Document Type : Case Study
Authors
1
Department of Urban Planning, CT.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran , Iran
2
Department of Urban Design, Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
The increase in urbanization in the world, along with the weakening of people’s happiness, is a global issue. However, in the urban area of Iran, where 3/4 of the population is urban and their happiness rank is 100 among 143 countries, it is worrying. The happy city approach is a new approach in contemporary urban planning literature that expresses people’s positive perception of the place where they live. The main issue of the research is that if we do not pay attention to the happiness frameworks and the type of policies related to it, we will witness an increase in sad and dissatisfied people and ultimately mental deterioration among city residents. And the main goal of the research is to identify the components affecting happiness in biological areas. In this regard, the first step is to identify the components affecting happiness and then evaluate these components in residential areas to determine the level of happiness in each and provide strategies. Therefore, this article examines the happy city approaches and evaluates them in the study area. The purpose of this study is to investigate the level of happiness in the Mirdamad area, located in District 3 of Tehran Municipality. Finally, the evaluable indicators were examined in the form of six main components: socio-cultural, economic-living, physical, managerial-administrative, ecological-environmental, and finally individual-psychological characteristics. These components were analyzed by developing a questionnaire, and relying on the structural equation method, the Mirdamad region was evaluated from the perspective of happiness. It was shown that all 5 components directly affect the feeling of happiness in the Mirdamad region, and changes in each can also affect other systems. In this regard, to achieve sustainable happiness in cities, additional studies should be conducted in this field, which can include considering individual and psychological frameworks, satisfaction with the prevailing life system in each area.
Graphical Abstract
Highlights
· Rapid urbanization worldwide has led to declining happiness levels. In Iran, 3/4 of the population is urban, with a low happiness rank (100/143), raising concerns for urban well-being.
· The “happy city” approach emphasizes residents’ positive perception of their living environment. This concept is increasingly applied in contemporary urban planning for quality of life improvements.
· The study aims to identify key components affecting happiness in residential areas. Six domains were examined: socio-cultural, economic-living, physical, managerial-administrative, ecological-environmental, and individual-psychological.
· Data were collected through a structured questionnaire and analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling. This allowed evaluation of each component’s direct and indirect effect on happiness in the Mirdamad area of Tehran.
· All components directly influence residents’ happiness and show interdependent effects. Achieving sustainable urban happiness requires integrated policies and attention to individual and psychological factors.
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