Investigating the Role of Assistant Council and Local Communities on the Promotion and Development of Urban Functions Using the Fuzzy Delphi Method (Case Study: Mahshahr City)

Councils, as one of the examples of people's participation in the administration and management of cities and the link between neighborhoods and urban management, if used properly, can direct decisions and urban planning while reducing the wastage of resources and provide the means for the development of urban functions. For this purpose, the aim of this research is to identify the role of local councils and communities in the development of urban functions. The present research is practical in terms of purpose and descriptive survey in terms of implementation method. The statistical population of this research consisted of 25 academic experts and executive trustees in the field of management and urban planning. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire, the validity of which was confirmed by the content method and its reliability was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha coefficient method with a value of 0.93. According to the nature of this research, in order to analyze the collected data with the help of the fuzzy Delphi method, Excel and Spss were used and the most important and key effective factors were identified. The findings of this research show that city officials’ and managers’ lack of attention to the important role of councilors and local communities, with a score of 8.3, is considered to have the highest priority among the set of factors for the non-establishment of this institution. Moreover, based on the calculation of the consensus, importance, and priority indicators in the Delphi technique process, the social satisfaction of the neighborhood residents with urban management and creating motivation among local people to participate in neighborhood development projects, with a score of 8.1, is considered the most important effects of councils on the development of urban functions. Therefore, in order to strengthen public participation and develop urban functions, city managers should pay serious attention to providing the grounds for people's participation in decision-making.