Extended Abstract

1. Introduction

In recent decades, the rapid growth of urbanization has led to widespread challenges across social, economic, and environmental domains, posing a serious threat to the sustainability of urban life. The outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020 revealed the structural vulnerabilities of cities and demonstrated that many urban areas lacked sufficient preparedness to deal with large-scale health crises. This pandemic severely affected multiple aspects of urban life, including healthcare services, transportation systems, environmental quality, and housing conditions, thereby highlighting the critical need to enhance urban livability. Within this context, the concept of urban livability, defined as the availability of safe, healthy, economically, socially, and environmentally supportive living conditions, has gained prominence in urban planning literature. Assessing livability in the face of major crises such as pandemics, particularly in vulnerable neighborhoods, is crucial for informing effective policies aimed at improving urban resilience. The present study investigates the challenges of urban livability during the COVID-19 pandemic in Kuy-e Golestan, a neighborhood in the city of Golestan, located in Tehran Province. This area, characterized by a semi-planned urban structure and a mixture of formal, informal, and deteriorated settlements, is especially vulnerable to public health crises due to infrastructural weaknesses and high population density. The research seeks to assess the dimensions and indicators of livability in this neighborhood and analyze how the pandemic has affected residents’ ability to maintain acceptable living conditions in an urban setting.

2. Materials and Methods

This research is applied in nature and adopts a descriptive-analytical approach, employing a combination of quantitative and qualitative data. Data collection was conducted in two stages. First, a systematic review of domestic and international scholarly literature was undertaken to identify and screen indicators of urban livability, with a focus on conditions specific to the COVID-19 pandemic. Second, the selected indicators were formulated into a questionnaire using a five-point Likert scale, which was distributed among 200 residents of Koy-e Golestan who were living in the neighborhood during the pandemic. To analyze the collected data, SPSS and Smart-PLS software were employed. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to examine the relationships between latent variables and their observed indicators. To evaluate the reliability, validity, and quality of the conceptual model, statistical measures such as Cronbach’s alpha, composite reliability, Average Variance Extracted (AVE), as well as model fit indices including SRMR, Q², and R² were used. The results indicated that the model had a good fit and strong explanatory power.

3. Results and discussion

The results from the questionnaire analysis indicate that the level of urban livability in Koy-e Golestan during the COVID-19 pandemic was low and unsatisfactory. Among the various dimensions assessed, the “healthcare” and “environmental” dimensions exhibited the weakest performance. Limited access to high-quality laboratory services, declines in both physical and mental health, a shortage of green spaces, and poor air quality were identified as major challenges in these two areas, all of which had a direct negative impact on residents’ ability to live sustainably in the neighborhood. Conversely, the “infrastructure,” “economic,” and “housing” dimensions showed relatively better performance. Essential infrastructures such as water, electricity, transportation, and communications remained functional to a reasonable extent during the crisis. The presence of diverse and flexible economic activities contributed to relative stability in the economic domain. Additionally, the availability of moderately suitable housing conditions helped reduce the negative impacts of lockdowns and movement restrictions on residents. The structural model results indicated that certain indicators, including a sense of belonging to the neighborhood, efficiency of ride-hailing services, and physical health, had a positive and statistically significant relationship with urban livability during the pandemic. In contrast, indicators such as access to laboratory services, mental health, access to green spaces, and air cleanliness exhibited high levels of vulnerability and had the most significant negative effects on urban livability. These findings underscore the urgent need to strengthen healthcare and environmental infrastructures in underplanned neighborhoods, particularly under crisis conditions.

4. Conclusion

Focusing on a semi-planned urban neighborhood, this study provides empirical evidence that public health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic can severely weaken multiple dimensions of urban livability. The results reveal that inadequate healthcare and environmental infrastructure were the most critical weaknesses in Kuy-e Golestan during the pandemic. If similar crises recur, these deficiencies could significantly increase the neighborhood’s vulnerability. Nevertheless, the findings also highlight that the presence of relatively stable infrastructure, suitable housing, and flexible economic activities can help mitigate the negative impacts of such crises. In particular, the relatively good performance of infrastructure and economic dimensions underscores the importance of long-term investment in these sectors to enhance urban resilience. In light of these results, the study emphasizes that urban planning must deliberately focus on improving access to healthcare, enhancing environmental quality, developing crisis-resilient transportation systems, and strengthening social cohesion, especially in vulnerable neighborhoods. Moreover, the design and implementation of urban interventions should be data-driven and context-specific, taking into account the unique characteristics and needs of each neighborhood to ensure effective responses in future emergencies. Finally, it is recommended that future research focus on the long-term effects of the pandemic on various dimensions of livability and on evaluating the effectiveness of the policies and interventions implemented during the crisis. Such studies can help pave the way toward building more resilient and livable cities capable of withstanding future public health emergencies.

5. Acknowledgments & Funding

·        The manuscript did not receive a grant from any organization.

·        The authors would like to express their sincere appreciation to all academic advisors, the residents of the Koy-e Golestan neighborhood, and all individuals who provided support and assistance throughout the research process.

6. Conflicts of Interest

·        The authors declare no conflict of interest.