Residential Preferences of the Creative Class of Rasht and the Factors Influencing It

In new urban theories, what causes the economic development of a region is the presence of creative human forces in that region. Meanwhile, traditional factors such as geographical location, access, etc., are dimmed because the creative class's presence in a city can overshadow other factors of economic growth. Therefore, paying attention to the residential characteristics of the creative class and their preferences for living in a specific location in cities is one of the important issues in the urban development. The study has evaluated the factors influencing the residential preferences of the creative class of Rasht city. The main purpose of this research was to investigate the factors influencing the residential preferences of the creative class of Rasht city. It was a descriptive-analytical study. Data was collected through documentary and field studies. 384 questionnaires were distributed among the creative class members in Rasht city. The data were analyzed using Friedman, Sign, and Wilcoxon tests. Findings showed that classic factors significantly contributed to the residential preferences of the creative class of Rasht city, and the influence of soft factors was less than the classic factors. Also, the findings of the research have shown that the desire and preference of the creative class to live in the inner layers of the city is high, and as we move from the initial layers of the city to the periphery, the concentration of the residential preference of the creative class has decreased. According to the results, the neighborhoods where people of the creative class of Rasht city prefer to live included Manzariyeh, Golsār and Giulān Boulevard, Moalem, Bazaar, Cāctous, Ziābri, Felestin, Nikmarām, and Park Shahr.