SPATIAL PLANNING
Year:2022 | Volume:12 | Issue:3|Papers Count:7

Local community interaction is an inseparable aspect of social and economic regeneration programs. Ghalah Vakil Abad neighborhood is an inefficient middle and village-based texture in the 12th district of Mashhad, which, despite having an important functional position in the city, has a significant percentage of unstable buildings, impermeable passages, and small parts. The rule of urban poverty, including physical and service poverty and the residents’economic poverty, has eliminated the possibility of spontaneous change in the living environment, whilethe situation of the neighborhood needs to be improvedand recreated i based on resident’s participation. Considering that preparation of the neighborhood renewal plan is on the agenda of the relevant local organizations. Community-oriented regeneration is a suitable method forimproving the residents’qualities of life, but first, it is important to identify the variables that play a role in the people’svoluntary participations. The present study investigated the relationship between social factors, including "social trust", "social cohesion and solidarity", "social interactions", and "sense of belonging", andwillingness to voluntarily participate in the regeneration of Ghalah VakilAbad neighborhood. The currentresearch method was descriptive and causal based onStructural Equivalence Model (SEM). The feeling of belonging, trust in residents, social interactions, trust in government organizations, trust in people-institution organizations, and cohesion and solidarity respectively had the greatest roles in the residents’willingness to participate in the community-oriented regeneration process in this neighborhood. Secondly, according to the residents, the people’ssocial participation was the basic principle in the success of the neighborhood regeneration measures. Therefore, officials and planners should try to increase and stimulate the role of each of these variables in the neighborhood in different ways. Introduction: With the passage of time, the concept of urban regeneration, from the idea of ​​physical transformation to a comprehensive and integrated form of intervention policy, has become the basis of a multi-sector partnership by considering the city's contextual conditions through context-based strategies (based on location) and itscontinuous process. Urban regeneration is a complex process mainly due to the multitude of stakeholders, such as central and local governors, private sector developers, and local residents, who have involved in the decision-making process, as well as the communication between them. Establishing a permanent cooperation with the local community, stimulating and encouraging its activities, creativity, and entrepreneurship and creating favorable conditions for development of the relations ofits residents are among the effective aspects of social and economic regeneration programs. Preparation of the renewal plan of Ghalah VakilAbad neighborhood in District 12 of Mashhad City is on the agenda of local organizations due to its dilapidated texture. Therefore, since community-oriented regeneration is the main platform for accelerating improvement of the residents’qualities of life, it is important to identify the variables that play a role in the people’svoluntary participations. Materials and methods: The current descriptive and causal research was carried out by using the Structural Equivalent Model (SEM) with the help of PLS ​​software. The statistical population included all the households living in Ghalah VakilAbad and the rule-based sample size was 10times the number of indicators of the measurement model(70 cases). Results and discussion: Among the 6 variables influencing the residents’willingness to participate in Ghalah VakilAbad neighborhood, the role of the variable of feeling of belonging to the neighborhood was more prominent than the other variables and had the highest impact on the residents’willingness to participate. Then, the variables of trust in residents, social interactions, trust in government organizations, trust in people's organizations, and cohesion and solidarity respectively played the greatest roles in the residents' willingness to participate in the community-oriented regeneration process in this neighborhood. Also, according to the residents, the people’ssocial participation was the basic principle in the success of the neighborhood regeneration measures. The results werein line with the findings of … based on the role of community-oriented participation. To increase the residents’willingness to participate in the neighborhood, it was necessary to get help from the people’ssenses of belonging, solidarities and cohesions, trusts, and social interactions. Conclusion: Theofficials and planners should try to increase and stimulate the role of each of these variables in the neighborhood in different ways so that by relying on the residents’participations, a successful regeneration can be experienced. This study suggests that preparationof each type of urban regeneration plan or project for this neighborhood should be based on a community-oriented regeneration approach, in which the design and organization of the people's participation mechanism is the main principle.

