Assessment of Environmental Instablities and Social Harms in Passenger Terminals
Subject Areas : urban Issues and marginalization
1 - Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, Tehran, Iran.
Keywords: Passenger terminals, public spaces, environmental instability, social damages, urban management.,
Abstract :
Assessment of Environmental Instablities
and Social Harms in Passenger Terminals
Mohammad Ali Fateminia*
Urban terminals are among the public spaces characterized by high population density and diverse land uses. The four terminals of Tehran (West, East, South, and Beyhaghi) facilitate the movement of millions of passengers annually. Their unique geographical locations, combined with the sociocultural elements that have emerged around them, have contributed to increased environmental instability and the perpetuation of social damage. This study aims to provide a multifactor evaluation of the four terminals through a survey. The study population comprises passengers, drivers, and residents of neighborhoods adjacent to the terminals. A total of 594 questionnaires were collected from passengers, 144 from drivers, and 560 from neighboring residents, proportionally distributed across the four terminals. The findings indicate that the Beyhaghi terminal, with a mean score of 8.03, exhibits the lowest level of perceived social Problems, whereas the East, West, and South terminals show mean scores of 21.12, 19.8, and 13.49, respectively, reflecting higher levels of perceived social Problems.
Keywords: Passenger terminals, public spaces, environmental instability, social damages, urban management.
Introduction
Security is one of the fundamental phenomena essential to both individuals and society; its absence or disruption leads to alarming and dangerous consequences, as the erosion of security results in the loss of human peace of mind—replaced by confusion, anxiety, and unrest (Sattarzadeh et al., 2016: 108). Ensuring and safeguarding security is paramount to sustaining safety across economic, social, cultural, political, military, and geographical dimensions (Kamran, 2010; Noidenia, 2003; Mohseni, 2007). In summary, social security can be defined as the sense of safety experienced within one’s environment and social life. One of the most influential factors affecting social security is the presence of social damages, which are not only determinants of insecurity but also the product of an absence of security and social instability. Tehran, as the largest metropolis and the capital of Iran, generates a unique social life that accentuates the importance of social security. In this megacity, a vast array of public spaces and social environments exists, and ensuring their security places a significant responsibility on urban management. Among these important social spaces are the city’s passenger terminals. Intercity passenger terminals serve as hubs for various stakeholders—including passengers, drivers, families, service sectors, cooperatives, police, specific groups, and residents. The high volume of interactions within these terminals and their surrounding neighborhoods—characterized by vulnerable physical spaces—has led to the emergence of a distinctive social condition that, under current circumstances, may be deemed unstable. The presence of police stations, representatives of aid committees, welfare organizations, and other institutions in terminal vicinities further underscores this condition (Terminal Organization, 2014).
According to the most recent statistics provided by the Terminal and Park-and-Ride Organization, approximately 33 million trips are undertaken annually via the four terminals (West, East, South, and Beyhaghi) (Terminal and Park-and-Ride Organization, 2014). These statistics underscore the significant role of terminals in the urban sustainability of Tehran. Field observations depict the terminals as spaces marked by congestion, social damages, environmental pollution, conflicts of interest, structural malfunctions, and fragmented, unsatisfactory urban management. The prevailing environment at these terminals—including transient population density, the anonymity of individuals, the emergence of illegitimate employment in and around the terminals, and numerous other factors—creates conditions that foster the proliferation of social and cultural damages. The effects of these damages, both direct and indirect, are observable within the immediate realm of the terminals. Moreover, the cumulative impact of terminal-related damages contributes to an unfavorable image of the city on both national and international fronts, potentially undermining national social trust and capital. Ultimately, this dynamic leads to the escalating growth of social challenges and damages, along with the imposition of largely ineffective control costs on society (Fateminia & Khaksari, 2012). This research adopts a multifactorial approach by evaluating the four terminals from the perspective of the stakeholders involved (passengers, drivers, and residents of adjacent neighborhoods) to provide a realistic insight into the social issues and damages at these sites. The study posits that achieving social sustainability requires a comprehensive and holistic understanding—one that does not focus solely on isolated social issues but rather incorporates a diversified study population and examines the various factors and elements of the terminals. In sum, the research addresses the following questions:
- What social issues and damages are present at the terminals and their adjacent neighborhoods?
- Which terminal exhibits a more favorable condition?
A review of previous studies indicates that few investigations have been conducted on urban terminals, and most have adopted a technical–engineering perspective with little attention paid to human factors—such as passengers, drivers, and local residents. The innovation of the present research lies in its focus on the human and social elements of the terminals.
