Assessing Rural Livability with the Rural Ecovillage Approach: A Case Study of Villages in Lorestan, Iran

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 The Academic Center for Education, Culture, and Research (ACECR) of Lorestan Unit, Khorramabad, Iran.

2 Department of Human Geography and Planning, Faculty of Earth Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.

3 Department of Geography, Lorestan University, Khorramabad, Iran

4 Faculty of Encyclopedia Research, Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Purpose: This research aimed to assess rural livability using the Ecovillage model in selected villages of Lorestan province.
Methods: A sample of 55 villages in Lorestan was selected using spatial and cluster sampling methods. Data were collected through a researcher-made questionnaire and analyzed using the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) models. Indices were categorized into social, economic, physical, ecological, and information technology dimensions.
Results: The TOPSIS model ranked Darband, Shahpourabad, and Horrabad-e Bala as the top three villages regarding rural livability.
Conclusion: The study indicates that the rural Ecovillage model in Lorestan does not meet desired criteria for livability.

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