in recent years, sustainable urban regeneration has emerged as a crucial strategy for organizing and empowering deteriorated structures and informal settlements, drawing significant attention from policymakers, planners, and city managers. the fabric of region 6 in mashhad is characterized by worn-out structures and informal settlements, contributing to the instability of this urban area. adopting a sustainable urban regeneration approach can mitigate ongoing disorder in these contexts and promote social and economic empowerment.
this research aims to identify and explain the key driving forces influencing the regeneration process, employing maxqda software, the delphi technique, and the cross-impact matrix (critical influence/uncertainty matrix). the study involved weighting the uncertainty and significance of each key factor, as identified by a panel of experts using the delphi method. results indicate that the most influential drivers in the regeneration process of region 6 are: urban planning and management methods (score: 4.8), social security (4.8), participation and investment (4.5), immigration of nationals and interaction/participation of stakeholders (social cohesion and cooperation) (4.08), efficiency of monitoring bodies (3.8), and the development of ineffective urban fabric in region 6 (3.6).
region 6, located in the southeastern part of mashhad, has evolved into an organic, highly dense, and deteriorated urban fabric due to unplanned urban expansion. this has led to significant physical, social, and economic challenges and makes the area one of the largest informal settlements in the city. according to the 2016 census, the region spans 1,869 hectares, with a population of approximately 232,616. within this, 421 hectares are classified as dilapidated fabric housing nearly 125,502 residents. the findings provide valuable insights for developing targeted strategies and informed policies aimed at the effective regeneration of distressed urban areas.