Advances in Environmental Biology Development; a Path Model

Advances in Environmental Biology, 8(7) May 2014, Pages: 2803-2809
AENSI Journals
Advances in Environmental Biology
ISSN-1995-0756
EISSN-1998-1066
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The Impact of Economic Factors on Iran's Karaj Sustainable Urban
Development; a Path Model
1
Khadijeh Amoei Dizaji and 2Mehrdad Navabakhsh
1
Department of Sociology, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Tehran Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University,
Tehran, Iran.
2
Department of Sociology, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Tehran Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University,
Tehran, Iran
ARTICLE INFO
Article history:
Received 15 April 2014
Received in revised form 22 May
2014
Accepted 25 May 2014
Available online 15 June 2014
Key words:
development, sustainable development,
urban sustainable development.
ABSTRACT
The current study has evaluated the urban sustainable development, emphasizing the
economic factors in District 3, Karaj city in Iran. The study is aimed at evaluating the
urban sustainable development through economic variables. Research method is survey
and the questionnaire was used to collect the data. The sample consists of 395 residents
from District 3 of Karaj which has been selected through probability sampling of
appropriate classification to size and randomly. To perform descriptive and inferential
statistics, SPSS software was used and LISREL software was used to measure the
theoretical model. The results indicate that there is a linear and direct model, and also
there is a significant relationship between economic factors and urban sustainable
development. Employment status, housing quality, and income are the most effective
factors on urban sustainable development respectively.
© 2014 AENSI Publisher All rights reserved.
To Cite This Article: Khadijeh Amoei Dizaji, Mehrdad Navabakhsh., The Impact of Economic Factors on Iran's Karaj Sustainable Urban
Development; a Path Model. Adv. Environ. Biol., 8(7), 2803-2809, 2014
INTRODUCTION
The sustainable development as a concept is responsible for responding the challenges ahead of the urban
area such as globalization, decentralization, and population rapid growth. The transformations influence on
economic, social situations, and environment and cause issues such as social inequality, poor communities or
informal colony and climate change. Sustainable development concept of economical, social, environmental,
and governmental problems is in an urban framework. However, there is no definition or clear concept of
―sustainable development‖ (which it has more than 200 definitions). A consideration on this word’s definition
will assist with clearing up the issues which the above concept should be the responder; however, such factors
are so widespread that it is difficult to get the current concept. Saha D & Paterson R G defined four aspects for
sustainable development, while they were reviewing Portney K E, Jepson E J, and Conroy M. M works:
environmental protection, economic development, social equality, and governance and rule [40].
Various definition of sustainable development has been presented. The most common is Brant Land
Commission definition which means ―the development which meets the need of current generation without
demolishing the future generations to meet ones needs.‖ [31,25,4].
The sustainable development is an endogenous, systematic and balanced development which put forwards
the systematic insight in all disciplines. The first discipline which utilized the concept was environment—the
sustainable development following poverty alleviation, keeping balance among the countries and peaceful
coexistence, emphasizing peace and better utilization of resources especially renewable resources [18,22].
The sustainable development process of economic, finance, trade, energy, agriculture, industry policy and
etc are designed, so that they sustain economical, social, and environmental development. The sustainable
development means not to impose economical, social, or environmental damages to the next generations [30].
The sustainable urban development is aimed at keeping equal balance among economical, environmental,
social, and governmental aspects in order to construct the cities and village appropriate for better and more
effective lives [40]. The sustainable development means to improve the quality of life within the capacity of
supportive ecosystem [42,22,21].
In the broad sense, the word means to manage and proper and effective utilization of the natural bade,
financial, and human resources to achieve the desired assumption pattern which is possible through using
Corresponding Author: Mehrdad Navabakhsh, Department of Sociology, College of Humanities and Social Sciences,
Tehran Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
E-mail: [email protected]
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Khadijeh Amoei Dizaji and Mehrdad Navabakhsh, 2014
Advances in Environmental Biology, 8(7) May 2014, Pages: 2803-2809
technical facilities and appropriate structure and organization to meet the present and future generation needs
continuously and satisfactorily.
The sustainable development is a process to achieve the attitude of prospective and continuous satisfaction
through recognition the relationship between humans, humans and environment, and components of
environment and rational intervention to improve the relationships, employing a combination of new
technology, local knowledge, and the rights of human being [49].
As Wolfgang Frax has said: ―there wouldn’t be the development without sustainability and sustainability
without development since ever‖ [2]. The sustainable development is the comprehensive approach to improve
the human’s quality life in order to achieve economic, social, and environmental prosperity of human
settlements [50]. Baryon believes that the sustainable development is the focus on developing to people and do
the justice to the present and next generations [6].
