Evaluating the Effectiveness of Resettlement Patterns in Improving Quality of Life Indicators in the Earthquake-Stricken Villages (Case Study: Varzeghan County)

Purpose- Nowadays due to the variety of hazards and inappropriate location of some villages, the necessity of their displacement and resettlement is sometimes unavoidable. In order to resettle the villages, they should consider a wide range of social, economic, environmental and political issues so that resettled villages can survive. The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of resettlement on the quality of life of the earthquake-stricken villages and explain the factors affecting it in the resettled villages of Varzaghan County. Design/methodology/approach- The research methodology is descriptive and analytical and the required data were collected using the questionnaire instrument. The study population was ۷۹۷۵ people living in ۱۱ resettled villages in Varzeghan County. The sample size was ۳۸۲ people who were randomly selected. The validity of questionnaire was confirmed by experts and its reliability was also obtained ۰.۹۲۱ using Cronbach Formula. Finding- Results indicate that the quality of life of villages in Likert six-point scale was equal to ۳.۴۷, and the highest and lowest levels of satisfaction are related to the areas of infrastructure, employment and income. In addition, the results of the factorial analysis were identified in four dimensions for quality of life. In this regard, the four factors of physical, economy, psychology, and housing clearly explain the ۹۰.۹۵% of the variance of quality of life. The results of T, Tukey, and Scheffe tests also showed a significant difference between the resettlement patterns and the quadruple dimensions of quality of life. Practical implications- With respect to the importance of quality of life in the development and welfare of human societies in resettlement projects, it is necessary to considerate the effects and consequences concerning the quality of life in addition to selecting the optimal rural site in order to improve the residents’ wellbeing while identifying the strengths and weaknesses of these projects.

Keywords:

Resettlement , quality of life , rural settlements , Varzeghan