Investigation on Attaining Healthy Housing by Increasing Sense of Coherence in Historical Context with Emphasize on Salutogenic Approach: Sang-e-Siyah Community, Shiraz, Iran

Nowadays, health promotion in humans is not limited to medicine and psychology; therefore, a strong need for an effective interdisciplinary movement is felt to increase individuals' health as much as possible.  Several studies have concluded that the quality of the built environment is an important indicator of health and quality of life in modern societies. Health paradigm fans believe fundamental changes in individual and social behaviors are required to improve health, meaning that there must be a movement in the "social body" for the "biological and physical body" if an effective response is to be achieved. Housing and neighborhoods play an important role in human life as the most basic man-made environments. These environments have a significant impact on human mental and physical health. The architects and urban planners of today must develop designs aimed at improving human health.  Previous studies have shown that the salutogenic approach can promote human health. One of the basic sub-branches of this approach that forms the general basis of this research is the sense of coherence (SOC), which Antonovsky defines as the dynamic orientation for the world. This study aims to achieve a design solution that will increase the sense of coherence of people living in the historical fabric of Shiraz. As a result, the Sang-e Siah neighborhood in Shiraz city has been used as a case study. Accordingly, this study aims to investigate the sense of coherence in the Sang-e Siah neighborhood in Shiraz, which can be improved by increasing this component in humans. Hence, the research question is "What effects does the built neighborhood in Sang-e Siah have on citizens' sense of coherence?" Additionally, "what can be done to enhance people's sense of coherence through efficient design?" Answering this question in various neighborhoods can lead to effective strategies in maintaining and promoting the health of the residents in the Sang-e Siah neighborhood of Shiraz as well as the development of the neighborhood based on the salutogenic approach.

This study is based on mixed methods. Therefore, the bibliographic and documentary collections are first used to determine the progressive contents. Next, the World Health Organization Quality of Life and Antonovsky's sense of coherence surveys were used to collect data. The survey data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical methods with SPSS-24 software and a structural model based on SMART-PLS-2 software to test the research hypothesis. This research significantly identified and examined the main factors affecting the individuals' quality of life (QoL) and the residents' sense of coherence (SoC) in the Sang-e Siah neighborhood.

As a result of the factors obtained from both the tables related to the Sang-e Siah neighborhood and the quality of life survey, we find a more comprehensive correlation between the built environment and the sense of coherence. The variables in the sense of coherence survey and in the WHO Quality of Life survey have been expressed as keywords. The sense of coherence also acts as a dependent variable compared to the quality of life (an independent variable). Hence, the hidden variables related to the quality of life with the highest correlation coefficient should be taken into account since changes in each sector will impact the sense of coherence, meaning the SoC will improve as the quality of life improves.

According to the main purposes of the study, the salutogenic approach is intended to promote a sense of coherence and achieve a healthy home. In the neighborhood of Sang-e Siah, a significant factor with a correlation coefficient of (0.978) shows the highest correlation with the variable of the sense of coherence. Also, according to Alan Dilani's translation of the components of sense of coherence, every significant factor consists of sub-categories such as social support, music, art, culture, increased activity, increased individual and social independence, the presence of pets, view, comfort and convenience, and positive distraction. As a result, such keywords can be used in designing the historical fabric of Shiraz. Therefore, designing according to these strategies can significantly improve people's physical and mental health in these environments.