The sustainable development is a requisite for improvement as a process—the process which is the
foundation of improving the circumstances and annihilator of social-cultural shortcomings of developed society
and it should be the engine of balanced, appropriate, and coordinated economical, social, and cultural progress
especially in developing countries. The sustainable development seeks to provide the strategies and mechanisms
to be able to achieve significant objectives such as the integration of environmental protection and development,
supplying the basic needs of human life, Achieving social justice and eliminating poverty and general
deprivation, self-determination and cultural diversity, and maintaining the ecological unit [45].
The sustainable development requires the cultural systematic transformation in long-term which underlying
the democracy and social capital [46]. The sustainable development is the developmental state which is seeking
for balancing approach by holistic view and systematic insight [48].
The most important goal of the study is to evaluate the urban sustainable development, emphasizing the
economic factors in District 3 of Karah city (Fardis)
The research questions:
1. The main question: do the economical factors affect the urban sustainable development?
Sub-questions:
Does the income quality affect the urban sustainable development?
Does the quality of employment affect the urban sustainable development?
Does satisfaction with housing affect the urban sustainable development?
The theoretical model:
The
quality of
income
The
quality of
employm
ent
Housing
Satisfacti
on
The urban
sustainabl
e
developm
ent
The figure1.The theoretical model.
Research hypothesis:
The main hypothesis: the economic factors affect the urban sustainable development.
1-1. The quality of income affects the urban sustainable development.
1-2. The quality of employment affects the urban sustainable development.
1-3. Satisfaction with housing affects the urban sustainable development.
Method:
The research methods used in the study include:
1. Documentary and library method: to understand and recognize the various aspects of topic, the
documentary and library methods should be used in order to collect the data and achieve the theoretical
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Khadijeh Amoei Dizaji and Mehrdad Navabakhsh, 2014
Advances in Environmental Biology, 8(7) May 2014, Pages: 2803-2809
approach and transparency. Therefore, the present study has used the above method to achieve the theory
framework, clear up the social reality, and awareness of background and research literature.
2. The survey method: ultimately this method was used to collect the data, classification, description, and
analysis.
Population:
The population is the results generalizations area and the research findings, thus the population includes the
whole individuals under the investigation and the researcher selects the sample unit among them. Therefore the
study population is the analysis unit and residents unit in District 3, Karaj city (Fardis).
Sample:
The samples are residents at District 3, Karaj city (Fardis). Direct observation was used in the field study.
Therefore, in the present study the person is the analysis unit which includes the residents in District 3, Karaj
city (Fardis).
Sample size:
In the present study, the size and volume of population has been evaluated based on Cochran’s formula.
(The sample number) n=395
(The population size) N=168702
(The attribute probability) P=0.5
Q=0.5
T=1.96
D=0.05
Sampling method:
Residents in District 3 in Karaj (Fardis) have been determined through categorized sampling appropriate to
the size with regard to the District 3 (Fardis), the used district put in the sample using the sample random
method. As such, first their name were written on a paper and then they were selected by lottery from the
residential town Arshia, Najafabad, Pasdar town, Naz town, Village town, Hafeziye town, Fardis main street.
The target lanes also were recognized by lottery to adopt the samples from the existing neighborhood.
Data collection method:
The library and survey method were utilized at the study. The review literature, the records, theoretical
framework, the concepts definition, the need to use this method in the form of taking note from books, articles,
reports, websites, and statistics based on documentary method, and also the questionnaire are of the resources
and data gathering tools in the study. The questionnaire is from 1-5 and has been designed from very low to very
high and the used scale in the study is the Likert study.
The preliminary measurement tools:
It was referred to the experts to ensure the authenticity or validity of the questionnaire, questions, items, and
scaled used in the study. The limited population of the study also were selected and examined before finalizing
the questionnaire to eliminate the possible defects in the questionnaire. The reliability test was conducted on the
scales based on Cronbach’s alpha and it was taken by 40 reliability samples at the first phase. If a scale was
weak in terms of reliability, we attempt to add the reliability by eliminating and modifying the items. The
mentioned reliability is in the final reliability table which evaluated by 395. The investigation of measurement
scales reliability indicates that the whole variables have appropriate and acceptable reliability. The reliability of
income variable (Cronbach’s alpha) equals 0.72, the employment reliability equals 0.68, housing’s reliability
equals 0.73, and the total reliability equals 0.71.
Table 1: The reliability of the study variables.
variable
income
employment
housing
items
8
4
4
Cronbach’s alpha
0.72
0.68
0.73
Statistical methods to analyze the data and test the hypothesis:
The data were analyzed through SPSS20 and LISREL software. Pearson correlation test and Friedman test
was utilized to investigate the study hypothesis.
