An Urban Vitality Analysis Based on Spatial and Qualitative Methods (Safaieh and Koye-Silo neighborhoods, Yazd)

Extended Abstract
Introduction: Being predominantly human-centred, cities negatively impact various aspects of citizens’ lives. As a result, urban planners are striving to manage and design cities in a way that leads them toward a sustainable and liveable future. A vibrant city incorporates environmental, economic, and social considerations to enhance the well-being of its residents. Over the past two decades, the city of Yazd has experienced rapid population growth and development, which has not always been sustainable. Therefore, the primary objective of this study is to assess the vitality of two neighbourhoods undergoing rapid urban development, namely Safaieh and Silo. Additionally, it was observed during the literature review that previous studies evaluated urban vitality using either spatial or qualitative methods, but not both. Therefore, this study aims to combine these two approaches to comprehensively evaluate the factors influencing urban vitality.
Material and Methods: In this study, the vitality of the neighbourhoods was evaluated using the spatial analysis method, utilizing the Sentinel 2 satellite image from 2022. NDVI, NDBI, and Shannon diversity indices were calculated for both Safaieh and Silo. Qualitative analysis was conducted through the use of questionnaires. Multiple tests were used to analyse the questionnaires, including the Stepwise Multiple Regression Method for Vitality percentage. T-tests were employed to compare the average vitality, and variance analysis was used to examine the neighbourhood's effect.
Results and Discussion: The results of the vitality evaluation of the neighborhoods studied using spatial analysis based on land cover data revealed that both neighborhoods have a high percentage of built-up areas. However, the Silo neighborhood has a larger area of green and open spaces. The analysis of Shannon’s diversity metric indicated that there is more diversity and frequency of patches in the Silo neighborhood. On the other hand, the area covered by cultural and land uses is greater in the Safaieh neighborhood. The calculation of the NDVI index showed that the Safaieh neighborhood has the highest index value of 0.36, indicating better vegetation density compared to the Silo. The NDBI index calculation and mapping revealed the highest NDBI value of 0.23 in the Safaieh and 0.21 in the Silo. In Safaieh neighborhood, 16% of the area has no construction, while only 3% has high-density construction. In the Silo, 15% of the area is without construction, with around 1% having high-density construction.
The results of evaluating the neighborhoods’ vitality based on qualitative analysis using the t-test showed that the Safaieh neighborhood is vital in terms of social, economic, and ecological components. However, there is no significant difference in terms of physical criteria compared to the average. On the other hand, the Silo neighborhood was found to be vital in terms of social components, but there was no statistically significant difference in terms of economic, physical, and ecological aspects compared to the average.
Conclusion: The current study established a holistic framework for assessing the vitality of urban areas through the integration of two qualitative methods and spatial analysis. This comprehensive evaluation aids urban planners and administrators in enhancing the quality of life for residents. Spatial analysis, through the assessment of land cover diversity, the extent of green spaces, and the number of built-up areas, enables a better understanding of the spatial characteristics of the urban landscape. Simultaneously, the qualitative analysis method captures the perspectives and viewpoints of the community members. The findings from the questionnaire and location indicators analysis indicated that the Safaieh neighbourhood exhibits higher vitality levels.