Investigating the Impact of Social and Cultural Factors on the Socio-Political Participation of Citizens in the Implementation of Sustainable Development Plans in Urban Areas (Case Study of the Employees of the Executive Bodies of Arak)

The aim of this article was to investigate the factors affecting the socio-political participation of citizens in the implementation of sustainable development projects in urban areas. In this research, urban development of Arak metropolis has been considered as a case study. The statistical Society consists of employees of the executive bodies of Arak in 2009. The sample size was 361 people according to Morgan sampling table, which was selected by random quota classification. Data collection tools were interviews with academic experts and a questionnaire of executives. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were confirmed through factor analysis and Cronbach's tests. Obtaining a coefficient above 0.70 in both cases indicates the stability of their measurement. Methods of data analysis are: utilization of descriptive statistics, structural equation tests, Sobel test. In this regard, PLS software was used to test the research model and hypotheses. The results showed that there is a significant relationship between social and cultural factors mediated by political factors and sustainable urban development. At the same time, cultural factors have a stronger relationship with socio-political contributions to sustainable urban development than social factors.