Analysis of the Social Capital Status of Green Space Management Actors in Tehran: Application of Social Network Analysis

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Ph.D Student in Agricultural Extension and Education, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran

2 Professor, Department of Agricultural Extension and Education, Ilam Branch, Islamic Azad University

3 Professor, Department of Agricultural Extension and Education, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran

10.30473/ee.2025.60157.2398

Abstract

The underdevelopment of green spaces and their customary, unfavorable use on the one hand, and the lack of attention to social capital and the role of local actors in decision-making and participation in the planning and management of green spaces on the other, have led to the failure of various urban green space management programs so far. Therefore, the present study investigates the status of the social capital of actors involved in green space management in Tehran in terms of information exchange and participation, using the social network analysis method. Based on the results, the level of cohesion and social capital within the social network of local stakeholders in this field was estimated to be weak to moderate, and the network’s stability was assessed as moderate. Furthermore, according to the correlation analysis index in UCINET6 software, a strong correlation was observed between the two networks of information exchange and participation among regional actors. The findings of this study can be used to support principled policymaking for the sustainable management of green spaces in Tehran and can inform planning, decision-making, and successful implementation in this field. In this regard, strengthening the connections related to information exchange and participation among actors is essential, as it can enhance social capital and contribute to the successful and sustainable management of urban green spaces.

