Elucidating the Role of Third Places in Enhancing the Quality of Urban Environment (Case Study: The Eight Districts of Ahvaz City)

Third places serve as a manifestation of culture, identity, and civilization, providing an ideal platform for achieving a comprehensive perspective on the quality of urban environments and the quality of life of citizens. The aim of this research is to clarify the role of urban third places in improving the environmental quality of Ahvaz city. This study was conducted in 1402 in Ahvaz city using a quantitative approach, a survey method, and relying on library-documentary studies and the targeted Delphi method to identify conceptual indicators. The first statistical population consists of all Ahvaz citizens, totaling 885,000 people in 1395, of which 390 individuals were evaluated as the sample size using the Cochran formula and randomly selected through a researcher-made questionnaire. ANOVA tests, regression analysis, one-sample t-test, cross-effects analysis, and other statistical methods were used for data analysis. The second statistical population consists of 100 specialists and experts among city managers and urban management activists, of which 30 individuals were selected as the sample size using a targeted questionnaire and the snowball sampling method. The present study used the cross-impact analysis technique and the MICMAC program to analyze the components of third places and the environmental quality of Ahvaz city. Using the Delphi method, 55 components were extracted as indicators of third places and environmental quality in 10 dimensions. After examining the how and the extent of the influence of these 55 factors, 11 key factors that had the greatest role in the future state of the environmental quality of Ahvaz city were selected. The findings indicate that all 10 examined indicators were above the baseline average (3). Furthermore, in the regression model, it was revealed that the predictor variables explain approximately 74.1% of the variance of the criterion variable (environmental quality(. Region 6 with an )average of 0.84( had a higher superiority in terms of environmental quality compared to the other 8 regions of Ahvaz. The environmental quality and the level of satisfaction of Ahvaz citizens with urban third places have a strong relationship with the state of these third places in the city (with a factor loading of 0/722)