Background: Urban branding is a new way of describing and implementing urban marketing. Just as city identification is done through image perception, the use of urban marketing largely depends on infrastructure, communications, and urban image management. Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the role and position of urban management in branding in Isfahan City. Research Method: This research was a survey-based document-field study, which used a researcher's questionnaire as the research tool in the survey section. The statistical population included all the citizens of Isfahan City and the statistical sample was equal to 384 people according to Cochran's calculation, but 414 questionnaires were distributed and finally collected in order to obtain more accurate information. Also, 50 questionnaires were distributed among the managers of Isfahan City. SPSS and Smart PLS software were used for measurement and analysis. Research Innovation: The managers and citizens’ points of view in response to the roles of municipalities, city council, chamber of commerce, and other bodies in the development of branding in Isfahan City were separately examined, which showed that the aforementioned institutions played a fundamental role in the development of the city branding. The managers believed that 77% percent of the urban management components had an impact on the development of urban branding. Also, the citizens said that the components of urban management had influenced 94% of the development of urban branding. Findings: From the managers and citizens’ perspectives, the approvals of the municipality, city council, chamber of commerce, and other related bodies had a key role in the development of the city branding. The managers believed that 77% of the components of urban management had an impact on the development of urban branding. The citizens said that the urban management components had affected 94% of urban branding development. Introduction In recent years, cities have been looking for new ways to thrive. This issue has forced them to compete with each other for attracting investors, tourists, residents, and labors. In this competitive environment, governments have begun to strengthen their urban marketing activities and promote the values ​​of the products of their cities in order to attract visitors and tourists by enhancing their competitiveness and productivities. Urban marketing and especially urban branding can be considered as a tool to recognize the competitive advantage of cities and promote their histories, as well as the qualities of their places, lifestyles, and cultures. Given the importance of the concept of urban branding, the present study sought to analyze the roles of urban management components i. e., municipal component, city council component, chamber of commerce component, and other related bodies, in creating urban branding in Isfahan City. The research questions were as follows: 1) Does the municipality have an impact on creating urban branding? 2) Does the city council have an impact on creating urban branding? 3) Does the Chamber of Commerce have an impact on creating urban branding? and 4) Are the related bodies effective in creating urban branding? Methodology This goal-based research was based on an applied method. In terms of data collection, this research was a survey-based document-field study. SPSS and Smart PLS pieces of software were used to measure the research data obtained from the questionnaire. The statistical population included all the citizens of Isfahan City. According to the results of the general population and housing census, the population of Isfahan City in 2016 was equal to 2, 174, 172 people, of which 1, 978, 168 people lived in Isfahan City and 196, 004 people lived in villages. There were several methods for sampling. Given that the statistical population of the research was unlimited, a statistical sample of 384 citizens was calculated by using Cochran's formula. Based on the available non-random sampling method, a questionnaire was distributed among 414 members of the target community. The reason for the higher distribution was that the research answers could be closer to reality and better attributed to the statistical population. Another sample of the research consisted of 50 managers in Isfahan City. Discussion A 30-item questionnaire was used to collect the data. As mentioned in the above section, this study included the two statistical communities of customers and managers of Isfahan City. In the first part, Cronbach's alpha values were obtained for the components of municipality (0. 94), city council (0. 92), chamber of commerce (0. 83), other bodies (0. 96), and urban branding (0. 89) from the managers’ perspectives. In the second part, its values were obtained for the components of municipality (0. 82), city council (0. 84), chamber of commerce (0. 79), other bodies (0. 87), and urban branding (0. 81) from the citizens’ perspectives. According to the questions raised in the introduction section, it could be said that the approvals of municipality (6. 126), city council (3. 202), chamber of commerce (2. 224), and other bodies (8. 187) had significant impacts on urban branding development from the managers’ perspectives. The approvals of municipality, Islamic council, chamber of commerce, and other organs of the city in total and in combination showed approximately 77% of the changes in the development of urban branding in Isfahan City, while the rest of the changes were related to other factors. On the other hand, the approvals of municipality (80. 778), city council (166. 168), chamber of commerce (7. 778), and other bodies (6. 936) had significant impacts on the development of urban branding from the citizens’ perspectives. It could be said that the approvals of municipality, Islamic council, chamber of commerce, and other organs of the city in total and in combination showed approximately 94% of the changes in the development of urban branding in Isfahan City, while the rest of the changes were related to other factors. Conclusion The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of urban management components on urban branding. The first question of the research was whether the approval of municipality played a role in creating urban branding development. Confirmation of this question meant that municipal managers were able to establish a desirable and purposeful cooperation with other organizations to develop branding in Isfahan, which was one of the most important and long-standing cities in Iran. Isfahan municipal managers could help introduce and develop branding in Isfahan city by establishing bilateral relations with tourism and Tourism Organization. This two-way communication, was very effective in introducing the principles and foundations of the city although it was time-consuming and sometimes costly. The second research question was if the city council approval played a role in creating urban branding development. The reason for confirming this question was that appropriate education and culture-building among the people of Isfahan City with regard to the concept of urban branding and core values ​​had been already planned and implemented by the managers active in the field of city council. On the other hand, it could be noted that the more the managers and members of the city council put appropriate strategies and policies in their agenda for branding the city of Isfahan, the better and faster they could develop this city in terms of branding and bring it to a proper and worthy place. The third question of the research was whether the approval of the Chamber of Commerce played a role in creating the development of urbaning brand. The managers of the Chamber of Commerce had tried to develop and introduce the city of Isfahan through a booklet or storytelling and holding meetings and conferences. It could be noted that one of the most important programs of the city council was to strengthen and develop tourism in Isfahan. They were also trying to get the Tourism Commission of the Islamic Council of the city to interact with the Tourism Commission of the Chamber of Commerce so that transferring of experiences and ideas could be done in a desirable way. The fourth question of the research was if the approvals of the other bodies played a role in creating the development of urban branding. The city of Isfahan is one of the metropolises of Iran that has faced an increase in population due to people’s migration from all over Iran every year, therefore, attention to environmental issues should be on the agenda. In addition to environmental factors, paying attention to cultural and religious factors can help in the development and promotion of branding in Isfahan City in order to attract tourists and investors.

