Prioritizing social and economic effects of sport places on Urban Environment (A case study: Yazd City)

Extended 1- IntroductionSport facilities and sport places as one of important land uses in urban environment can have positive and negative effects on their surroundings, of which the most important can be addressed to economic and social ones. Thus, the purpose of this study was to identify, assess and prioritize the social and economic effects of sport places on the urban environment. Based on these objectives, five typical sport places (Shahid Sadoughi, Shahid Paak Nejad, Shahid Nassiri, 22nd Bahman, Kargaran sport complexes) were selected by special circumstances in Yazd city. The research goals were to recognize and determine the socioeconomic effects (impacts) of sport places on urban environment, which were obtained by searching and organizing relevant literature and valid scientific resources as well as discussing and exchanging views with outstanding professors and experts in urban planning and sport management. The research tool consisted of two questionnaires: 1) dual comparative questionnaire including 57 items in 2 sections in order to define input of AHP method, and 2) a questionnaire with Likert scale including 18 items in 2 sections in order to define inputs of SAW method and TOPSIS method. To gather data, the questionnaires were distributed among 162 individuals from the sample in Yazd city (53 persons from chairmen of sport federations, specialists from physical education office, and administrators from selected sport complexes, 14 persons from police officers, 12 persons from real estate agencies, 83 persons from residents in surroundings of selected sport complexes).2- Theoretical Bases - Sport Places: Places constructed for various sports activities, including outdoor and indoor locations.- Economic and social effects (impacts) of sport places: Economic and social effects (impacts) which sports places exert on their surroundings in urban environment.3- DiscussionGathering the necessary data and prioritizing the determined effects (by three AHP, TOPSIS, and SAW methods) and analyzing data by one sample t-test, it was found that of the social effect items, the sport places increased the residents’ tendency to watch matches, tendency to do exercises, their happiness and freshness, and collective and sport cooperation among them, respectively. In general, and considering the social variables, although the obtained mean of views was higher than the average, this difference was not significant. In addition, other results from the study indicated that sport places did not influence all economic variables as well as none of their components.