Social Factors Affecting Citizen's Participation in Urban Affairs (case of study: the city of Shahre-Kord)

The significance and necessity of utilizing citizen participation and participatory development has been reflected in the ideas and theories of scholars and also in the practical efforts of national and international institutions and organizations, especially in third world countries, so much so that it can be found in the area of urban affairs and urban management. This study aims to identify selected social factors that can influence citizen participation in urban affairs. This is a survey study that was done among a sample of 400 residents of the city of Shahre-kord aged 18-65. The questionnaire had face validity and its reliability was measured via Chronbach’s Alpha coefficient that was above 0.70. Research results showed that the variables citizen satisfaction with the municipality (r=0.37),motivational strategies of the municipality (r=0.26), social trust (r=0.41), and municipality type of activity (0.47) were significantly related to citizen participation in urban affairs. The results also showed that of background variables, only age was significantly related to citizens’ satisfaction with the municipality. The overall citizen participation in urban affairs was at the medium level and this was due mainly to the low level of the objective dimension of participation.