Journal of Geographical Studies of Mountainous Areas

Journal of Geographical Studies of Mountainous Areas

Empowering the beneficiaries of peri-urban settlements with the mediating role of civil organizations (case study: Naysar neighborhood, Sanandaj)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Esmael Nasiri 1
Enayatollah , Yazdanpanah 2
Amirhoushang Rajabi kalvani 3
1 Department of Urban Planning, Faculty of Art and Architecture, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran
2 Department of Biology, Payame Noor University (PNU), Tehran,Iran
3 Department of Geography and Urban Planning, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran.
10.22034/gsma.2025.2068557.1112
Abstract
1. Introduction
The class gap in large cities has clearly profound social and economic effects. This phenomenon not only leads to the formation of local communities by low-income groups in specific spaces but also results in these groups living in marginal areas that are particularly excluded from urban development and economic resources. This marginalization, due to a lack of access to public services and job opportunities, exacerbates inequalities further.the rapid urbanization, especially in developing countries, has caused informal settlements, or peri-urban areas, to emerge. These settlements often face multiple challenges, including inadequate basic infrastructure, limited access to necessary services and amenities, and high unemployment rates. Such conditions can lead to the exacerbation of social and economic inequalities and create a cycle of poverty and marginalization. (Brotherhood et al, 2022,18) Considering these challenges, it is essential to assess and evaluate urban policies and strategies that can help improve living conditions for these groups. Enhancing access to public services, implementing social support programs, and creating job opportunities may help reduce these gaps and improve the quality of life in marginalized areas. (Fayehun et al, 2022:32) The capacity building of civil organizations has led to the collective action of local stakeholders, brought the marginalized to the text, reduced poverty through mobilizing and strengthening human capacity, provided the prioritization of needs, the level of response to It elevates the beneficiaries of peri-urban settlements and establishes a link between managers and citizens (World Bank, 2006:1).  Weakness in capacity building and social development among immigrants, lack of structure and logical framework to participate in physical-social development (Gulka, 2015:5).
 
2. Methodology
The research tool used for this study was a The descriptive research method is of the correlation type. The present research is applied in terms of purpose.  The required information was prepared through the researcher's questionnaire based on the study of the theoretical foundations and predictions of the research, and the required information was collected through the questionnaire. In order to determine the sample size based on Cochran's formula, 383 residents were determined. The validity of this questionnaire was also confirmed by expert professors in the field of informal housing.  In the present study, the internal consistency analysis method was used to verify the validity of the item and Cronbach's alpha method was used to verify the reliability of the questionnaires.
 
3. Results
The results of the descriptive statistics of a sample examined in this research show that 63.7% of the questions are in the age group of 31 to 65 years, 66.7% of the questions are for 15 years, and 6.7% of the questions are for 15%. He lived in the study area for 25 years.
 
4. Discussion
Reliability was examined through Cronbach's alpha tests, combined reliability, and the reliability of the reliability index was also examined through convergent validity and divergent validity, and the value of Cronbach's alpha in all 4 models is higher than 0.6, which indicates acceptable reliability. In the above table, the AVE value is more than 0.5 and it indicates the divergent validity of this model. Investigating the divergent validity also shows that all the constructs of the model in the present study are less than 0.9 and the divergent validity of the model is confirmed. In addition to the mentioned cases, it should be confirmed that the existence of colinearity between the independent variables in this research is less than 5 according to the criterion of Variance Inflation Index (VIF).
 
5. Conclusion
 As it was concluded from the research findings section, the necessity and importance of civil organization indicators in studies of empowerment of the beneficiaries of informal settlements is an undeniable issue in urban planning studies, an issue that is unfortunately neglected in many cases, so it can be He said that the current research is in line with the studies of Javan and Hadiani, 2016, Mohed et al., 2013, Sajjadi and Sadeghi, 2008, as well as in foreign studies, with the studies of Carlson, 2017, Mil-Fellner, 2014, Carl Fair, 2012, but the fact is that in many studies in the department The theoretical foundations and the researches and the background of the conducted researches indicate that civil organizations have been less discussed and investigated. But what distinguishes the current research from previous research studies is to deal with the impact and review of the indicators of civil organizations on the level of empowerment of the residents of the study area, which indicates the unequal contribution of each of the indicators under review. The degree of solidarity in the creation of civil organizations indicates the need to pay attention to this topic in the studies of the empowerment of beneficiaries in the field of informal settlement within the scope of the study, therefore, it should be added that the concept of civil organizations, while being simple, can play a very effective role so that The findings of the present research showed that the most changes in the dependent variable can be explained by the presence of experts and the experience of civil organizations. Therefore, according to the discussions that were raised, the following items are suggested in order to increase the effectiveness of the empowerment of the beneficiaries of the peri-urban settlements in the scope of the study: 1) Conducting applied research in order to determine other indicators that influence the empowerment of the residents. 2) Increasing the number of experts in civil organizations in order to influence the role of civil organizations in empowering the beneficiaries by strengthening the presence of local people in popular organizations in the study area.
Author Contributions
In the preparation and writing of this article, all authors (first, second, and third) have contributed equally and jointly. All stages of the research, from study design and data collection to analysis of results and final writing of the article, are the result of collaboration and collective agreement of all authors.
 
Data Availability Statement
Data available on request from the authors.
 
Acknowledgements
We are very grateful to everyone who assisted us in conducting this research.
 
Ethical Considerations
All authors affirm that this research was conducted in accordance with ethical standards, with no data fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism.
 
Funding
This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
 
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest
Keywords
empowerment
civil society organizations
social cohesion
specialists
strategic planning
mountainous regions
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Journal of Geographical Studies of Mountainous Areas
Volume 6, Issue 4 - Serial Number 24
Winter
Winter 2026
Pages 91-110