ABSTRACT Considering the concept of quality of life in cities to be the same, urban planners do not have a precise understanding of the factors affecting the quality of life. Therefore, according to the size of the city, different indicators should be considered to measure the quality of life. Thus, according to the main goal of the research, which is to recognize, identify and compile the factors affecting the improvement of the quality of life in middle and small cities on an intra-provincial scale, Qazvin and Zia Abad cities in Qazvin province were selected as study samples. In order to achieve the goal of the research, exploratory factor analysis and regression analysis were exerted. The findings show that the homogenization of the indicators affecting the quality of life in all cities is incorrect. Some concepts, such as the size of the city, are effective in compiling and selecting the indicators affecting the quality of life. So, the indicators affecting the quality of life in each city can be different according to some concepts, such as the city's characteristics or the city's size. Examining study samples also shows that in small cities, social indicators are more important due to strong social solidarity among people and the high importance of social and cultural concepts. Moreover, in middle cities, due to the importance of finding economic concepts and urban services in people's lives and people's less communication with each other and the weakening of solidarity and social connections, indicators of urban services and facilities and economic factors have the most importance in explaining the quality of life; this shows that the Quality of life indicators are different in all cities Extended Abstract Introduction Quality of life is a multifaceted and dynamic concept that can be different from city to city and region to region and can be defined by various indicators. Not paying attention to this issue and considering the concept of quality of life equally in all cities has caused the level of quality of life to decrease in many cities, especially middle and small cities, in recent years. On the other hand, considering the concept of quality of life in cities to be the same, urban planners do not have a precise understanding of the factors affecting the quality of life. Following this, the main goal of this research is to identify, identify and compile effective factors for improving the quality of life in middle and small cities on an intra-provincial scale. In order to achieve this goal, the cities of Qazvin and Zia Abad in Qazvin province were selected as study samples, so that according to the size of the city, in order to achieve the goal of the research, the factors affecting the quality of life are analyzed on an intra-provincial scale.   Methodology The research method is applied research based on quantitative methods. In line with data analysis, after extracting 60 indicators of quality of life, first, the indicators were separated into separate and structured factors using the exploratory factor analysis method in SPSS software. And then, step by step regression method was used to measure the effective factors in improving the quality of life in cities.   Results and discussion The research findings show that based on exploratory factor analysis, 16 factors were extracted in Zia Abad city and 15 factors in Qazvin city as effective factors on the quality of life in small and middle cities. In order to present and explain the factors affecting the improvement of the quality of life in small and middle cities, the factors extracted from the factor analysis were analyzed by multivariate regression method and step-by-step method. Furthermore, finally, (13) factors were introduced in Zia   Abad and (13) factors in Qazvin as the main factors influencing the quality of life. The analysis of the findings indicates that in Zia Abad, factors such as life expectancy and social relations, security, the state of urban services and access to urban facilities, living expenses, the state of urban furniture, urban traffic, the state of offices and housing have more effects in explaining and improving the quality of life. In Qazvin, factors such as the state of urban services, the state of green and public spaces in the city, the state of security and economic opportunities in the city, the density and hope of urban, economic, and cultural life, the state of roads and leisure in the city are effective in explaining the quality of life. Following this, according to the above findings, quality of life is a multidimensional and dynamic concept that directly relates to the type of cities and the specific characteristics of cities. Therefore, the quality of life and its indicators can differ from city to city; because every city has its characteristics and characteristics with citizens with different cultures and thinking, which causes the factors affecting the quality of life to be different. Therefore, considering the quality of life and its indicators to be the same in all cities is wrong, which can lead to the decline of the quality of life and the failure of quality of life improvement programs.   Conclusion Finally, the research results indicate that quality of life is a simple concept covering various urban life aspects. This concept can be defined as a determining factor in the excellence and progress of cities and residents' satisfaction with their urban life. It is multifaceted and dependent on place and time. As a result, the perception of people in different cities and communities about the concept of quality of life and the factors affecting it can be different. Following this, factors and indicators should be selected according to the characteristics and conditions of that city in urban planning to improve the quality of life for each city. Thus, this research, using the classification of cities based on the size of the city, has presented factors specifically for middle and small cities, which in small cities due to strong social solidarity among people and the great importance of social and cultural concepts, social indicators are more important. Moreover, in middle cities, due to the importance of finding economic concepts and urban services in people's lives and people's less communication with each other and the weakening of solidarity and social connections, indicators of urban services and facilities and economic factors have the most importance in explaining the quality of life; this shows that the quality of life indicators are different in all cities.   Funding There is no funding support.   Authors’ Contribution All of the authors approved the content of the manuscript and agreed on all aspects of the work.   Conflict of Interest Authors declared no conflict of interest.   Acknowledgments We are grateful to all the scientific.

