The Role of Neighborhoods’ Centers in the Development of Urban Sustainability (Case Study: Mahmudabad Neighborhoods, Mazandaran Iran)

As it is commonly understood, Urban neighborhoods play a significant role in developing urban sustainability as the smallest unit of city so that the formation and promotion of neighborhood identity, and focusing on social relationships would be in harmony with urban sustainability. It is believed that a dramatic change in spatial structure of urban neighborhood include a decline in levels of political, social and economic role of neighborhoods as long as they have had some disadvantages such as environmental pollution, marginalization, poor housing, socialpsychological and cultural damages, and particularly losing spiritual and material values as well in the recent decades. To limit these disadvantages associated with communities, neighborhood centers should be designed. The purpose of this study will analyze the concept of neighborhoods and neighborhoods’ centers and their effects on urban sustainability by descriptive- analytical approach and by gathering information through libraries and reviewing documents. This paper engages in analyzing components, dimensions, factors of sustainability and neighborhoods centers that integrated in the final model which characterized by practical-economic, environmental, empirical- aesthetic components; and, the validity of the used questionnaires based on factors of this model with 387 subjects (the selected sample) and the reliability of the questionnaires by using Cronbach Alpha through Bartlett Test and KMO factor at high level of 0/85 was proved. The level of significance of each component was reexamined by concerning their effects on urban sustainability. By applying multiple- regression test, the statistical outcomes reveal that designing based on environmental components have the utmost impact on neighborhoods sustainability