Method
The present study employs a quantitative method, involving the collection of data through questionnaires. The study population comprises passengers, drivers, and residents of neighborhoods adjacent to the terminals. A random sampling method was implemented as follows: a total of 594 questionnaires were collected from passengers, 560 from neighboring residents, and, out of 260 drivers, 144 completed questionnaires were obtained.
Findings
The most critical pillar of social sustainability in urban spaces is security. In this context, several theoretical frameworks are relevant. Criminal Hotspots Theory—which addresses the accumulation of delinquency in specific urban areas; Broken Windows Theory—which emphasizes the physical deterioration of spatial elements and its impact on the increase in disorderly behaviors; and Defensible Space Theory—which focuses on four elements (territoriality, surveillance, boundary definition, and image), collectively illustrate the link between spatial characteristics and social issues, crimes, and deviant behaviors.
From this perspective, urban terminals—due to their geographical locations (often situated on the periphery of the city), transient populations, vulnerable physical spaces, and high volumes of financial transactions—attract certain groups (such as drug addicts, child laborers, vendors of contraband goods, pimps, and thieves). This attraction creates conditions that foster numerous social damages. As indicated by the findings, the Beyhaghi terminal, as perceived by both passengers and drivers, exhibits more favorable conditions and the lowest level of perceived social issues and damages. Conversely, the East terminal is found to be in the least favorable condition. Furthermore, findings on the impact of terminals on their surrounding neighborhoods corroborate these results, indicating that among the four terminals, the Beyhaghi terminal exerts the least negative influence on the environment and adjacent communities.
In the overall assessment of the terminals’ conditions, several key points emerge:
The distribution of issues and damages is unequal across terminals, reflecting differences in the human, geographical, and managerial characteristics of each site.
Variations in the perceived levels of social issues and damages underscore the role of spatial factors and their interaction with the inherent characteristics of human elements.
The data show that the conditions of the terminals, as perceived by different study populations, mutually reinforce one another, thereby enhancing the validity of the findings—for example, the extent of local damages at the Beyhaghi terminal is considerably lower than at the other terminals.
Thus, understanding the issues at the terminals requires a multifaceted and systemic perspective that considers each component as part of an integrated whole. The social and cultural dimensions of the terminals are products of both internal and external factors, each of which requires a synergistic approach for effective remediation. Comparative findings indicate a relationship between a terminal’s internal environment and its external surroundings. As noted in various sections of this study, resolving the issues and problems of the terminals necessitates simultaneous attention to all constituent elements.
In order to overcome the challenges faced by the terminals, it is important to recognize that the negative social and cultural dimensions are products of the complex interplay of factors within the terminal environment. Addressing these issues is only feasible when the attractiveness and potential for damage within the terminal environment are uniformly and coherently reduced. In general, an increase in social instability corresponds with a rise in social issues and damages; the persistence of this relationship ultimately results in the reproduction of instability.
Therefore, the most effective solution for reducing the social issues and damages present in urban passenger terminals—and for enhancing their social sustainability—is to address all elements and factors involved in the terminal environment through an integrated management approach. Physical, human, managerial, and institutional elements are the primary determinants in shaping the public space of these terminals.
Considering the rapid advancement of internet technologies and location-based software, it is recommended that future studies explore the domain of decentralized terminals. In the not-so-distant future, the necessity of physically attending conventional terminals may diminish, as individuals could board buses and undertake intercity journeys with minimal intraurban travel and near their residences or workplaces.
References
Fateminia, M. A., & Khaksari, A. (2012). Management of public spaces and social instabilities (Case study: Tehran passenger terminals). Quarterly Journal of Urban and Regional Development Planning, 7(23), 1–47. [In Persian].
Kamran, F. (2010). Investigation of socio‑economic factors affecting the sense of peace and social security of female master’s students in sociology at Shiraz universities. Social Research Quarterly, 3(6), 43–56. [In Persian].
Mohseni, R. A. (2007). The relationship between social security and crime and social damage. In Proceedings of the First Scientific‑Applied Conference on Promoting Social Security (Social Deputy of the Police Force of Golestan Province). [In Persian].
Noidenia, M. (2003). An introduction to social security. Strategic Studies Quarterly, 6(19), 55–78. [In Persian].
Sattarzadeh, D., et al. (2016). Investigation of social factors affecting women’s sense of social security (Case study of women in Ramsar city in 2016). Bi‑Quarterly Journal of Social Participation and Development, 2(3), 107–126. [In Persian].
Terminals and Park‑and‑Ride Organization. (2014). Service and passenger statistics [Internal Management Report]. [In Persian].
* Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, Tehran, Iran.
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