Assessing the Impact of Infill Architecture Development on Citizens' Social Participation in Historical Contexts (Case Study: Mohammadiyeh Historical Crossing of Qazvin)

Infill architecture development with regard to development within the area and redevelopment of the area, tries to use its internal potentials (such as being historical) to use unused and worn out lands in the urban context, through the creation or reconstruction of spaces and improve the conditions of the urban fabric and also prevent urban creep. This issue is more important in a city like Qazvin because the population is always increasing and on the other hand, natural and artificial barriers have limited its expansion in different directions. Because the Infill architecture development takes place within the urban context and in direct connection with society, social participation, meaning the voluntary activities of individuals to enhance their social life, must be considered as a potential at all stages of development. The main purpose of this study is to express the relationship between the above two variables using the correlation research method. After library studies and field research, indicators, components, then, elements for both variables were explained and provide a conceptual model to justify their correlation and accordingly a questionnaire was developed. After distributing the questionnaire, using Cronbach's alpha coefficient, its reliability was determined. Then, using SPSS method, Pearson coefficient equal to 0.830 (which indicates a high and positive correlation of variables), and a significant coefficient equal to 0.000 (which indicates a significant relationship between the two variables), was calculated. The result of this research states that the concept of infill architecture development with the aim of meeting all the needs of users and considering the available facilities, creates trust and increases people's sense of satisfaction and as a result, it expands their sense of cooperation and use of their potential abilities and increases social participation at all stages.Extended Abstract

         Infill architecture development with regard to development within the area and redevelopment of the area, tries to use its internal potentials (such as being historical) to use unused and worn out lands in the urban context, through the creation or reconstruction of spaces with solutions such as; Create mixed uses and improve the conditions of the urban fabric, save infrastructure and also prevent urban creep. This issue is more important in a city like Qazvin because the population is always increasing and on the other hand, natural and artificial barriers have limited its expansion in different directions.Because the Infill architecture development takes place within the urban context and in direct connection with society, social participation, meaning the voluntary, conscious and creative presence and involvement of people in various activities that can be done in their local organizations, must be considered as a potential at all stages of development. It is noteworthy that during the revitalization of troubled urban contexts, historical contexts are emphasized as the manifestation of economic and social dimensions and the crystallization of urban culture and identity.The main purpose of this study is to express the relationship between the above two variables using the correlation research method. Research question is; How the concept of infill architecture development affects the increase of social participation and The research hypothesis states; It seems that the concept of infill architecture development by increasing the level of user satisfaction and improving the quality of the environment (especially neighborhoods) is effective in increasing the sense of cooperation and using the potential of individuals and increases social participation.

      After library studies, field research, qualitative review and description and analysis of data; Indicators, components, then, elements for both variables were explained and provide a conceptual model to justify their correlation and considering the House of Culture and the Library of Mohammadiyah as a case study, a questionnaire was developed and according to; The number of clients, Cochran's formula and Morgan table, 80 questionnaires were distributed and completed and then, using statistical software and correlation research method, the correlation between variables was investigated. Due to the use of the views of the statistical community and the descriptive nature of the results, we use the survey research method. The assessment tool in this research to collect information is a questionnaire that has been developed according to the elements expressed in the previous sections. The validity of the questions is of a content type. In order to analyze the data, according to the completed questionnaires and using the SPSS method (version 22), we calculated the reliability coefficients of the questionnaire, significance and correlation between variables and determined its direction. Finally, the obtained results are analyzed by inductive reasoning and the hypothesis is examined.

       According to calculations, the degree of reliability and Cronbach's alpha coefficient for; The total questions of the questionnaire is 0.944, the variable of infill architecture development is 0.914 and the variable of social participation is 0.917, which indicates the appropriateness and standardization of the questionnaire and the questions asked for the variables.In order to test the hypothesis, according to the answers and using statistical software, the Pearson coefficient and the correlation between the two variables were calculated to be 0.830 that the proximity of the above digit to the number one indicates a high correlation and its positive sign indicates a direct correlation between the variables and also zero (less than 0.05) significance indicates a significant relationship between them.Infill architecture development can be according to the parameters; Promoting the culture of participation with appropriate culture building, strengthen the sense of belonging of the beneficiaries according to the identity of the place, gaining the trust of people by trying to meet the needs of the population, efforts to maintain the desired physical and biological characteristics with respect to the surrounding tissue and promote vitality with flexible design and improve the quality of the environment, increase social cohesion and participation. As in the case study, the creation of a cultural building in one of the historic neighborhoods of the city, by trying to meet the needs of users and holding group activities increases the participation of people in the place.

     According to the most important data, the concept of infill architecture development by; Utilizing the existing environmental and human potentials, population absorption, increase the self-confidence of local people and their self-sufficiency power, promoting the culture and quality of the environment, attention to the identity and personality of the existing architecture and promoting a sense of belonging, creates trust and a sense of satisfaction and increases social participation in the whole development process.        Strategies to achieve the indicators of the mentioned variables according to the specific data; A) Infill architecture development variable: 1- Socio-economic index; Increasing social interactions, benefiting from popular participation, raising society public awareness, generate income for the residents of the neighborhood, provision of municipal services, use of abandoned buildings and spaces, increasing attention to the culture and history of the neighborhood. 2- Functional-operational index; Increasing public service, support for the city's main service areas, restoring prosperity to historical and abandoned textures, reconstruction of dilapidated buildings, increasing the quality of performance among several important buildings. 3- Physical-environmental index; Attention to the height of buildings, harmony with the surrounding tissue, reconstruction of old buildings. B) Social participation variable: 1- Social capital index; Increasing social solidarity, adherence to cultural and social commitments, welcoming personal initiatives, raising awareness and strengthen participation. 2- Index of participatory spaces; Attention to needs, improving the quality of living space, increasing sense of belonging, ability to make changes in space. 3- Index of factors affecting participation; Increasing social cohesion, improving the quality of urban life, welcoming people's ideas, providing individual and collective facilities, increasing emotional dependence, giving identity, attention to the environment. Finally, it is suggested that the participation of individuals in all stages of the development process be used by informing the society about the goals and benefits of the infill architecture development, especially in historical contexts that are prone to achieve to the development goals due to their rich identity.