Analysis and evaluation of the perception of Ilam city residents on the role of identity-forming factors in urban design

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the perceptions of Ilam city residents about the role of identity-forming factors in urban design.so, important components including artificial, natural, socio-cultural, physical, and historical factors were considered. The model was developed using the structural equation modeling (SEM) technique with the partial least squares (PLS) approach in Smart Pls software. Also, the path coefficients of the five identity-forming factors (natural, artificial, social and cultural, physical, and historical factors) relative to perceptual factors were 0.821. The correlation between the artifact factors and the residents' perceptions was 0.832, which was significant considering the t value of 5.39. The correlation between social and cultural factors and residents' perceptions was 0.751 and the t-value was 4.84. Also, natural factors had the least significant relationship with the perception factors of Ilam city residents. In general, the t-coefficient obtained for all relationships was greater than 1.96, which indicates the significance of the relationships. Considering that the GOF values for the research model were obtained as 0.687, it can be said that the model in question had a strong fit regarding the perceptions of Ilam residents regarding the identity-giving factors in urban design. The overall results indicate that all five components (natural, artificial, socio-cultural, physical, historical) have a positive but unequal effect on residents' perception of identity-giving factors. In such a way that the items of artificial factors, socio-cultural factors, physical factors, historical factors, and natural factors had the greatest effect on the residents' perception variable, respectively.