ABSTRACT
Earthquakes are among the most destructive natural hazards, causing severe impacts on deteriorated urban fabrics due to their physical vulnerability and socio-spatial deficiencies. Assessing urban resilience in such areas requires a comprehensive evaluation of key dimensions, including social contexts and community networks, neighborhoods’ physical condition, adaptive capacity within deteriorated urban fabrics, residents’ economic conditions, as well as institutional, managerial, and environmental factors. This study aims to evaluate the factors affecting the physical resilience of the deteriorated urban fabric of Rasht, Iran. This research adopted an applied, descriptive-survey design. The statistical population comprised residents of the deteriorated urban fabric of Rasht. Using Cochran's formula, the required sample size was determined to be 384 respondents, and participants were selected through random sampling. Data were collected utilizing a researcher-developed questionnaire that demonstrated acceptable validity and reliability. The data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with LISREL software. The findings indicate that structural resistance has a positive and statistically significant effect on urban resilience (β = 0.77, T = 6.74). Structural quality also exerts a positive and significant influence on urban resilience (β = 0.84, T = 6.82). Likewise, urban accessibility has a positive and statistically significant effect on urban resilience (β = 0.69, T = 8.34). Furthermore, neighborhood physical conditions constitute another significant determinant of urban resilience, with a standardized path coefficient of β = 0.62 and a T-value of 7.40, confirming a positive and statistically significant relationship.
Extended Abstract
Introduction
Deteriorated urban fabric comprises urban areas that have experienced substantial physical degradation and functional inefficiency, resulting in declining building quality, inadequate infrastructure, and reduced urban performance. These neighborhoods often suffer from the concentration of physical, social, economic, environmental, and institutional problems, making them highly vulnerable to natural hazards. Accordingly, enhancing resilience in deteriorated urban areas has become a major objective of sustainable urban planning and disaster risk reduction. Natural disasters, particularly earthquakes, continue to threaten urban communities worldwide. Their unpredictable occurrence and destructive consequences make complete prevention impossible; therefore, improving urban resilience is considered one of the most effective approaches to minimizing damage and accelerating post-disaster recovery. Among the various dimensions of resilience, physical resilience is especially significant because it reflects the capacity of buildings, infrastructure, and urban spatial systems to withstand, absorb, and recover from hazardous events. Rasht, the largest city in Gilan Province, encompasses extensive deteriorated urban neighborhoods with high seismic vulnerability resulting from aging buildings, inadequate infrastructure, and limited accessibility. Evaluating the physical resilience of these neighborhoods is therefore essential for identifying priority areas for urban regeneration and disaster risk reduction. Accordingly, this study investigates the major factors affecting physical resilience in the deteriorated urban fabric of Rasht and evaluates the contribution of each factor to strengthening resilience against earthquake hazards.

Methodology
This study employed an applied research approach based on a descriptive-survey design. Based on the latest national census, the statistical population consisted of 124,371 residents living within the deteriorated urban fabric of Rasht. The sample size was determined using Cochran's formula, resulting in 384 respondents, who were selected through simple random sampling to ensure equal participation opportunities. Data were collected employing a researcher-developed questionnaire. Content validity was confirmed by a panel of academic experts, while reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha, yielding a coefficient of 0.70, which indicates acceptable internal consistency. The collected data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) in LISREL to evaluate the relationships between the selected physical indicators and urban resilience. The analytical framework comprised four independent variables: structural resistance, structural quality, urban accessibility, and neighborhood physical conditions. These indicators were examined to determine their relative contributions to improving the physical resilience of deteriorated urban neighborhoods against earthquake hazards.

Results and discussion
The findings of the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) demonstrate that all four physical indicators have positive and statistically significant effects on urban resilience within the deteriorated urban fabric of Rasht. Among the examined variables, structural quality had the strongest influence on urban resilience (β = 0.84, t = 6.82), indicating that improving construction quality plays a critical role in reducing earthquake vulnerability. Structural resistance also showed a significant positive effect (β = 0.77, t = 74.60), confirming that strengthening buildings substantially enhances their ability to withstand seismic impacts. Urban accessibility was another significant determinant of resilience (β = 0.69, t = 8.34). Efficient transportation networks and adequate access to primary roads facilitate emergency evacuation, rescue operations, and the rapid delivery of relief services, thereby improving the adaptive capacity of urban communities. Likewise, neighborhood physical conditions significantly contributed to urban resilience (β = 0.62, t = 7.40). Better physical environments, including well-maintained infrastructure and public spaces, increase the ability of neighborhoods to cope with disasters and recover more effectively. Overall, the results indicate that strengthening the physical characteristics of the built environment is fundamental to enhancing earthquake resilience in deteriorated urban areas. The findings also support previous studies emphasizing that investments in structural safety, infrastructure improvement, and accessibility are essential for reducing disaster risk and promoting sustainable urban development.

Conclusion
Urban resilience has become a fundamental principle of sustainable urban planning in response to rapid urbanization, population growth, and increasing exposure to natural hazards. Deteriorated urban fabrics are among the most vulnerable parts of cities because of aging buildings, inadequate infrastructure, dense development, and limited accessibility, all of which intensify earthquake impacts and delay post-disaster recovery. This study demonstrates that structural resistance, structural quality, urban accessibility, and neighborhood physical conditions are the principal physical determinants of resilience in deteriorated urban neighborhoods. Strengthening these factors through urban regeneration programs can significantly reduce vulnerability and improve disaster preparedness and recovery capacity.
Physical resilience extends beyond individual buildings to include critical infrastructure such as transportation networks, healthcare facilities, emergency shelters, public open spaces, and utility systems. In particular, efficient arterial roads play a vital role in supporting both emergency evacuation before disasters and the rapid distribution of rescue services and essential supplies during the recovery phase. In conclusion, resilience in deteriorated urban fabrics reflects the capacity of urban systems to withstand earthquake impacts, adapts to changing conditions, and restores essential functions within an acceptable period. Therefore, integrating resilience-oriented strategies into urban planning and regeneration policies is essential for achieving sustainable urban development and reducing disaster risk in vulnerable cities such as Rasht.

Funding
There is no funding support.

Authors’ Contribution
Authors contributed equally to the conceptualization and writing of the article. All of the authors approved the content of the manuscript and agreed on all aspects of the work declaration of competing interest none.

Conflict of Interest
Authors declared no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgments
We are grateful to all the scientific consultants of this paper.