Measuring the Tendency of Tehran Citizens towards the Method of Electing the Mayor

Introduction With the expansion of cities and the diversity of people's needs and concerns, the need to deal with the best type of urban governance seems necessary. The experience of managing cities in different countries of the world has presented us with a diverse model of urban management. A variety that has a significant relationship with the power, the method of electing and dismissing the mayor. Two common models in different countries are the councilcity manager model and the councilmayor model. The effort to choose the best type of urban management model has caused different countries to move towards the election of the council mayor, because there is managerial stability, responsibility and accountability, transparency, high participation and most importantly effectiveness and efficiency in this model. The current model of urban management in Iran is the council city manager. Based on the pathology of the urban management model and the method of selecting the mayor, problems such as: corruption, managerial instability, evasion of responsibility, lack of transparency and multiplicity of local and government organizations in the city and lack of coordination between them have been pointed out considering the various problems and challenges that the urban management of our country is facing, and it seems necessary to reconsider the method of selecting the city management method and the mayor. By using four indicators including people's knowledge and awareness, participation, efficiency and effectiveness, and responsibility, this research tries to investigate the tendency of Tehran citizens towards the method of electing the mayor, either directly or indirectly. Methodology The research is quantitative and data gathering procedure is based on library and field findings methods. The research sample includes all citizens of Tehran aged 18 and above. The justification of the age group is considered according to the nature of the research.   Discussion Urban management is a specialized administrative system responsible for planning, organizing, and overseeing urban affairs within a defined geographic area, namely a city. Its primary objective is to enhance the quality of life for its citizens and foster sustainable urban development. The mayor, as the city's chief executive officer, plays a pivotal role in this process. There are various methods for electing mayors, with direct election by the people. Research suggests that citizens generally prefer direct elections for mayors as it enhances the mayor's accountability to the public and fosters greater civic engagement. However, this approach also presents challenges that must be considered. A survey conducted in Tehran revealed that city residents prefer direct mayor elections over indirect elections. Conclusion It is possible to measure the tendency of the citizens of Tehran in the way of electing the mayor by using four indicators: people's knowledge and awareness, efficiency and effectiveness, responsibility and participation. The analysis and investigation of the results showed that the citizens of Tehran prefer the direct election of the mayor.

Measuring the Tendency of Tehran Citizens towards the Method of Electing the Mayor Keywords:

Tehran , Urban Management , Mayor , CouncilManager , MayorCouncil , شهردار , شورا-شهردار , شورا- مدیرشهر