension of sustainable development in improving the quality of historical textures.