Urban environmental quality as a part of the urban life quality has a special position in contemporary urban planning studies because the higher the quality of an urban environment is, the higher the potential for smart and sustainable development will be. The physical and rapid growth of cities and urban sprawl in the third-world cities like Iran has caused urban life with environmental problems and poor quality of urban environment in the 21st century. This study aimed to investigate the factors affecting the quality of urban environment in Shiraz City. This research used a practical and descriptive-analytical approach. Archival and surveying methods were utilized to collect the data through a researcher-made questionnaire. The statistical population included Shiraz citizens. A total of 384 questionnaires were completed by using Cochran’s formula. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was applied to validate the relationships between the variables and analyze them with the LISREL program. The correlation between the variables confirmed a significant relationship between the elements of residential, physical, content, and functional environments in the quality of urban environment in Shiraz. The highest correlations of functional characteristics, including health services, commercial services, recreational services, and social welfare services, with physical characteristics, including urban space, access and transportation, and spaces and buildings (0. 67), followed by those of the characteristics of residential environment with physical characteristics (0. 65) and then those of functional characteristics with environmental factors (0. 64) were found, which showed the influences of the mentioned characteristics on the quality of urban environment in Shiraz. Introduction The concept of environmental quality has emerged from compatibility of the concepts of quality of life and architectural and urban planning knowledge. Urban life quality has been one of the first research topics emphasized by urban planners since the 1930s when the growth of communities started. Over the past 50 years, urban communities have faced an environmental quality decline due to rapid urbanization in Iran. Therefore, urban planning measures must be taken to improve the environmental quality of cities. Population growth in Shiraz City has been also very fast and rapid urbanization and modernization has increased the pressure on the environmental development of this city. This city has had challenges, such as physical abnormality, air pollution, noise pollution, inequality in the use of welfare services, recreation, traffic, and parks and green spaces, marginal areas (200, 000 people are slum dwellers now), lack of optimal access, ecological segregation, and degradation of the quality of the environment. This article addressed prioritization of the components affecting the quality of the urban environment in Shiraz City by using the path analysis method and LISREL program. We lacked a comprehensive conceptualization in the present research. Previous studies have presented ideas about urban environmental quality, which have not investigated a wide range of the relevant dimensions, some dimensions have not been investigated by other researchers and some other dimensions have been ignored. Therefore, this study aimed to answer the following question: Which components affecting environmental quality in Shiraz City have the highest priorities with the most impact? ” Methods and materials This research used a practical and descriptive-analytical approach. Archival and surveying methods were used for data collection. The present study was an applied research. Internal articles and magazines were reviewed and a researcher-made questionnaire was applied with specialized survey questions in the studied field and scored on Likert scale. The statistical population included Shiraz citizens. A total of 384 questionnaires were completed by using Cochran’s formula. The indicators related to environmental quality were analyzed. Face validity was employed to validate the indicators and Cronbach's alpha was utilized to determine the internal consistency. Analysis of the relevant questionnaire, and its data information was done usinig SPSS statistics. Then, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to validate the relationship between the variables and analyze them by LISREL. Results and discussion The current research used the 4 elements of residential, physical, content, and functional environment to investigate urban environmental quality. The element of residential environment included the 4 indicators of location, construction quality, cost, and facilities. Facilities had the highest impact (0. 63) and location had the lowest impact (0. 4) among the indicators of residential environment. The element of physical environment included the 3 indicators of urban space, access and transportation, and space and buildings. Space and buildings had the highest impact (0. 72) and urban space had the lowest impact (0. 6) among the indicators of physical environment. Content environment included the 4 indicators of restoration of place attachment, environmental health, lifestyle, and security and social relations. Restoration of place attachment had the highest impact (0. 78) and security and social relations had the lowest impact (0. 58) among the indicators of content environment. The element of functional environment included the 4 indicators of health services, commercial services, recreational services, and social welfare services. Health services had the highest impact (0. 64) and recreational services had the lowest impact (0. 48) among the indicators of functional environment. The results of the analysis of the structural model for examining the relationship between the components of the hidden variable of the research showed that there was a significant relationship between the components. According to the results, there was the highest correlation between the characteristics of functional environment, including health services, commercial services, recreational services, and social welfare services, and those of physical environment, including urban space, access, transportation, and spaces and buildings (0. 67) followed by the characteristics of residential environment, which had the highest correlation with the characteristics of physical environment (0. 65), and then the characteristics of functional environment with those of environmental factors (0. 