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“Investigating the Mechanism of Place and Community Impact on Quality of Life of Rural-Urban Migrants”

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Abstract

In this study, we explore how urban places and associated community affect one other as well as the quality of life of rural immigrants. The purpose of this study is to provide more accurate insight into the spatial and social factors affecting the quality of life of rural-urban migrants. Migration is closely linked to people’s living conditions. Specifically, the feelings one has about the quality of their place and the society in which they live impacts decisions to stay or move from one place to another. If deciding to move, migration affects the quality of life through the migrants’ sense of place and the new community they are relocating to. Our study was conducted in Hamedan, Iran - a place that experiences the migration of many different ethnicities given its central location in Hamadan province and the quality of life conditions in surrounding geographical locations. We surveyed 2735 citizens who had migrated to the city in the last 2 to 5 years. Our results indicate that place attachment and social capital, as variables that represent rural migrants’ sense of place and urban community, are both related to the quality of life of migrants. Furthermore, social capital moderates place attachment and has a significant impact on subjective quality of life among rural-urban migrants. We suggest that high levels of social capital must be present to ensure a satisfactory subjective quality of life among rural-urban migrants.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geography and Urban Planning, 4th Unit, 2nd Floor, Shokooh Building, Ghahreman St. Ostadan, Hamedan City, Hamedan Province, Iran

    Nima Gheitarani

  2. Global Institute of Sustainability, School of Sustainability, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA

    Sara El-Sayed & Scott Cloutier

  3. School of Community Resources & Development, Arizona State University, 411N Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, USA

    Megha Budruk

  4. School of Sustainability, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA

    Leah Gibbons

  5. Young Researchers and Elite Club, Hamedan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Hamedan, Iran

    Mojtaba Khanian

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  1. Nima Gheitarani
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Correspondence to Nima Gheitarani.

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Gheitarani, N., El-Sayed, S., Cloutier, S. et al. “Investigating the Mechanism of Place and Community Impact on Quality of Life of Rural-Urban Migrants”. Int. Journal of Com. WB 3, 21–38 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42413-019-00052-8

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