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Khadijeh Amoei Dizaji and Mehrdad Navabakhsh, 2014
Advances in Environmental Biology, 8(7) May 2014, Pages: 2803-2809
Results:
Correlations among the all study variables have been reported in table2. The table variables include:
income, employment, and housing. Pearson correlation coefficient and also the significant level of coefficients
have been reported in the table. Asterisk by each coefficient is representative for the significant of the
relationship. The results demonstrate there is almost a significant relationship between all variables.
Table 2: Correlation matrix of variables.
variables
Income status
Employment status
Housing status
**correlation at the error level less than 0.01
*correlation at the error level less than 0.05
1
0.68**
0.41**
2
3
0.41**
-
Friedman test:
To prioritize (ranking) the sustainable development factors, Friedman test was utilized. Friedman test
results are given in table 3. According to the findings, it can be expressed that regarding the chi square value
which equals 912.30 and it is significant at error level less than 0.01, it should be said that there is a significant
difference among three factors of urban sustainable development economic and respondents have three ranking
at these three factors and the mean of respondents rate are different. Based on the interpretation of the test about
sustainable development factors, it should be said that the highest rank means that factor have developed the
most and the respondents have the most satisfaction.
The results showed that respondents ranking are in order as: the employment status on average 5.23, the
housing status on average 4.45, and the income status on average 3.95 are determination factors of urban
sustainable development in Karaj (Fardis) respectively.
Friedman test results for the effective economic factors in urban sustainable development
Freedom degree
Significance level
Chi square value
Rank
1
2
3
9
0.000
912.301
Factors
Income status
Housing status
Employment status
Rating average
5.23
4.45
3.95
The hypothesis test:
The main hypothesis: the economic factors affect the urban sustainable development.
1-1 The quality of income affects the urban sustainable development. Based on the given results the path which
links the two variables is positive and significant (t=12.90). Therefore, the quality of income affects the urban
sustainable development directly and the hypothesis is accepted.
1-2 The quality of employment income affects the urban sustainable development. Based on the given results
the path which links the two variables is positive and significant (t=8/88). Therefore, the quality of employment
affects the urban sustainable development directly and the hypothesis is accepted.
1-3 The satisfaction with housing affects the urban sustainable development. Based on the given results the path
which links the two variables is positive and significant (t=12.81). Therefore, the satisfaction with housing
affects the urban sustainable development directly and the hypothesis is accepted.
Conclusion:
The research main and secondary hypothesis results suggest that there is a direct relationship between
independent and dependent variables. In other words, the social factors affect the urban sustainable
development, so that:
The quality of income affects the urban sustainable development. Based on the given results the path which
links the two variables is positive and significant (t=12.90). Therefore, the quality of income affects the urban
sustainable development directly and the hypothesis is accepted.
One of the factors affecting the income distribution is the financial development index, as the studied
indicate that appropriate function of financial system can be a potential factor to increase the accumulation of
physical capital, increase the economic efficiency, and thus the long-term economic growth. Since the effective
financial system causes the added value to be directed in its best utilization way (Batuo et al, 2010:1).
The satisfaction with housing affects the urban sustainable development. Based on the given results the path
which links the two variables is positive and significant (t=12.81). Therefore, the satisfaction with housing
affects the urban sustainable development directly and the hypothesis is accepted.
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Khadijeh Amoei Dizaji and Mehrdad Navabakhsh, 2014
Advances in Environmental Biology, 8(7) May 2014, Pages: 2803-2809
Housing quality is primarily related to the physical and social ground of the surrounding area on which the
house is located. There is a strong relationship between housing and the general development. Construction,
development, and sale the house create the employment, income, and income tax. The housing part has always
been a key part of urban economical.
Hekmatniya & Ansari [16] in an article titled programming the housing of Meybod city by sustainable
development approach indicated that Meybod has been faced the residential area expansion, especially in 13751385s and since the passage and execution comprehensive and detailed plans, fortunately it has been developed
pretty well in terms of quantity and quality in the current decade. So, it can be said that it has had a significant
relationship with the urban sustainable development. Maliene & Mayls [24] in the research titled quality
housing—the key to achieve the sustainable societies—have noticed the quality housing features and the role of
housing in the community attractiveness and health. The housing has been considered the key tool in creating
the sustainable societies.
Zamani et al [53] in their research titled the housing development analysis in the old texture of Kordabad,
Esfahan, by sustainable development approach indicated that enhancing the financial capacity of households,
standardization the housing, organizing the users, and increasing the monitoring of the municipality on
developing the housing are of the effective strategies to achieve the housing sustainable development in
Kordabad.
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