64), all of which showed their influences on the quality of urban environment in Shiraz City. Therefore, liveliness and vitality in the environment with the simultaneous effects of functional and physical characteristics could ultimately lead to the diversity of functions and spaces. Conclusion Today, urban environmental quality is one of the important topics that are always raised in all the cities in the world because the higher the quality of an urban environment is, the higher the potential for sustainable development will be. Various factors and priorities, including the characteristics of residential, functional, content, and physical environment, are investigated when discussing urban environmental quality. In Iran, people place more emphasis on the quality of urban environment with rapid urbanization. Air pollution, destruction of vegetation, water loss and pollution, and waste classification have limited sustainable developments in the urban environment. Analyzing the impacts of these environmental concerns is a prerequisite for implementing a sustainable urban environmental policy. This article investigated and prioritized the effective factors in the environmental quality of Shiraz City with a descriptive-analytical approach. After collecting the involved indicators from scientific articles, designing a questionnaire based on the Likert scale and distributing them among 382 households in Shiraz City, and collecting their information and the output of LISREL software, the results led to prioritization of the components of physical characteristics (0. 88), content characteristics (0. 84), functional characteristics (0. 76), and residential characteristics (0. 74) played an essential role in the environmental quality of Shiraz City. The dimensions of urban space, access and transportation, and spaces and buildings in the physical component had a greater impact on the urban environmental quality based on the path analysis test. These findings confirmed those obtained by Qashqaei et al. (2016) and Hatami and Zaker Haghighi (2017). Therefore, we could conclude that public spaces of Shiraz City played an essential role in developing social interactions and improving the quality of the environment. The results of the present research revealed that the influences of health and commercial services in the functional element were more than those of the recreational and welfare dimensions, this was consistent with the results achieved by Abron et al. (2017). The findings related to the content element indicated that the design of arrangement content factors improved readiness of the environment and strengthened the sense of place for citizens and urban space users. In general, it can be said that physical-spatial elements can play a decisive role by prioritizing the dimensions of health and commercial services, along with the content dimensions as the change factors in urban environmental quality.

Problem design: Exploitation systems form the basis of Iran's agriculture and show the type and form of the relationship between man and nature. The correct and principled use of nature and production inputs and tools by humans is of great importance in agricultural exploitation. Such a use could show itself in the stability and dynamics of exploitation systems. Objective: This research was based on the comparative analysis of small peasant exploitation systems and production cooperatives with regard to sustainable development indicators in Isfahan Province. Method: The research was based on an applied method in terms of purpose and a descriptive-analytical one in terms of nature. The data collection method was based on a documentary-survey approach. Results: WASPAS technique showed that the social, economic, and environmental dimensions in Arg Rudasht Company had the highest rank compared to those of other companies. Also, the higher value of Qi (0. 0506) in the production cooperative exploitation system in the production cooperative company compared to its value of 0. 0787 in the small peasant system in the mentioned company indicated the greater success of the production cooperative exploitation system compared to the small peasant system. Also, Golestan Kanawat, Berzuk, and Teng-e Chayedeh companies were in the lowest rank compared to the other companies. With the help of CODAS technique, the small peasant exploitation and production cooperative systems were measured. The results showed that Arg Rudasht company was higher than the other companies in both the small peasant exploitation and production cooperative systems in Isfahan Province. According to the calculated Euclidean distances, the production cooperative system was more successful than the small peasant exploitation system. Also, according to the CODAS technique, Tang-e Chayedeh and Sardab Sofli companies had the lowest ranks in the small peasant exploitation and production cooperative exploitation systems. Research innovation: The innovation of this study was application of the mentioned indicators that were appropriate for the local conditions, types of the tests, and the studied places. Introduction The strategic position and role of the agricultural sector in meeting the nutritional needs of the society and national development has created the need for fundamental and comprehensive changes in the structure of agriculture through the recognition of appropriate exploitation systems in the framework of long-term scientific planning. Today, despite various economic developments, the agricultural sector continues to be important in the development of rural and even urban areas. Agriculture can be the only way out for the millions of poor villagers, who have been pushed back by the economic changes of recent decades. With the development of agriculture in small towns, new jobs are created, small businesses become midwives, and eventually small towns are strengthened. One of the important aspects of the economics of agricultural communities is the study of agricultural exploitation systems. Accordingly, it can be said that the issues of exploitation system in any society are the most basic and major issues of the agricultural sector of that society. Planning and policy-making for the development of operating systems should be based on increasing production through performance per unit area without harming the environment so as to increase sustainable production capacity. The operating systems of economic and social organizations are composed of interconnected elements that, with a single identity and management and in mutual relation with the social and natural conditions of their environments, provide the possibility of producing agricultural products. Today, agricultural systems are exposed to exploitation beyond their natural capacities, the