Keywords

Main Subjects


Ajilian Momtaz, Sh., Naeemi, F., & Ghadmagahi, n. (2013).“Investigating the importance of urban green spaces in order to achieve sustainable development goals”. 8th Symposium on Progress in Science and Technology of Architecture, Urban Planning and Sustainable Development, Mashhad, Khavaran Institute of Higher Education, 15. [In Persian] https://civilica.com/doc/239270/
Alizadeh, N., & Siddiqui, H. (2013).“Data processing and analysis in sociometric method using 6Ucinet software”. First Edition, University Jihad Publishing (Tehran Branch). [In Persian]
Amini, L., & Abbasi, R. (2016).“Determining the basic features of superior urban green space services using the network analysis process (ANP) approach”. National Conference on Green Space and Urban Management, Tehran, 1-9. [In Persian] https://civilica.com/l/6290/
Azarbad, N., Salmani, M., Motiee Langroodi, S., Eftekhari, A. (2011). “An Analysis on a Settlement’s Network with an Emphasis on Population Flows in Firuzkooh Township”. Human Geography Research, 74, 85-89. [In Persian] https://sid.ir/paper/452454/fa
AzariSangali, F. & Erfanian Khanzadeh, H. (2015). “An overview of the types of capital in the organization with emphasis on social capital”. Fourth International Conference on Accounting and Management and First Conference on Entrepreneurship and Open Innovation, Tehran, 1-8. [In Persian] https://civilica.com/doc/476547/
Azizi Jalilian, M., and Mansouri, F., and Rouhi, M., and Danehkar, A. (2015). “Key indicators for sustainable management of urban parks (sample study: Karaj city parks)”. Natural Environment (Iranian Natural Resources), 67 (4), 425-433. [In Persian] doi.org/10.22059/jne.2014.53071
Bodin Ö. & Prell, C. (2011). “Social network in natural resources management”. Cambridge University press, 364. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511894985
Bodin, Ö., & Crona, B. I., (2009). “The role of social networks in natural resource governance: What relational patterns make a difference?”. Global Environmental Change, 19 (3), 366-374. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2009.05.002
Bodin, O., Crona, B., and Ernstson, H., (2006). “Social networks in natural resource management - What’s there to learn from a structural perspective?”. Ecology and Society, 11(2), 8. https://www.academia.edu/12318301
Bruggeman, J. (2008). “Social networks an introduction”. Routledge press, 208.
Ebrahimi Azarkhoran, F., Ghorbani, M., Selajgeh, A., & Mohseni Saravi, M. (2014). “Analysis of social network of local stakeholders in the action plan of participatory management of water resources (Case study: Jajroud river in Latian watershed - Darbandsar village)”. Iranian Journal of Watershed Management Science and Engineering, 25(8), 47-56. [In Persian] dor.isc.ac/dor/20.1001.1.20089554.1393.8.25.1.0
Firoozrooz, M., Ghorbani, M., & Erfanzadeh, R. (2016). “Capacity Assessment of Social and Institutional Networks in Policy-Making and Planning of Rangeland Participatory Management (Case Study: Rangelands of Noor County - Nowruz Basin)”. Master Thesis, Faculty of Natural Resources, Tarbiat Modares University. [In Persian]
Firoozrooz, M., Erfanzadeh, R., Ghorbani, M., & Rasekhi, S. (2017). “Analysis of social network and structural pattern of rangeland users' relations (Case study: Tucker village - Noor city)”. Rangeland Research Journal, 9 (3), 254-224. [In Persian] DOR.isc.ac/dor/20.1001.1.20080891.1394.9.3.4.1.
Fukuyama, F. (2001). “Economic Globalization and Culture”. The Merrill Lynch Forum”. Online, Available at: http://pratclif.com/fukuyama/fukuyama.htm
Ghorbani, m. (2014). “Stakeholder Analysis, Social Power and Network Analysis in Participatory Natural Resources Management”. Rangeland and Watershed Management Journal, 67(1), 24- 48. [In Persian] doi.org/10.22059/jrwm.2014.50835
Ghorbani, M., Roghani, R., & Dehbozorgi, M. (2015). “Institutional Network Analysis in Zagros Dry Forest Policy (Study Area: Boyer-Ahmad County)”. Journal of Forests and Wood Products, 68(3), 615-623. [In Persian] https://doi.org/10.22059/jfwp.2015.55593
Hahn T., Olsson P., C. Folke & K. Johansson, (2006). “Trust-Building, Knowledge Generation and Organizational Innovations: the Role of a Bridging Organization for Adaptive Co-Management of a Wetland Landscape Around Kristianstad, Sweden”. Human Ecology, 34(4), 573–592. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27654140#:~:text=https%3A//www.jstor.org/stable/27654140
Harris, G., (2007). “Seeking sustainability in an age of complexity”. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228927055_
Hartwig, M., Kobashi, Y., Okura, S., and Tkach-Kawasaki, L. (2014). “Energy policy participation through networks transcending cleavage: An analysis of Japanese and German renewable energy promotion policies”. International Journal of Methodology Quality & Quantity, 49(4), 1485–1512. DOI: 10.1007/s11135-014-0093-9
Hirschi, C. (2010). “Strengthening Regional Cohesion: Collaborative Networks and Sustainable Development in Swiss Rural Areas”. Ecology and Society, 15(4), 16. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26268208
Heydarzadeh, H. & Danehkar, A. (2015). “Green Space Management Strategies in Karaj Region 2”. Environmental Research, 6(12), 159-172. [In Persian] https://dor.isc.ac/dor/20.1001.1.20089597.1395.6.12.14.4
Isaac, M.E. (2012). “Agricultural information exchange and organizational ties: The effect of network topology on managing agro diversity”. Agricultural Systems, 109, 9-15. doi: 10.1016/j.agsy.2012.01.011
Kakavand, A., Ahani, S., Zarei, F. & Hashempour, R. (2017). “Comparative evaluation of the position of social capital in the structure of urban neighborhoods using AHP technique (Case study of Qazvin city)”. Quarterly Journal of Environmental Management, 36, 26-46. [In Persian]. Available: https://sid.ir/paper/130436/fa
Klenk, N.L., Hickey, G.M., MacLellan, J.I., Gonzales, R., and Cardille, J. (2009). “Social network analysis: A useful tool for visualizing and evaluating forestry research”. International Forestry Review, 11(1), 134-140. https://doi.org/10.1505/ifor.11.1.134
Komasi, H. & Hosseini, S.A. (2014). “Explaining the relationship between urban management performance and citizens' social capital (Case study: North Valiasr neighborhood)”. Journal of Spatial Planning (Geography), 4(3), 135-156. [In Persian] DOR.isc.ac/dor/20.1001.1.22287485.1393.4.3.8.6
