Analysis of the Effects of Social Capital and Its Dimensions on Sustainable Urban Development: A Study of Cities in Western Mazandaran Province
Keywords:
Sustainable development, sustainable urban development, social capitalAbstract
This study aimed to examine the relationship between social capital, including its cognitive and structural dimensions, and sustainable urban development in the cities of western Mazandaran Province. This applied study employed a descriptive-correlational survey design. The statistical population consisted of citizens aged over 15 years living in Nowshahr, Chalus, Tonekabon, and Ramsar. A total of 384 participants were selected through multistage cluster sampling proportional to the population size of each city. Data were collected using researcher-developed questionnaires measuring social capital and sustainable urban development. The face and content validity of the instruments were confirmed, and Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were 0.81 for the social capital questionnaire and 0.79 for the sustainable urban development questionnaire. After examining the normality of the data distributions, inferential analyses were performed using Pearson’s correlation coefficient in SPSS version 23. Social capital was positively and significantly correlated with sustainable urban development (r=0.309, p<0.001). Significant positive correlations were also found between social capital and economic sustainability (r=0.285), social sustainability (r=0.377), environmental sustainability (r=0.326), physical sustainability (r=0.211), and institutional sustainability (r=0.307), with all relationships significant at p<0.001. Social sustainability demonstrated the strongest association with social capital, whereas physical sustainability showed the weakest association. The cognitive dimension of social capital was positively and significantly associated with sustainable urban development (r=0.294, p<0.001). Similarly, the structural dimension demonstrated a positive and significant correlation with sustainable urban development (r=0.261, p<0.001). The relationship observed for the cognitive dimension was therefore stronger than that found for the structural dimension. Social capital and its cognitive and structural dimensions are significant social factors associated with sustainable urban development in western Mazandaran Province. Strengthening mutual trust, shared values, social networks, civic participation, and constructive interactions between citizens and urban institutions may promote the social, economic, environmental, institutional, and physical dimensions of urban sustainability.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Rahim Ghanemi (Author); Fatemeh Hashemnejad Abrasi; Manouchehr Pahlavan, Masuod Darabi (Author)
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