Extended Abstract
Introduction: Urban water resilience has emerged as a critical concept within urban science and resource management, particularly in metropolises like Tehran. The city faces a confluence of challenges, including rapid population growth, unbalanced physical development, the escalating impacts of climate change, and intensifying pressure on its limited water resources. These trends have profoundly impacted the sustainability and functionality of socio-hydrological systems—defined by the complex, feedback-driven interactions between human society and water systems. Consequently, urban water resilience has become a fundamental metric for evaluating a city's capacity to manage water crises. Within this context, the principles of diversity and redundancy are recognized as key components in maintaining the stability and continuous performance of urban water systems. By effectively strengthening these factors through urban policy, cities can reduce vulnerabilities and enhance their flexibility in confronting water crises and environmental changes. This study aims to conduct a comparative analysis of the role of diversity and redundancy in enhancing the resilience of the socio-hydrological system across three distinct urban districts of Tehran: Districts 4, 10, and 22.
Materials and methods: This research employed a comparative analytical approach, selecting three Tehran districts (4, 10, and 22) as case studies due to their significant differences in demographic and infrastructural characteristics. The conceptual framework was organized around five key dimensions of resilience: social, economic, organizational, infrastructural, and human capital. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire distributed to urban water managers and experts via a snowball sampling method. The questionnaire's validity was confirmed through expert review, and its reliability was demonstrated by a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.89, indicating high internal consistency. For data analysis, the non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test was utilized to compare the mean ranks across the different districts and dimensions, as the data distribution was non-normal.
Results and Discussion: The analysis revealed nuanced findings regarding diversity and redundancy. At the overall level of diversity, no significant difference was observed between the three districts (p=0.577). However, a detailed examination of sub-dimensions showed that District 22 held a significant superiority in social capital diversity (p=0.003). This indicates a high capacity for strengthening social participation and leveraging dynamic informal civic relationships, underscoring the importance of social networks in enhancing resilience in newer districts, even with less-developed physical infrastructure. In contrast, the redundancy dimension showed a notable advantage for the more established Districts 4 and 10, particularly in the economic, organizational, and infrastructural domains, with an overall significant difference (p=0.019). This superiority was statistically significant in the sub-dimensions of economic (p=0.014), institutional (p=0.013), and infrastructural (p=0.033) capital. These findings suggest that historical context and existing infrastructure bolster structural and economic resilience in older districts, whereas newer districts may derive dynamic resilience from robust social capital and informal networks. The study also identified cross-cutting challenges, including a lack of precise organizational data, a disconnect between national policies and local implementation, and structural-demographic constraints, which hinder resilience-building in all districts. Addressing these weaknesses requires holistic, region-specific strategies, improved inter-institutional communication, and the mobilization of local social capacities.
Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that urban water resilience is a multidimensional phenomenon that cannot be achieved through technical and infrastructural solutions alone. A comprehensive approach must also strengthen human interactions, institutional cooperation, and the strategic application of local social capacities. The analytical framework developed in this research provides a valuable, context-sensitive basis for evaluating, planning, and enhancing urban water resilience in other metropolises. Achieving sustainable urban water resilience is contingent upon participatory governance, transparent management mechanisms, meaningful stakeholder engagement, and a dedicated focus on the unique local capacities of each district. Therefore, it is recommended that urban policymakers, in their pursuit of enhanced water resilience, simultaneously address human, economic, and institutional aspects alongside the expansion of technical and financial infrastructures. Ultimately, resilience in the face of future water challenges demands a comprehensive, interdisciplinary, and continuous approach that integrates the participation of all stakeholders with the application of technological and managerial innovations.