Research Paper
Masoud Safaee Pour; Majid Goodarzi; Ali Ashkbos; Zahra Soltani; Ali Shojaian
Abstract
The realization of the "Learning City," as a modern paradigm in urban management, plays a pivotal role in achieving sustainable development and enhancing the quality of life for citizens. This research aims to analyze the key managerial drivers for establishing a learning city in Bandar Mahshahr and ...
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The realization of the "Learning City," as a modern paradigm in urban management, plays a pivotal role in achieving sustainable development and enhancing the quality of life for citizens. This research aims to analyze the key managerial drivers for establishing a learning city in Bandar Mahshahr and to investigate the relationship between managerial indices and educational advancement. The statistical population consists of 384 citizens and 20 experts, with data gathered through questionnaires and interviews. A hybrid of quantitative and qualitative methodologies was employed, including descriptive analysis, Pearson correlation, multiple regression, path analysis, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM), and MICMAC analysis. The findings revealed that spiritual indices ($\beta = 0.36$) and knowledge-based indices ($\beta = 0.32$) exerted the most significant direct positive impact on educational promotion. While social and economic indices also demonstrated positive effects, political and environmental indices lacked a direct impact, influencing the outcome indirectly through social and spiritual mediators. The ISM analysis illustrated a three-level hierarchical structure of drivers: political and environmental indices functioned as "fundamental drivers," social and economic indices served as "intermediate variables," and knowledge and spiritual indices emerged as the "final objectives/outputs." The MICMAC analysis further validated this structural framework. These findings underscore the necessity of a multidimensional urban management approach, suggesting that strengthening foundational political and environmental pillars, alongside socio-economic development, will accelerate the realization of a learning city in Bandar Mahshahr.
Research Paper
Hasan Sajadzadeh; Amir Shakery
Abstract
Rapid urbanization and the decline in urban environmental quality, including the lack of green spaces and functional diversity, have significantly affected citizens’ mental health, making the investigation of this relationship increasingly important. This study aims to analyze the impact of urban ...
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Rapid urbanization and the decline in urban environmental quality, including the lack of green spaces and functional diversity, have significantly affected citizens’ mental health, making the investigation of this relationship increasingly important. This study aims to analyze the impact of urban environmental quality components on mental health, using Eram Boulevard in Hamedan as a case study. The research adopts a descriptive–analytical approach with an applied purpose. Data were collected using a localized questionnaire developed based on the WHOQOL-BREF instrument. The reliability of the questionnaire was confirmed through Cronbach’s alpha (0.921), while construct validity was verified using exploratory factor analysis (KMO = 0.798; Bartlett’s test: p < 0.001). The statistical population consisted of citizens using Eram Boulevard, and the sample size was determined to be 384 based on Cochran’s formula. Sampling was conducted using a cluster–systematic method across the eastern, central, and western sections during both daytime and nighttime periods. The findings reveal that seven components of urban environmental quality—accessibility, functional diversity, environmental quality, safety, nighttime vitality, presence (place usability), and urban landscape and visual quality—have a positive and significant relationship with dimensions of mental health, including vitality, environmental satisfaction, social interaction, sense of calmness, psychological security, sense of belonging, and motivation (p < 0.01). Spearman correlation analysis demonstrated strong relationships among several variables, including accessibility with vitality (ρ = 0.770) and presence (ρ = 0.746), as well as nighttime vitality with psychological security (ρ = 0.694). Robust regression analysis showed that functional diversity, accessibility, and environmental quality explain up to 83.6% of the variance in mental health. In addition, the Friedman test identified accessibility and environmental quality as the highest-priority components. These findings highlight the important role of socio-spatial urban factors in reducing stress and strengthening the sense of belonging, while also providing practical implications for human-centered urban planning. A major contribution of this study is the development of a comprehensive framework for assessing urban environmental quality and proposing a localized model for promoting mental health in medium-sized Iranian cities.
