Civic Literacy and Ecological Governance: A Causal Analysis with a Focus on Environmental Participation in the City of Birjand

Introduction
Over the past century, urban planning and management have faced the fundamental challenge of achieving a balance between physical development, improvement of quality of life, and environmental protection. Rapid urbanization, increasing pressure on natural resources, and the intensification of environmental crises have made the need to reconsider traditional models of urban management more evident than ever. In this context, the concept of urban ecological governance has emerged as a novel approach to sustainable city management, aiming to create synergy among governing institutions, local communities, and the natural environment in order to mitigate environmental degradation and enhance urban livability. Urban ecological governance goes beyond top-down policy-making and emphasizes informed citizen participation, institutional transparency, accountability, and environmental justice. The realization of this governance model is not feasible without citizens possessing an adequate level of civic literacy. Civic literacy, understood as a combination of knowledge, attitudes, and skills related to urban rights, social responsibilities, and environmental awareness, plays a pivotal role in shaping sustainable behaviors and enabling meaningful participation in urban affairs. In medium-sized Iranian cities such as Birjand, unbalanced physical growth, the expansion of informal settlements, and climatic constraints have contributed to a decline in ecological resilience. Due to its location in a dry and fragile climatic zone, Birjand is more vulnerable than many other cities to the consequences of inadequate natural resource management. Under such conditions, the gap between urban environmental policies and citizens’ cultural practices and behaviors has become one of the main obstacles to achieving sustainable urban development. Previous studies in Iran have largely focused on physical and managerial indicators of urban governance, while the cognitive and cultural dimensions—particularly the role of civic literacy in ecological governance—have received limited attention. Accordingly, the present study aims to examine the impact of civic literacy on urban ecological governance indicators in Birjand. The central research question seeks to determine the extent to which enhancing citizens’ knowledge and awareness can improve the quality of urban environmental governance.
 
Methodology
This study is applied in purpose and adopts a quantitative approach with a descriptive–analytical design. The research methodology is survey-based, and data were collected using a standardized questionnaire. The statistical population consists of all residents within the official urban boundaries of Birjand, with a population exceeding 200,000 according to the most recent census. Using Cochran’s formula and a 95% confidence level, a sample size of 384 respondents was determined. Sampling was conducted through stratified random sampling across different urban zones (central, northern, southern, eastern, and western areas) to ensure adequate representation of the entire population. The questionnaire comprised two main sections. The first section measured civic literacy across three dimensions: environmental awareness, urban rights, and civic participation. The second section assessed indicators of urban ecological governance, including participation, institutional accountability, managerial efficiency, and environmental justice. Data analysis was performed using SPSS and AMOS software packages. Initially, the reliability of the questionnaire was evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. Subsequently, sample adequacy and variable intercorrelations were assessed through the Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin (KMO) measure and Bartlett’s test of sphericity. To examine causal relationships among variables, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), Pearson correlation analysis, linear regression, and structural equation modeling (SEM) were employed. This methodological combination enabled a robust evaluation of both the theoretical framework and the empirical model of the study.
 
Findings
Descriptive statistical results indicated that the demographic composition of the sample was sufficiently diverse. Of the respondents, 52% were female and 48% were male, with an average age of approximately 35.8 years. In terms of educational attainment, the majority of participants held a bachelor’s degree or postgraduate qualifications, a factor that significantly influenced the level of environmental awareness within the sample. The results of Cronbach’s alpha analysis demonstrated that all research variables exhibited high reliability coefficients (above 0.8), indicating strong internal consistency of the measurement instrument. The KMO value of 0.876 confirmed the adequacy of the sample for factor analysis, while the significant Bartlett’s test results indicated suitable correlations among the variables. Pearson correlation analysis revealed a strong and positive relationship between civic literacy and urban ecological governance (r = 0.692). Independent samples t-test results showed a statistically significant difference between women and men in terms of civic literacy, with women demonstrating higher levels. Furthermore, one-way ANOVA results indicated a significant effect of educational level on civic literacy. Linear regression analysis showed that civic literacy explains approximately 48% of the variance in urban ecological governance. The results of confirmatory factor analysis and model fit indices (CFI, GFI, and RMSEA) demonstrated a satisfactory fit between the theoretical model and the empirical data. Finally, the structural equation modeling results indicated that civic literacy has both direct and indirect effects—mediated through increased environmental participation—on the improvement of urban ecological governance.
 
Discussion and Conclusion
The findings of this study confirm that civic literacy constitutes a fundamental pillar of urban ecological governance. The results are consistent with international research, demonstrating that cities with higher levels of citizen awareness and participation perform more effectively in sustainable resource management and in reducing environmental conflicts. In Birjand, climatic constraints and limited natural resources necessitate a shift in urban management from a purely technical approach toward greater emphasis on social and cultural empowerment of citizens. By enhancing institutional trust and social participation, civic literacy helps bridge the gap between policy formulation and implementation, thereby fostering more responsive and effective governance. The significant differences in civic literacy based on gender and educational level highlight the role of formal and informal education in shaping ecological behaviors. These findings suggest that targeted educational policies can serve as effective instruments for improving the quality of urban governance. Overall, the results indicate that enhancing civic literacy plays a crucial role in strengthening urban ecological governance. Informed and responsible citizens not only contribute to reducing resource consumption and protecting the environment but also act as active partners in urban management, thereby improving the quality of decision-making processes. Accordingly, it is recommended that urban management authorities in Birjand invest in environmental education programs, strengthen neighborhood-based participation, and improve institutional communication channels to facilitate the realization of urban ecological governance. Ultimately, sustainable urban development cannot be achieved without attention to citizens’ cognitive and cultural capital, and civic literacy should be regarded as a key strategy in urban policy-making in Iran.