Aims: The purpose of this study is to measure the level of social sustainability in distressed urban areas and explain its components in the historical and marginal context of Ardabil as two examples of distressed urban areas.
Methods: The data were collected by library method and questionnaire in 2018 and analyzed by one-sample t-test, factor analysis and regression analysis. The sample consisted of 200 inhabitants of historical texture and 200 inhabitants of marginal context who were sampled by cluster sampling method.
Findings: The components of social sustainability in both studied areas were inadequate. However, the marginal context was worse than historical area. Based on the results of factor analysis, factors that contribute to the improvement of social sustainability are in the subset of the four main factors, which together explain 63% to 68% of variance of the social sustainability as dependent variable. Also the effect of various factors in each area was significantly different. As, the most important factor affecting social sustainability in the historical context is the social capital that explained by variables such as social participation, social interactions, social trust, and collective identity. In contrast, the most important factor affecting social sustainability in marginalized area is the availability of amenities and infrastructural facilities that are explained by variables such as housing quality, security and access to public services.
Conclusion: The final result was that the existence of intrinsic differences between historical and marginal context requires the development of separate regeneration schemes for each context in accordance with their characteristics.