Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
Department of Urban Planning, Faculty of Architecture and Art, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran
10.22034/jsc.2025.522140.1845
Abstract
A B S T R A C T
Langarud County, due to its specific geographical location, is exposed to various risks such as earthquakes, floods, and climatic instability. Unregulated construction, rapid population growth, and weaknesses in governance structures have posed serious challenges to the region’s resilience in the face of crises. The need for a scientific and multidimensional framework to assess and analyze the existing conditions is one of the primary concerns of urban planners. This study adopts an analytical approach and focuses on the five dimensions of urban resilience in order to evaluate the status of Langarud County in relation to natural hazards, identify its strengths and weaknesses, and propose practical strategies to enhance structural coherence and improve resilience. The research is applied in nature and follows a descriptive–analytical methodology. Data were collected using valid questionnaires, and analytical tools such as the one-sample t-test, multiple regression analysis, and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) were employed. The statistical population consisted of 388 citizens aged over 18, selected through stratified random sampling. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS and SmartPLS software. The results indicate that the institutional, infrastructural, and planning dimensions are at a relatively acceptable level. However, in the social and economic dimensions, indicators such as public participation, crisis awareness, and livelihood sustainability require significant improvement. Moreover, the causal relationships among the resilience dimensions demonstrate that integrated and participatory policymaking can substantially contribute to improving urban conditions. Enhancing urban resilience in Langarud requires strengthening institutional capacities, expanding crisis education and training, increasing managerial transparency, and designing participatory structures that ultimately lead to sustainable development and long-term urban safety.
Extended Abstract
Introduction
Langarud County, located in northern Iran, due to its distinctive geographical position in a vulnerable region, has consistently been exposed to multiple natural hazards, including earthquakes, floods, and climate change impacts. Unregulated and compact urban development, rapid population growth, and weaknesses in institutional and planning structures have posed serious challenges to the county’s resilience in coping with crises. These complex conditions highlight the growing necessity for the formulation and application of a comprehensive, multidimensional, and integrated framework for the accurate assessment and enhancement of urban resilience.
This study is primarily aimed at assessing and modeling urban resilience in Langarud County with an emphasis on natural hazards across five dimensions: social, economic, infrastructural, institutional, and planning. The objective is not only to describe the current situation, but also to identify strengths and weaknesses, explain the causal relationships among the resilience dimensions, and ultimately propose practical strategies to improve the overall resilience of the county. The central research question addresses the level of resilience in Langarud County across each of these dimensions and seeks to determine which strategies can effectively enhance the county’s overall urban resilience.
Methodology
This research is applied in terms of purpose and adopts a descriptive–analytical approach with respect to data collection and analysis. The required data were collected using a researcher-developed questionnaire designed based on theoretical foundations and validated national and international indicators in the field of urban resilience. The content validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by experts in urban planning and crisis management, and its reliability was verified using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, which was calculated to be above 0.7 for all dimensions.The statistical population of the study consisted of residents of Langarud County aged 18 and above. Using stratified random sampling and Cochran’s formula, a sample of 388 respondents was selected. The demographic composition of the sample indicated a substantial participation of women (65.7%) and a high level of university education (over 80%), reflecting an appropriate analytical capacity of the sample. Data analysis employed a range of statistical techniques, including descriptive statistics, a one-sample t-test to compare the status of each dimension with a reference value (theoretical mean of 3), multiple regression analysis to assess the contribution and predictive power of each dimension in explaining overall resilience, and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to examine causal relationships, correlations, and impact pathways among the dimensions. All statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS and SmartPLS software.
Result and Discussion
The findings of the study indicate that urban resilience in Langarud follows a heterogeneous and unbalanced pattern. Based on the results of the one-sample t-test, the social and economic dimensions of resilience are significantly below the desirable and baseline levels. In the social dimension, key indicators such as voluntary participation, citizens’ awareness of preventive measures and preparedness, skills and knowledge related to post-disaster recovery, and the effectiveness of local institutions in education and training recorded low mean values. This reflects serious weaknesses in social capital, public awareness, and the empowerment of the local community.
Similarly, in the economic dimension, indicators including economic structural flexibility, the effectiveness of economic measures adopted by managerial institutions, and the sustainability of the local economy exhibited unfavorable conditions, pointing to the fragility of the local economy and the inefficiency of financial mechanisms in times of crisis. In contrast, the infrastructural, institutional, and planning dimensions demonstrated relatively favorable conditions and mean values above the average level. For instance, indicators such as the overall performance and impact of urban infrastructure, attention to housing resistance against hazards, inter-organizational cooperation and coordination among urban institutions, and the efficiency of the planning process for crisis management showed higher mean scores.
The results of the multiple regression analysis revealed that the institutional (β = 0.531), planning (β = 0.528), and economic (β = 0.528) dimensions, respectively, have the greatest influence and predictive power in explaining the overall resilience of the county. Furthermore, the SEM confirmed strong and statistically significant causal and correlational relationships among the five dimensions, emphasizing the importance of systemic synergy among them and highlighting the necessity of integrated and participatory policymaking to enhance urban resilience.
However, the relatively weak performance of the social dimension (β = 0.335) in the regression model indicates an urgent need to strengthen social infrastructures, increase public awareness, promote genuine community participation, and invest in local community empowerment. These findings are consistent with well-established theoretical frameworks such as the Integrated Urban Resilience Model and Adaptive Governance, which emphasize participatory governance, institutional transparency, collective learning, and flexibility-oriented policy models. The results also caution that focusing solely on strengthening physical infrastructure, without strong institutional support and resilient social capital, cannot lead to effective and sustainable urban resilience.
Conclusion
Urban resilience in Langarud is a multidimensional and systemic phenomenon, and its enhancement requires simultaneous attention to all dimensions and the strengthening of synergy among them. Despite notable strengths in the infrastructural and institutional dimensions, serious weaknesses in the social and economic dimensions pose a significant threat to the county’s overall resilience. Accordingly, this study proposes the following key strategies to enhance resilience in Langarud and move toward a model of “transformative and responsive resilience:
· Redefining the urban governance model: with an emphasis on strengthening horizontal and vertical coordination among institutions, institutionalizing transparency and accountability, establishing organizational learning mechanisms, and reinforcing local dialogue.
· Empowering the local community and strengthening socio-economic dimensions: through the design and implementation of targeted and continuous hazard-related education programs, promoting genuine public participation across all stages of crisis management, advancing urban financial development, and improving equitable access to services and financial resources for vulnerable groups.
· Enhancing the quantity and quality of infrastructure: with particular attention to housing retrofitting and strengthening, increasing the capacity and efficiency of green and open spaces as multifunctional emergency shelters, and reinforcing early warning systems and crisis communication networks.
· Integrating institutional policies with physical interventions in a strategic manner: to facilitate the transition from passive and reactive resilience toward active, proactive, responsive, and transformative resilience.
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Funding
There is no funding support.
Authors’ Contribution
Authors contributed equally to the conceptualization and writing of the article. All of the authors approved thecontent of the manuscript and agreed on all aspects of the work declaration of competing interest none.
Conflict of Interest
Authors declared no conflict of interest.
Acknowledgments
We are grateful to all the scientific consultants of this paper.
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