ایران شهرساز

Social Capital and Urban Development: Case Study
of Mahalat
Abstract: Using Social capital as a theoretical perspective
and paradigm for sociological research is not a new
idea. For at least fifty years scholars have recognized the
role of social capital and it's structural, relational and
cognitive components in individual and social development.
The present article has been prepared based on
some part of the information obtained from the sociological
study of the role of social capital in the urban and
community development of Mahalat. Research is carried
out by a survey method through a questionnaire which
was conducted on 384 residents of Mahalat at the age of
16 and above as a statistical sample, using random sampling
technique. Based on the empirical evidence and
research findings it was observed that social capital and
some of its components, including social trust, social participation
and degree of religiosity is significantly associated
with urban and community development of Mahalat.
Nevertheless, the findings did not support the hypothesis
that these are a significant association between social
integration and communal cohesion as one of the components
of social capital and urban development of
Mahalat.
Key Words: Social Capital, Urban Development, Social
Trust, Social Participation, Religiosity, Social integration.