ارزیابی شکاف تاب‌آوری ادراکی-فضایی در بازآفرینی بافت‌های فرسوده شهری: ارائه یک چارچوب ترکیبی شاخص‌محور (مطالعه موردی: محله پرستار، تهران)

This study was designed with the overarching objective of quantifying the persistent gap between objective spatial coherence specifically the configuration of street networks and the perceived environmental quality experienced by residents in deteriorated urban fabrics, using the Parastar neighbourhood in Tehran (known locally as Chaharsad Dastgah) as a validation case. The core research problem stems from the observation that many deteriorated neighbourhoods possess a relatively regular, often grid based street network yet simultaneously suffer from low perceived safety, environmental turbulence, diminished place attachment, and a weak sense of environmental control. Conventional regeneration policies have predominantly focused on physical upgrading (e.g., street widening, structural retrofitting) without systematically addressing the perceptual and social dimensions of resilience, leading to high financial costs and only marginal improvements in lived experience. Consequently, the research asked whether threshold based, light touch interventions—such as targeted lighting, fine tuning of accessibility, and small scale public space upgrades—could enhance the sense of environmental control, thereby improving sense of place, belonging, and environmental tranquility without altering the underlying street network. A critical review of existing literature reveals a pronounced research gap: while space syntax and network analysis (Hillier & Hanson, 1984) capture objective connectivity, and perceptual studies focus on subjective experience, few frameworks have integrated both dimensions quantitatively. In the Middle Eastern context, previous Iranian studies have highlighted socio cultural factors and place attachment but did not develop a composite index that translates qualitative perceptual data into spatial zones and calculates specific intervention thresholds. Moreover, no prior work has empirically tested the mediating role of sense of environmental control in linking network cohesion to social perceptual resilience, nor has any study proposed an intervention priority index that directly informs phased regeneration strategies in a spatially just manner. To fill these gaps, the present research introduced four key innovations. First, a quadripartite indicator model comprising Environmental Perceptual Resilience (TPE), Spatial Perceptual Cohesion (NCI), Social Perceptual Resilience (RUSI), and the Environmental Intervention Index (UII) was developed to jointly measure the objective subjective gap. Second, a three layer mixed method (perceptual analysis, spatial analysis, and computational modelling) was employed to convert qualitative survey data into continuous spatial zones using inverse distance weighting interpolation, which were then translated into quantitative indices. Third, this study provided the first empirical demonstration that sense of environmental control fully mediates the relationship between network cohesion and social perceptual resilience, as confirmed through structural equation modelling. Fourth, a deficit based weighting scheme was adopted for UII, ensuring that the intervention score is driven by the magnitude of deficit in each dimension, so that neighbourhoods with worse perceptual conditions receive higher priority departing from previous indices that inadvertently favoured better off areas. Methodologically, the research adopted a mixed method, three tier design applied to Parastar neighbourhood (14.13 hectares, 26,100 inhabitants, a regular grid network, yet severe physical decay with 92% of buildings lacking seismic resistance and a green space per capita of only 3.2 square metres against the standard of 12 square metres). The perceptual tier involved 426 valid questionnaires (Cronbach’s α = 0.89) and 50 semi structured interviews, where perceived safety, tranquility, environmental control, and public space quality were mapped using IDW interpolation (power = 2, variable search radius 50–150 metres). The spatial tier extracted the street network from OpenStreetMap via OSMnx and performed Space Syntax analysis using Depthmap, computing integration [HH] (radius 3) and choice measures alongside intersection density and land use Shannon entropy. The computational tier applied structural equation modelling, sensitivity analysis (testing various normalisation methods, weighting schemes, and jackknife validation), and external validation against official crime statistics (Spearman’s ρ = −0.87), field measured noise levels (ρ = −0.74), and traffic counts (ρ = 0.85). All indices were normalised to a 0–100 scale, and UII thresholds minimal intervention (<40), short term (40–60), medium term (60–75), and long term (≥75)—were derived via K means clustering and sensitivity tests. The quantitative results revealed a TPE of 63%, an NCI of 70%, a RUSI of 64.3%, and a UII of 65.9%, placing Parastar in the medium term intervention class. The gap between network cohesion (70%) and perceptual resilience (63%) is statistically significant. Structural equation modelling confirmed that sense of environmental control fully mediates the effect of NCI on RUSI (β = 0.43, p < 0.001). Furthermore, a ten unit increase in environmental control was associated with a 4.2 unit increase in RUSI and an 8.6 unit decrease in UII. The qualitative findings, derived from content analysis of interviews, extracted five main themes: “The network is regular, but I don’t feel safe” (72% frequency); “Old houses are the neighbourhood’s identity but are being destroyed” (68%); “There is nowhere to sit and talk” (83%); “No light, no safety” (78%); and “Cars have taken over the pavement” (85%). These themes directly aligned with the low scores in safety, public space quality, and block flexibility, thereby triangulating the quantitative results. In conclusion, the hypothesis was fully supported: determining a threshold based, light touch intervention level strategic lighting, small scale public space upgrades, and accessibility fine tuning that improves sense of environmental control can significantly enhance place attachment, sense of place, and environmental tranquility without any alteration to the existing street network. Theoretically, the study provides the first integrated composite indicator framework that quantifies the perceived spatial resilience gap and identifies environmental control as the missing causal mechanism. Practically, the UII offers an actionable, spatially just tool for prioritising interventions: for Parastar (UII = 65.9), medium term (3–5 years) low cost actions should be deployed rather than radical restructuring. This approach conserves public resources, preserves local social capital (approximately 68% native ownership), and helps prevent gentrification, while offering a replicable model for similar deteriorated urban fabrics across the Middle East and beyond.