Research Paper
FatemehSadat Kahaki; Morteza Mehralitabr Firouzjaei
Abstract
National Spatial Planning, as one of the fundamental pillars of the national planning system, has undergone semantic fragmentation and conceptual ambiguity over time. This study aims to reconsider the concept of National Spatial Planning from an ontological perspective and through the lens of temporal–spatial ...
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National Spatial Planning, as one of the fundamental pillars of the national planning system, has undergone semantic fragmentation and conceptual ambiguity over time. This study aims to reconsider the concept of National Spatial Planning from an ontological perspective and through the lens of temporal–spatial considerations, seeking to identify the roots of its conceptual crisis and propose a theoretical framework for its redefinition within Iran’s planning system. Due to its transdisciplinary nature, spatial planning emerges at the intersection of geography, economics, sociology, environmental science, and political science. This multidimensionality has resulted in diverse and sometimes contradictory interpretations of its essence. The research adopts a qualitative and analytical–conceptual methodology, combining content analysis of institutional and academic documents, comparative studies of international experiences, and semi-structured interviews with experts and policy practitioners. Findings reveal that in Iran, the absence of a shared theoretical foundation and the dominance of sectoral and administrative approaches have led to conceptual fragmentation and weak spatial governance. In contrast, comparative analysis demonstrates that at the global level, the concept of spatial planning has evolved from a centralized, physical–planning approach toward spatial governance, sustainability, spatial justice, local participation, and future-oriented perspectives. The study concludes that reconstructing the conceptual foundation of spatial planning in Iran requires a renewed ontological understanding of space, recognition of temporal–spatial dynamics in development processes, and the establishment of an integrated, systemic, and interactive planning framework. Without such conceptual reconsideration, spatial planning will remain rhetorical and fail to play its guiding role in achieving balanced national development.
Research Paper
Ebrahim Molavi
Abstract
Flooding occurs in many urban environments each year, resulting in significant human and financial losses. In addition to impacting urban infrastructure and machinery, this risk disrupts the everyday lives of citizens, and poses substantial challenges to urban management. Pol-e-Dokhtar in the southern ...
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Flooding occurs in many urban environments each year, resulting in significant human and financial losses. In addition to impacting urban infrastructure and machinery, this risk disrupts the everyday lives of citizens, and poses substantial challenges to urban management. Pol-e-Dokhtar in the southern area of Lorestan province is one of many areas throughout the province and country that face the natural hazard of flooding on almost an annual basis. Within the urban area of Pol-e-Dokhtar, the Kashkan River, a primary branch of the Karkheh, has bifurcated the urban structure into an eastern and western half, and has inflicted significant damage to the urban structure during seasonal flooding events. Therefore, the main objective of the research is to investigate and identify the categorisation of indicators and variables that render the Urban and the public at risk of flooding. Required Information includes library and field datasets. The research methodology employed time series statistical analysis, SPI index, and stepwise regression methodology via GIS system apparatus for data analysis.The findings of this research have revealed that across the three dimensions studied in Pol-e-Dokhtar city, the natural elements and factors dimension with (0.57), the structural-physical factors dimension with (0.32), and the human-social factors dimension with (0.17), has the most significant impact on making Pol-e-Dokhtar city vulnerable to flooding. Therefore, it has been concluded that, with respect to the elevation profiles, the western cities and near the eastern bank of the Kashkan River, are the high-risk urban areas vulnerable to seasonal flooding. The findings of this study can be helpful for decision-making in urban management and strengthen urban resilience indicators.
Research Paper
Kiomars Khodapanah; Arasto Yari; Saadi Mohammadi
Abstract
Rural tourism has become increasingly important in the 21st century, attracting substantial attention in both academic research and policy discussions. Beyond meeting the needs of visitors, it contributes to significant social and economic changes in host communities. This study focuses on developing ...