root of which can be traced to improper exploitation and mismanagement (Makhdoom, 1389: 19). The purpose of sustainable agriculture is to create sustainable agricultural production systems, which do not conflict with environmental and socio-economic benefits and basically emphasize the capacity to maintain fertility, while maintaining the survival of basic resources as well. On the other hand, the dynamism and evolutions of exploitation systems will be effective when based on considerations for sustainability in all economic, social, and environmental dimensions in accordance with the structure and performance of those systems. Sustainable development will be achieved if there is an overlap between ecological, economic, and social layers. This means that each of the ecological, economic, and social systems and subsystems must achieve the desired level of sustainability in order to judge the overall sustainability. In Iran, the biggest and most fundamental obstacle to the development of the agricultural sector and realization of its strategic goals is the structural obstacle related to agricultural system, which concerns the problem of the exploitation system of the center and its core. Of the most important types of exploitation systems in the country are micro-peasantry and rural production cooperatives. Methodology The present study was an applied research in a survey manner according to the nature of its subject and intended purpose. The information required for the research was obtained by using a variety of field and library methods. The statistical population included 17, 362 farmers, who were members of rural production cooperatives and 85, 405 peasant micro-farming units in the selected cities. The sample size was calculated by using Cochran's formula and the sample size of each village with its company was calculated by using the proportional assignment method. Then, using the sample size, random sampling method was utilized to select the beneficiaries. A questionnaire was applied as the research tool by available sampling. Its validity was confirmed according to the opinions of the experts in the field of geography and rural planning and those of the Ministry of Jihad Agriculture. Its validation was obtained by Cronbach's alpha method and the data analysis was performed by using SPSS software and WASPAS and CODAS techniques. Results The results of WASPAS technique showed that the various dimensions measured in Arg Rudasht and Anboukaran Kavir companies had the highest ranks among the other cooperative companies, while Golestan Qanavat Company was in the lowest rank. Based on a comparative study and the type of productivity in the two different systems of retail and cooperative productions according to the amount of Qi calculated, it was found that the cooperative production system was more successful based on the social, economic, and environmental indicators. According to the CODAS technique, Arg Rudasht Company had gained the first rank in both types of operation systems. Also, based on the values of Euclidean distances in this technique, it was proven that the exploiters of birth cooperatives had been more successful compared to the peasant exploitation system. Conclusion Agricultural development in the society is not only a basic need, but also a necessity and the results of studies indicate that improving agricultural production is not possible except by reforming the exploitation system in line with the principles of sustainable agriculture as the center of gravity of agricultural developments. Exploitation systems form the basis of Iran's economy and rural production. They have been adapted to Iranian agriculture with its changes of forms in different eras. To this day, Iranian agriculture has remained stable. Therefore, any planning to increase production with the use of new technologies and via modernization in agriculture and rural economy should be started from exploitation systems. According to the research results, the exploitation systems in Isfahan Province did not have favorable conditions and stability. This instability was more evident in the peasant exploitation system, which showed the main form of exploitation in the province. These results emphasizes this point that the exploitation system of the province needed to be managed and guided quickly in order to achieve sustainability and keep the related villages and rural economy stable. Similar to the results of previous studies, the present study confirmed that modern exploitation systems, such as rural production cooperatives, could play a more important role in sustainable agricultural development in the current conditions of rural society and agriculture due to having relative sustainability. In the current research, to study the subject of the mentioned exploitation system accurately and comprehensively, VASPAS and KODAS techniques were employed. WASPAS technique showed that the different social, economic, and environmental dimensions were most effective and had the highest rank in Arg Rudasht Company. Also, according to the comparative results based on the CODAS method, this company had the highest Euclidean distances and thus the highest rank among the other companies. Also, the research results revealed that with a step-by-step management and careful planning, we should move from the peasant exploitation system towards new exploitation systems. A clear example was Rudasht Citadel Company. This company was located in Qortan Village in Benroud Region of Isfahan Province. The company had very successful experiences in the field of mechanization and phytosanitary clinics and had been able to use the positive results and produce a positive approach to the cooperative exploitation system of the region.

