Analysis of the challenge of urban management from the viewpoint of experts and executive managers
<h3><br></h3><p dir="ltr"><b>Background and Objectives:</b><br>The growing complexity of large cities has increased the importance of integrated urban management, especially in contexts like Iran where the absence of citizen participation and unified governance has created major challenges. This study investigates the role of citizens and urban actors in various levels of Tehran’s urban management system—including policymaking, planning, monitoring, legislation, and executive processes.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Methods:</b><br>A qualitative, analytical–exploratory approach was used. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire administered to experts and urban managers in Tehran. Reliability was confirmed through Cronbach’s alpha (0.97). Descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation) and inferential statistics (one-sample t-test) were applied using SPSS software.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Findings:</b><br>31.4% of respondents identified citizens and 25.7% identified the municipality as the “owners” of the city. 68.6% considered the municipality as the main manager of Tehran. Moreover, 80% of participants stated that management fragmentation is the greatest obstacle in Iran’s urban development. Key institutions include Tehran Municipality (policy and executive levels), researchers (planning level), and the Islamic Council (monitoring and legislative levels), while citizens ranked last in influence.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Conclusion:</b><br>Urban management in Tehran suffers from fragmentation, lack of coordination, and unclear institutional roles. These issues hinder sustainable development and limit civil society's ability to participate effectively in urban governance.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Article Information:</b><br>Received: 02 July 2023<br>Revised: 14 October 2023<br>Accepted: 13 November 2023</p><p dir="ltr"><b>DOI:</b> <a href="https://doi.org/10.22034/IJHCUM.2024.02.05" rel="noopener" target="_new">https://doi.org/10.22034/IJHCUM.2024.02.05</a></p>