Kritsotakis, G., Vassilaki, M., Chatzi, L., Georgiou, V., philalithis, A.E., Kogevinas, M., & Koutis, A. (2011). “Maternal Social capital and birth outcomes in the mother-child cohort in Crete, Greece (Rhea Study)”. Social Science & Medicine, 73, 1653- 1660. doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.09.020
Lienert, J., Schnetzer, F., & Ingold, K. (2013). “Stakeholder analysis combined with social network analysis provides fine-grained insights into water infrastructure planning processes”. Journal of Environmental Management, 125, 134-148. doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2013.03.052
Masoomzadeh J, Rahmani M, & Jafari A. (2016). “Cost Management of Urban Green Space (Case Study: Tehran)”. Journal of Urban Economics and Management, 4 (15), 111-125. [In Persian] http://iueam.ir/article-1-465-fa.html
Mariola, J. (2012). “Farmers, trust, and the market solution to water pollution: The role of social embeddedness in water quality trading”. Journal of Rural Studies, 28, 577-589. doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2012.09.007
Mir, A., Namamian, F., Maaroofi Naqadehi, F., Moradi, A. (2021). “The Phenomenology of Social Capital and Its Role in Explaining Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy Given the Mediating Role of Organizational Ethics”. Journal of Strategic Management Studies, 12(46), 237-263. [In Persian] dor.isc.ac/dor/20.1001.1.22286853.1400.12.46.14.0
Mohammadi Kangrani, H. & Hosseinzadeh, M. (2016). “Investigating the structure and distribution of power among the responsible institutions in the Fifth Development Plan using the social network analysis approach”. Quarterly Journal of Public Policy, 2(4), 89-107. [In Persian] doi.org/10.22059/ppolicy.2017.60835
Moradi Chadegani, D., Qasemi, M., & Rastghalam, N. (2020). “Analysis of spatial problems in the city - Isfahan region using the method of social network analysis”. Applied Research in Geographical Sciences, 20(58), 181-198. [In Persian] http://jgs.khu.ac.ir/article-1-3302-fa.html
Naderi, M., Ghorbani, M., Yavari, A.R. (2016). “Network analysis and organizational cohesion in the participatory management of Sorkheh Hesar National Park”. Journal of Natural Environment, 69(2), 519-530. [In Persian] https://doi.org/10.22059/jne.2016.59762
Norberg, J., & Cumming, G.S., (2008). “Complexity Theory for a Sustainable Future”. Columbia University Press, New York, USA, 155-179. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-94-007-0307-0
Ports, A., Efeh, K., Pantam, R., Coleman, J., Fukuyama, F., Bourdieu, P., and Welcock, M. (2010). “Social Capital: Trust, Democracy and Development”. Translated by Afshin Khakbaz, Hassan Pouyan and Kianbakhsh Tajbakhsh, Shirazeh Publications. [In Persian] https://www.gisoom.com/book/1688266
Putnam, R.D. (2000). “Bowling alone: the collapse and revival of American community”. New York, Simon & Schuster,31. http://bowlingalone.com/
Parrott, L., (2002). “Complexity and the limits of ecological engineering”. Transactions of the ASAE, 45, 1697-1702. doi.org/10.13031/2013.11032
Parrott, L., & Meyer, W., (2012). “Future landscapes: managing within complexity”. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment.[online] doi.org/10.52338/joes.2025.4479
Pourjavid, S., Poursaeed, A.R and Mirdamadi, S.M (2020). “Modeling the Effectiveness of Urban Agriculture Education Courses”. Urban Ecosystems. doi:10.1007/s11252-020-00955-x
Pourmoghadam, K. and Bozorgnia, f. (2016). “Implementation of green sustainable forestry initiatives in the Central Zagros region, a case study: customary organization on the sun in Vanak-Khersan management watershed”. The First National Conference on Natural Resources and Sustainable Development in the Central Zagros, 1-12. [In Persian] https://civilica.com/doc/606292
Purnomo, H.,G.A.Mendoza, &R. Prabhu., (2005). “Analysis of local perspectives on sustainable forest management: an Indonesian case study”. Journal of Environmental Management, 74(2), 111–126. doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2004.08.013
Rabbani, R. & Habibi, S. (2011). “An analysis of the role of urban spaces in creating social capital (Case study of Shahrekord)”. Urban Studies,1(1), 1-18. [In Persian] https://www.magiran.com/p1130156
Rezaei, A., Hosseini, S.M., & Asadi, A. (2015). “Analysis of information exchange network for sustainable management of natural resources, the study area of Alborz Dam in Mazandaran province. Rangeland and Watershed Management”. Iranian Journal of Natural Resources, 68(1), 65-79. [In Persian] doi.org/10.22059/jrwm.2015.53883
Saeednia, A. (2004). “Green book of Municipality, Ninth Book: Urban Green Space, Third edition”. Municipalities organization, 159. [In Persian] https://eshraghbook.com/product
Safaralizadeh, E., Akbari, M., Boostanahmadi, V., Mousavi, C. (2021). “Investigating the Indices of Social Capital and its Relationship with Sustainable Urban Development”. researches in Geographical Sciences, 22 (66), 105-123. [In Persian] doi.org/10.52547/jgs.22.66.105
Sepahvand, E., Mohammad Rezaie, R., hayati, B. (2015). “Policy making for parks and urban landscape organization to obtain citizen participations”. Urban Management Studies, 7(22), 2-10. [In Persian] Available: https://sid.ir/paper/199327/fa
Stein, C., Ernstson, H. & Barron, J. (2011). “A social network approach to analyzing water governance: The case of the Mkindo catchment, Tanzania”. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, 36, 1085-1092. doi.org/10.1016/j.pce.2011.07.083
Varma, V.K., I. Ferguson, & I. Wild, (2000). “Decision support system forsustainable forest management”. Forest Ecology and Management, 128(1), 49–55. doi.org/10.1016/S0378-1127(99)00271-6
Vignola, R., McDanils, T.L., and Scholz, W.R. (2013). “Governance structures for ecosystem-based adaptation: Using policy-network analysis to identify key organizations for bridging information across scales and policy areas”. Environmental Science & Policy, 31, 71-84. doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2013.03.004
Weil, Frederick, Matthew R, Lee, Edward S, Shihadeh (2012). “The burdens of social capital: How socially-involved people dealt with stress after Hurricane Katrina”. Social Science Research, 41, 110-119. doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2011.06.006
Xingqin, Q., Wenliang, T., Yezhou, W. & Guodong, E. (2014). “Optimal local community detection in social networks based on density drop of sub graphs”. Journal of Pattern Recognition Letters, 36, 46–53. doi.org/10.1016/j.patrec.2013.09.008.