The Strategic Role of the Culture of Urban Trust in Economic Development of the City (The Case of Tehran Municipality)

Nowadays, building trust among citizens and removing pessimism over municipalities are of urban managers’ priorities. Through cohesive and efficient planning, it is possible that the ways for building citizens’ trust to take role in the economic development of the city can be paved. That is because urban managers, to achieve much more success, require exploiting such a potential in providing the needed finance. One of the factors contributing to obtaining sustainable income is establishing the culture of trust-building among citizens. Recently, the municipality of the metropolise of Tehran has been trying to achieve such an aim in a way that accomplishments have also been observed. The current article, which is practical, purpose-wise, collects the required data through library research. The article, via introducing definitions of “trust” and clarifying its dimensions, investigates into the importance of such a vital factor in citizens’ life and the effects of which on the performance of the organization and other factors of urban management. Besides, methods and approaches adopted by Tehran municipality to different developmental, cultural, social, transportation, etc. domains to help achieving such great change are introduced. The current article indicates that the extent of “trust” is determined by the mutual action between people’s values, approaches, states, and emotions and is increased by a positive approach to the activities of urban management and by enhancing the quantity and quality level of the services offered to the citizens, having active financial participation of the citizens in the development of the city in consequence.