Among the main challenges in big cities, especially megacities, is the excessive increase in population regardless of the capacity of services and facilities to meet the basic needs of citizens. Identifying the factors affecting biological sustainability, measuring population capacity, and providing management strategies to improve the city were among the goals of this research. The information needed for the research was prepared via document-library and field methods. The fuzzy method was used to descale the indicators of population, water, electricity, and green space. Then, the mentioned indicators were used in the ArcGIS software environment with the methods of Gates Ardeji statistics, Moran's spatial autocorrelation analysis, Morris technique zoning, together with the model. After analyzing the pressure number, the results showed that the Moran values of population, water, electricity, and green space were 0. 17, 0. 15, 0. 15, and 0. 03, respectively. Therefore, the first three indicators followed a strong cluster pattern, while the green space index was scattered and distributed in the surface of the city. The maximum capacity of the population, carrying capacity of water, electricity, and green space indicators were equal to 105639, 129121, and 528540 people, respectively. Based on the analysis of population tolerance threshold, water consumption, and electricity distribution, the new city of Sahand was in the critical pressure range, while the green space index was at the optimal threshold so that in the last several years, the city had had a very good green space per capita. Its bearing capacity was more than 80%. Introduction With the growth of urbanization and urbanism, the problems of the urban environment have reached a critical level, while one of the most important issues in the today’s world is the problem of preserving the environment. To achieve sustainable urban development, it is necessary to establish appropriate laws and regulations and correctly implement them, as well as changing consumption patterns and environmental attitudes. The purpose of creating new cities can be attraction of the population overflow of cities, reduction of the economic activities of the mother city, regional development, and the use of natural resources, as well as optimal distribution of the population. In fact, these cities are created to help solve the economic, social, and environmental problems of big cities. Therefore, creation of new cities is a response to "megalopolis" or excessive concentration of population and economic activities in big cities. The new city of Sahand (Tabriz) is an example of these new cities, which has been created to attract the overflowing population of Tabriz metropolis with a high population density compared to other areas. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the urban range capacity system in the new city of Sahand by relying on the indicators of population, water, electricity, and green space and trying to estimate the population capacity of the city from an environmental point of view and the amount of pressure on it besides determining which indicator can be applied in its planning. Materials & Methods The information required for the research was collected by directly referring to the city institutions, such as New Sahand City Municipality, New Sahand City Development Company, New City Water and Sewerage Department, East Azerbaijan Power Distribution Company, etc., as well as studying documents and electronic library resources, and conducting field studies. The statistical population of the present study included the citizens of the new city of Sahand. Due to the fact that the statistical blocks were not ready to be obtained in 2022 from the data of the previous years (2012-2017), the population of the city in 2022 was fulfilled. The urban range capacity indicators studied in this research were population (population in 2017 and 2022), water (production and annual water consumption of the new city of Sahand in 2022 in cubic meters), electricity (total number of subscribers in domestic, public, agricultural, and industrial sectors and other users, road lighting (based on people and energy consumption in 2022), and green space (areas of parks and green spaces based on each phase and number of the existing parks). These 4 indicators (population, water, electricity, and green space) were first descaled by the fuzzy method and then, the hot-cold spot method and Moran's spatial autocorrelation were used to analyze the spatial distribution of the urban range capacity system in the Arc GIS 10. 8. 1 software environment. The indicators used were measured and a consolidated index was obtained by using the Morris zoning technique. Finally, it was determined which phases of the new city of Sahand had services and facilities and which ones lacked them. Research findings According to the general and housing population census of 2015, the new city of Sahand had a population of 82494, while the city of Tabriz as the mother city had a population of 1, 558, 693. The increase in the price of housing in the city of Tabriz and appropriateness of its price in the new city of Sahand, compared to the metropolitan city of Tabriz, especially for the low and middle-income classes, as well as the policy of building Mehr housing in the new city of Sahand had greatly increased the population of the studied city so that the population growth rate of the studied city had reached from 12. 66% during the years of 2007-2012 to more than 27. 27% during the years 2012-2017. This rate had also increased greatly during the last 5 years according to the estimates. The population of the new city of Sahand in 2022 had reached more than 275000 people. It should be noted that out of the total of 5 phases designed for this city, Phase 5 had not yet been used and was empty. Thus, the mentioned phase was defined as zero in the calculations and only Phases 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the new city of Sahand were analyzed in the analysis of hot and cold spots. Discussion of Results & Conclusion Today, the dominant view in the field of sustainability of cities is that they should be able to provide a good quality of living for their citizens and be receptive to the population as much as possible. Excessive density of population in urban environments is one of the most important factors in creating environmental problems in cities. In this research, according to the standards defined based on the indicators of population, water, electricity, and green space, evaluation of the urban range capacity system in the new city of Sahand was done by using the method of hot-cold spots and spatial autocorrelation analysis. Moran’s spatial autocorrelation analysis was used to determine the spatial distributions of the mentioned indicators for the existing 4 phases of the new city of Sahand. The results showed that the Moran’s values for the indices of population, water, electricity, and green space were 0. 17, 0. 15, 0. 15, and 0. 03, respectively. Therefore, the first three indicators followed a cluster pattern, while the green space index was distributed in a scattered pattern throughout the city. Accordingly, the threshold population capacity, water consumption, and electricity distribution of the new city of Sahand were in the critical pressure range, while the green space index was on a favorable threshold, hence, the city had had a very good green space per capita in recent years and its tolerance capacity was more than 80%.