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Rural tourism has become increasingly important in the 21st century, attracting substantial attention in both academic research and policy discussions. Beyond meeting the needs of visitors, it contributes to significant social and economic changes in host communities. This study focuses on developing strategies to enhance spatial competitiveness and support sustainable rural tourism in selected tourism villages of Nir County. The research adopts an applied, descriptive-analytical approach, collecting data through a purposive survey of 20 experts and practitioners. To identify key strategies, the study applied the meta- SWOT technique, which allowed for assessing the relative advantages of each village within the competitive regional context and prioritizing sustainable development goals. The findings highlight that the provision of permanent and temporary accommodations, utilization of hot springs and mineral resources, and improvements in communication infrastructure were the most influential factors. Among the competing villages, Koor Abbasloo demonstrated the highest capacity to attract tourists and a notable relative advantage (value = 2.76) over Qarah Shiran. Critical development strategies include enhancing transportation networks, improving access to nearby urban centers, raising local livelihoods, diversifying tourism activities, and leveraging natural and cultural resources. The results indicate that considering both internal capacities and external environmental factors simultaneously can strengthen competitive positioning and promote the sustainable development of rural tourism across the four target villages.
Research Paper
Samad Fotoohi; Masoud Saeedi; Leila Latifi
Abstract
Natural hazards, including floods, cause significant financial and human losses every year. Therefore, identifying flood-prone areas in cities is of great importance. The urban development of Zahedan in recent decades has had a considerable impact on increasing surface runoff and the risk of urban flooding. ...
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Natural hazards, including floods, cause significant financial and human losses every year. Therefore, identifying flood-prone areas in cities is of great importance. The urban development of Zahedan in recent decades has had a considerable impact on increasing surface runoff and the risk of urban flooding. The analysis of four stages of urban development using the SCS-CN model indicates a reduction in water retention capacity from 35.81 mm to 5.08 mm and an increase in runoff percentage from 24.21% to 83.22%. Additionally, the flood peak discharge in the hydrograph has risen from 25.44 cubic meters per second in the first development stage to 99.85 cubic meters per second in the fourth stage, demonstrating the increased intensity of water flow during flood events. The main factors contributing to this trend include intense short-term precipitation, unplanned urban development, reduced soil permeability, and encroachment on floodplain areas. Given these findings, implementing sustainable urban management policies, developing efficient drainage systems, and utilizing permeable materials are essential measures to mitigate urban flood risks.
Research Paper
Siavash Ataei; Asghar Norouzi; Mostafa Taleshi
Abstract
The present research aims to analyze the factors affecting the inefficiency of rural management and its role in the unbalanced physical development in the vicinity of Tehran metropolis within the rural settlements of Rey County. This research is applied in terms of objective and mixed (hybrid) in terms ...
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The present research aims to analyze the factors affecting the inefficiency of rural management and its role in the unbalanced physical development in the vicinity of Tehran metropolis within the rural settlements of Rey County. This research is applied in terms of objective and mixed (hybrid) in terms of methodology. The statistical population of the study was the rural settlements of Rey County, and a sequential mixed sampling method (probability and purposive) was used to determine the sample size. Data collection tools included questionnaires and interviews. Furthermore, the collected data were analyzed using factor analysis and qualitative content analysis. The research results indicated, firstly, that the rural management system, as a complex and multidimensional process, has led to the formation of an inefficient rural management system through aspects such as policy pressures and gaps, different intellectual foundations, the inability to control land speculation, lack of inter-sectoral coordination between urban and rural institutions, and weakness in supervising and enforcing regulations in the villages surrounding metropolises. On the other hand, the rural management system, in the form of factors such as policy-planning divergence (with a coefficient of 0.772), territorial-mission divergence (with a coefficient of 0.740), and the inefficiency of laws and directives (with a coefficient of 0.745), has caused this inefficiency and subsequently brought about unbalanced physical development in the vicinity of Tehran metropolis.
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