NAZAR Research Center MANZAR, the Scientific Journal of landscape 2008-7446 17 73 2025 12 22 Explaining and Analyzing the Factors Influencing the Branding of Riverfront Cities with an Environmental–Ecological Approach (Case Study: Ahvaz City) Explaining and Analyzing the Factors Influencing the Branding of Riverfront Cities with an Environmental–Ecological Approach (Case Study: Ahvaz City) 38 49 230853 10.22034/manzar.2025.536910.2368 FA Majid Goodarzi Department of Geography and Urban Planning, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Iran 0000-0001-7982-8027 Zahra Soltani Department of Geography and Urban Planning, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Iran 0000-0001-5876-0473 Ahmad Rahdar Department of Geography and Urban Planning, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Iran Journal Article 2025 07 26 Rivers play a central role in shaping ecological, social, and symbolic connections between citizens and the urban living environment in riverfront cities. The present study aims to analyze the mechanisms influencing citizens’ place attachment to the Karun River by employing Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) using SmartPLS software. The conceptual framework consisted of eight latent constructs: ecological quality, natural landscape, aesthetic perception, social participation, place attachment, city brand image, economic tourism, and river-based sports and recreational activities. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire, and the relationships among the variables were examined within both the inner and outer models. The results of the outer model analysis indicated acceptable validity and reliability; factor loadings were mostly above 0.7, composite reliability exceeded 0.7, and the average variance extracted (AVE) for most constructs was above 0.5, confirming satisfactory convergent validity. Findings revealed that ecological quality had a positive and significant effect on the development of economic tourism (β = 0.267, p < 0.05), and tourism, in turn, significantly enhanced place attachment to the river (β = 0.695, p < 0.01). Furthermore, sports and recreational activities around the river acted as an effective mediator in strengthening the sense of attachment (β = 0.581, p < 0.01), whereas the direct effect of ecological quality on place attachment was not significant. Overall, the model explained 52.4% of the variance in place attachment, and the goodness-of-fit index (GoF = 0.42) confirmed the adequacy of the model. The results suggest that citizens’ positive experiences with the river are not solely achieved through environmental improvements, but rather require the activation of tourism potentials, the enhancement of social participation, and the reinforcement of recreational functions along the river. These findings highlight the necessity of an integrated approach in the management of urban riverfront spaces, whereby environmental planning is coupled with improving experiential engagement and strengthening citizens’ emotional bonds. Rivers play a central role in shaping ecological, social, and symbolic connections between citizens and the urban living environment in riverfront cities. The present study aims to analyze the mechanisms influencing citizens’ place attachment to the Karun River by employing Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) using SmartPLS software. The conceptual framework consisted of eight latent constructs: ecological quality, natural landscape, aesthetic perception, social participation, place attachment, city brand image, economic tourism, and river-based sports and recreational activities. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire, and the relationships among the variables were examined within both the inner and outer models. The results of the outer model analysis indicated acceptable validity and reliability; factor loadings were mostly above 0.7, composite reliability exceeded 0.7, and the average variance extracted (AVE) for most constructs was above 0.5, confirming satisfactory convergent validity. Findings revealed that ecological quality had a positive and significant effect on the development of economic tourism (β = 0.267, p < 0.05), and tourism, in turn, significantly enhanced place attachment to the river (β = 0.695, p < 0.01). Furthermore, sports and recreational activities around the river acted as an effective mediator in strengthening the sense of attachment (β = 0.581, p < 0.01), whereas the direct effect of ecological quality on place attachment was not significant. Overall, the model explained 52.4% of the variance in place attachment, and the goodness-of-fit index (GoF = 0.42) confirmed the adequacy of the model. The results suggest that citizens’ positive experiences with the river are not solely achieved through environmental improvements, but rather require the activation of tourism potentials, the enhancement of social participation, and the reinforcement of recreational functions along the river. These findings highlight the necessity of an integrated approach in the management of urban riverfront spaces, whereby environmental planning is coupled with improving experiential engagement and strengthening citizens’ emotional bonds. http://www.manzar-sj.com/article_230853_bc701523c3465b936ea9158dd1d07ee7.pdf