Evaluating the role of sidewalks in providing quality to urban spaces with an emphasis on attachment to place (Case study: Tabriz metropolis)

Document Type : Articles from PhD & Master Dissertations

Authors

1 PhD Student, Department of Urban Planning, Marand Branch, Islamic Azad University, Marand, Iran.

2 Associate Professor, Department of Urban Planning and Architecture, Maragheh Branch, Islamic Azad University, Maragheh, Iran

3 Professor, Département of Geography and Urban Planning, Marand Branch, Islamic Azad University, Marand, Iran

Abstract

Unfortunately, in Tabriz metropolis, the lack of attention to the proper design and planning of urban spaces has led to a decrease in the identity and functional load and also their decline. In this regard, in recent years, the construction of sidewalks has attracted the attention of urban designers and planners intending to respect the natural rights of citizens, reduce pollution and traffic problems, as well as promoting social relations and face-to-face encounters, increasing the quality of the environment, and ultimately forming a sense of and attachment to the place. Therefore, evaluating constructed sidewalks from the perspective of adding quality to urban spaces, emphasizing attachment to place and examining their level of success, can provide new ideas to designers and planners in creating new sidewalks and with this goal in mind, the present study has examined four sidewalks Tarbiat, Arak, Shahriar, and Fajr in Tabriz metropolis. The research method in the present study is mixed (quantitative and qualitative) with an applied purpose and a descriptive-analytical nature, which in order to analyze the data, heve been used the partial least squares model in Warp-pls software, analysis of variance and Pearson test in SPSS software, and the qualitative approach of Thematic analysis. The research findings show that in Tabriz metropolis sidewalks, the highest realizability and desirability in the components of attachment to place are related to social ties, emotional attachment, dependence on place, and place identity, with coefficients of 0.613, 0.544, 0.521, and 0.432, respectively. Also, the analysis of variance test shows that the three sidewalks of Shahriar, Tarbiat, and Ark have a more favorable status than the Fajr sidewalk in terms of place attachment components. Ultimately, it can be said that the formation of attachment to place on city sidewalks results from paying attention to spatial quality components in the design of these sidewalks, especially in the dimensions of vitality, flexibility and safety.

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Main Subjects

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Urban Structure and Function Studies
Volume 13, Issue 1
March 2026
Pages 159-185

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History

  • Receive Date: 14 March 2025
  • Revise Date: 04 July 2025
  • Accept Date: 22 October 2025

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