Today, one of the critical approaches to controlling and managing informal settlements is the approach of good urban governance. Good urban governance can be defined as the method and process of managing urban affairs with the constructive participation of public, private, and civil society sectors in order to achieve sustainable urban development, create a healthy city, and improve the quality of life. In the current research, the informal settlement areas of the Tabriz metropolis have been investigated with the approach of optimal urban governance. The research method is descriptive-analytical using statistical calculations, and the research data analysis is based on SPSS, EXCEL statistical software, and statistical techniques including T-test. Research data were collected in two ways-library and survey (using a questionnaire). The statistical population of the research includes 1400 households living in informal settlements of the Tabriz metropolis and a sample size of 300 heads of households were selected using Cochran's formula and by the simple random sampling method. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used for the reliability of the questionnaire, and the calculated value was 0. 6. Valuation of the variables has been done using the Likert scale. The results of the surveys based on the indicators of good urban governance, participation, accountability, legality, justice, transparency, responsibility, effectiveness, and efficiency show that the utilization rate of good urban governance in Tabriz is at a medium and low level. Introduction The amount of informal settlements in the world is increasing, and the World Bank has predicted the number of urban poor to be more than 1500 million people by 2025. At least 600 million people, primarily poor, live in polluted urban environments in health-threatening conditions. One-third of urban residents live in substandard housing. At least 250 million urban dwellers do not have immediate access to clean tap water and 400 million people do not have proper sanitation facilities. Also, many urban centers are surrounded by problems such as increasing crime and delinquency, corruption and bribery, organized crime, drug trafficking, prostitution, and the like. The theory of optimal urban governance, which has been accepted by elites and experts and emphasized by international organizations, especially the United Nations Center for Human Settlements known as Habitat, seeks to make cities more efficient, fairer, safer, and more sustainable. Obviously, the first and most crucial step for any kind of planning and control will be to understand the problem through scientific and logical methods. The essential characteristics of informal settlements can be distinguished into three physical, social, and legal areas )Hakimi & Oskoi, 2021). Informal settlements, marginal settlements, slums, temporary, unconventional settlements, etc., are among the manifestations of urban poverty that show their ugly face in different ways in the housing sector. The history of the contemporary metropolis of Tabriz as a settlement point goes back to the Ashkanian and Sasanian periods. This point was called by various names, such as Tourez, Tourej, and Tabrizo Tori, although it was no more than a small village at the beginning of the Islamic era. The area of this type of settlement in Tabriz is 400 hectares with a population exceeding 450, 000 people. Examining the factors affecting the formation of marginalization in Tabriz city shows that unemployment, low income, low housing rent, and large migration from small urban areas and rural areas of the province are important elements. The current slums, despite having a proper connection with urban tissues, do not have a proper urban structure. Among the indicators that determine the difference between the neighborhoods with informal settlements and existing slums and other urban tissues of Tabriz is the fact that they are inhabited by immigrants and their unplanned context. The administrators of the city are so struggling to solve acute problems such as environmental pollution, bad housing, urban traffic, lack of services per capita, huge population flood, etc. that there is less opportunity or even the ability to find solutions to the root of such problems ) Jahanbin et al., 2021). Materials and Methods The present study's research method combines descriptive and analytical studies to achieve the desired goals. According to the topic under investigation and the applied nature of the research, information was collected in two ways--documentary, and survey. The most common way to obtain basic information or statistical data is to obtain it directly from the residents and city managers, which has been used through observation and questionnaires. After collecting the information from the questionnaire questions, it was analyzed with statistical software to achieve the goals of this research. For statistical calculations and analysis of the research data, SPSS, Excel statistical software, and urban and regional planning models, including dispersion coefficient, T-test, and GIS geographic information system were used to prepare and draw maps. For this purpose, 120 people have been selected as the sample size using a simple random sampling method. It should be mentioned that the statistical population of the research was about 1400 people. In this case, the first step was taken by using the scales tested in the research related to informal settlements and asking for the opinion of professors and experts in this field. Then, the compiled questionnaire was completed in two preliminary and final stages, by examining the answers obtained from 30 initial questionnaires and performing the necessary statistical calculations. The analysis has been calculated using the reliability analysis method of the alpha coefficients of all questions. Based on the tests, the alpha coefficients of all questionnaires are more than 0. 6 and the total alpha coefficient is 0. 752. Research Findings Out of 300 respondents, 255 are men, and 45 are women, which make up %70. 8 and %29. 2 of the sample population, respectively. After examining all the questionnaires, it was found that the heads of the families aged 21-30 years were, % 13. 3 the heads of the families aged 40-31 years were, %35 the heads of the families aged 50-41years were %30, the heads of the families aged 60-51 years were %15. 8 and heads 60 years 8 were %5. 0 By dividing the households from 1 to 8 in the questionnaires, it can be seen that %17. 6 of the households were less than 3 people%45. 8 between 3 and 5 people, %28. 3 between 5 and 8 people, and finally, %8. 3 of the households were more than 8 people. This indicates the large size of the households in these areas. Of the total respondents to the questionnaires, %62. 5 of their previous residence was a village and %37. 5 was a small town. In general, the analysis of urban management indicators is significant according to the tests conducted. It can be said that there is a significant difference in the level of error between the actual average and the hypothetical average, and since the actual average obtained is lower than the hypothetical average, it can be concluded that from the point of view of the citizens, all the indicators analyzed were evaluated below the average level of the Likert scale and the inefficiency of the urban management system played a decisive and effective role in the formation and expansion of informal settlements in the city of Tabriz. By emphasizing the amount of t-value obtained, the seven elements of urban governance include participation, accountability, legality, equality and justice, transparency, responsibility, effectiveness, and efficiency. Discussion of Results and Conclusions Since the actual average obtained in Eidalo and Mollazaynal areas is lower than the hypothetical average, it can be concluded that from the citizens' point of view, the amount of using good urban governance according to the seven analyzed indicators is at a low level among the mentioned areas. Therefore, based on the results of the sample T-test, the citizens have evaluated the level of good governance in the districts below the average. It indicates that the urban management system of Tabriz, despite its efforts, has not been able to attract the satisfaction of the citizens in the mentioned marginal areas, since the level of desirable urban governance indicators is lower than the average level of the Likert scale. In the surveys conducted on the informal neighborhoods of Tabriz, all indicators, including economic, social, cultural, physical, environmental, etc., are at a low level compared to other central structures of the city. For this reason, paying attention to the various aspects of shortcomings and developing an executive plan to fix them can facilitate the movement toward the goals and frameworks related to the issue. In the field of participation, using the opinions of citizens, especially educated and academic people, along with the creation of specialized meetings is important. Considering the accountability factor, inviting citizens to cooperate in various fields, especially students who have more free time and energy than other citizens, should be considered. Optimizing the effects (i. e. creating, strengthening, and empowering people's organizations at the level of localities and districts of the city through holding regular and continuous meetings in the municipality and consulting about the problems of the city with councils and city managers) can also be used to solve the problems of this settlement.

The purpose of the current study is to design a land suitability evaluation model using Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE) and a multi-stage scenario-based analysis in the Geographic Information System (GIS) environment for agricultural development in Urmia County, North West of Iran. In this multi-stage procedure, firstly, the leading physical characteristics of the region, including topography, is studied. Then, to prepare a sustainable agricultural development scenario, physical and man-made restrictions, socio-economy, and finally, environmental scenarios were evaluated. The results of the Base Map, based on the Boolean Model, showed that only 12 percent of Urmia County is classified as a highly suitable class for agricultural development, whereas around 64% of the total region contains moderate to highly restricted lands. The results of the land evaluation, based on the socio-economy and environmental scenarios, showed that a sustainable agricultural development scenario, as an alternative, can play an important role in decreasing activities from the surrounding area of Urmia Lake, and consequently act as a crucial factor for conservation of Urmia Lake. Introduction In recent years, Urmia Lake has experienced severe drying and faced an ecological crisis. The concentration of the urban population and activities, such as agricultural development, has been recognized as the main factor of this crisis (Valiallahi, 2020). The present study aimed to evaluate land suitability for agricultural development using Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE) and a multi-stage scenario-based analysis in the Geographic Information System (GIS) environment. It is assumed that consideration of the situation of the National Park of Urmia Lake with agricultural development scenarios not only can lead to decentralization of population in the surrounding area of Urmia Lake but also play an important role in spatial imbalances and activities, and consequently decrease ecological pressure on Urmia Lake. Materials and Methods Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) includes alternatives that are inconsistent and heterogeneous with quantitative and qualitative nature (Malczewski, 1999, Reynolds, 2014). MCDA can be used both in vector and raster features (Pereira & Duckstein, 1993). There are many MCDA analyses (Malczewski & Rinner, 2015). Weighed Linear Combination (WLC) and Boolean Logic are among the most important and widely used procedures (Chen, Blong, et al., 2001, Malczewski & Rinner 2005, Malczewski, 2006, Lafortezza, Chen, et al., 2008, Boroushaki & Malczewski 2008, Jelokhani-Niaraki & Malczewski, 2015). Research Findings After preparing base and constraints maps, agricultural development is evaluated under different scenarios (Pourebrahim et al., 2011, p. 90). In socio-economic, results extracted from the final map indicate that lands with no or marginal limitations are mostly located in the eastern part of Urmia County, where the region slope is low and soil is highly suitable for agriculture. In the environmental scenario, out of 61 percent of the suitable area (Booleans region 1), 12 percent is classified as highly suitable, 25 percent as suitable, 27 percent as marginal suitable, and 36 percent as low and very low suitable classes. Out of the total area of Urmia County (5274 square kilometers), 7 percent is classified as highly suitable, 14 percent as suitable, 15. 5 percent as marginal suitable, and 63. 5 percent as low and very low suitable classes. So, the results show that severe limitation is the main constraint for agricultural development nearly in one-third of the total area. In the sustainable development scenario, the results extracted from the final map showed that 14. 61 percent of the Boolean region is located in highly suitable areas, 24. 6 percent in suitable areas, 24. 94 in marginally suitable areas, and nearly 36 percent in low and very low suitable areas. The results also showed that out of the total area of Urmia County, 8 percent is classified as highly suitable, 14 percent as suitable, 14 percent as marginal suitable, and 64 percent in low and very low classes. Discussion of Results and Conclusions Based on the results, the majority of suitable lands are located in the western parts of Urmia County, Hovasin, Gangachin, and Ziveh deserts. Based on the environmental and geographical characteristics of the region and also the results of the current study, the characteristics of the region's land are determinants and prerequisites for any development plan in Urmia County. In regions similar to Urmia, which enjoy high environmental and man-made potentials, land suitability using MCE-GIS and a multi-stage-scenario-based procedure can lead to spatial balances, decrease environmental and ecological pressure, and also change the current crisis into land use and spatial planning by planners.