A B S T R A C T Green city is one of the approaches to sustainable development. “green city” is an environmentally friendly city compatible with the concept of sustainable development and can be used for the welfare and security of its inhabitants. Based on the concept of a “green city,” urban managers try to have the least destructive effect on the ecosystems upon which cities rely. Green city is one of the sustainable development approaches that reduce the environmental footprint of cities. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the situation of Mashhad metropolis in terms of the objective characteristics of the green city. In this study, 14 indicators of electricity consumption per capita, green space per capita, population density, water availability, sewage availability, superior public transportation network, urban mass transportation, traffic reduction, annual production waste per capita, carbon monoxide, concentration nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide concentration, particulate matter concentration, and air quality were exerted. To determine the importance of research indicators, the Shannon entropy method, and the status of Mashhad city areas in terms of green city indicators, the VIKOR multi-criteria decision-making method has been applied. The results showed that most areas of Mashhad are average and below average in terms of green city characteristics, and only District 9 is in very good condition (0.636). Also, based on the results of this part of the research, District 5, with the value of VIKOR index of 0.969, is in the last rank in terms of objective characteristics of the green city Extended Abstract Introduction Green city is one of the approaches to sustainable development. A “Green city” is an environmentally friendly city compatible with the concept of sustainable development and can be used for the welfare and security of its inhabitants. Based on the concept of a “green city,” urban managers try to have the least destructive effect on the ecosystems upon which cities rely. Green cities constantly try to manage their environmental effects by reducing waste, increasing recycling, reducing air pollution, increasing population density, developing open urban spaces, and encouraging the development of sustainable local businesses. Green cities were first used to evaluate 30 European cities by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) in 2009 with the financial support of Siemens and the aim of reducing the environmental effects of human activities in cities. In that study, eight indices of carbon dioxide, energy, construction, transportation, water, recycling and land use, air quality, and environmental governance were used. Later, the Economist Intelligence Unit, with the financial support of Siemens, evaluated the status of the green city index in 17 Latin American cities, 15 African cities, 22 major Asian cities, and 27 cities in United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. In recent years, even some Western Islamic scholars have, in various publications, shown that Islam is an ecological religion. In Iran, the issue of protecting the environment has not received much attention regardless of its rich cultural and religious background and its confirmation in Article 50 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Mashhad is the second metropolis of Iran, located in North-East of Iran, and is one of the counties of Khorasan Razavi Province. According to the 2016 Iranian Population and Housing Census, its population was 3057679 people (The Vice-Presidency of Planning and Development of Mashhad Municipality). In Mashhad, due to several reasons including the presence of Imam Reza Shrine (PBUH) and arrival of millions of pilgrims per year, population growth, increased garbage production (production of 896534 tons of garbage in 2016 (The Vice-Presidency of Planning and Development of Mashhad Municipality), air pollution (increased number of unhealthy days from 46 days per year in 2015 to 88 days in 2016 for sensitive groups and 4 days of unhealthy air for all groups in 2016 (Center for Monitoring Environmental Pollutants of Mashhad Municipality) the 2025 vision of the city has paid attention to the environment in the form of five general objectives; however, just like the national level, no specific pattern for environmentally-compatible urban development, such as green city, is determined. Analysis of the green city index in Mashhad metropolis can considerably contribute to urban managers and planners in addition to providing a pattern for evaluating the present situation in other cities of Iran and improving the quality of life regardless of the current status of the urban environment in Iranian cities; we can preserve these environments as parts of the natural environment for future generations.   Methodology In terms of its goal, the present study is an applied one; in the study, drawing upon other studies and library sources and considering the conditions of Iran and the metropolis of Mashhad in terms of green city, 14 quantitative indices were exerted. To this end, the required data for the quantitative indices was gathered by library research from the relevant institutions. Next, the weights of quantitative indices were determined using Shannon's entropy. Then, using the VIKOR method of multi-criteria decision-making, the status of various districts of the metropolis of Mashhad in terms of quantitative indices of green city was determined. Finally, the map of the spatial distribution of quantitative indices was drawn using the ARC GIS software package.   Results and discussion In this study, to analyze the status of the metropolis of Mashhad in terms of green city features, 14 quantitative indices were used. Considering the value of the VIKOR index ranges from 0 to 1, various districts of Mashhad can be classified into five categories; very satisfactory, satisfactory, average, unsatisfactory, and very unsatisfactory in terms of quantitative indices of green city. The results of the current situation of Mashhad showed that in terms of objective indicators of the green city, District 9 of Mashhad metropolis with a value of VIKOR index of 0.056 is in first place, and the seventh region with a value of VIKOR index of 0.433 is in second place. Also, based on the results of this part of the research, District 5, with the value of VIKOR index of 0.969, is in the last rank in terms of objective characteristics of the green city.   Conclusion Similarly, the results of studies by Afshar (2011) and Shabani et al. (2017) on Tehran metropolis are indicative of the unsatisfactory situation of Tehran (the biggest metropolis of Iran) in terms of green city features. Comparing the results of the studies by Afshar (2011) and Shabani et al. (2017) with the present study on Mashhad (the second biggest metropolis of Iran) reveals the necessity for a comprehensive plan toward achieving green cities. It should be mentioned that, due to the specific conditions of Mashhad metropolis and availability or unavailability of the required data, the indices used in the present study are somewhat different from the ones used by Afshar (2011) and Shabani et al. (2017).   Funding There is no funding support.   Authors’ Contribution All of the authors approved the content of the manuscript and agreed on all aspects of the work.     Conflict of Interest Authors declared no conflict of interest.   Acknowledgments We are grateful to all the scientific

Even though Garden City was invented in response to the unsanitary conditions of cities to improve the quality of life by combining the city with the countryside at the beginning of the 20th century, the early third millennium concept of Smart City (SC) aimed at addressing human-induced global climate change and urbanization challenges, with the belief that the quality of life in cities can be improved by integrating information and communication technologies. In general, despite many efforts to clarify and disambiguate the concept of a SC in the literature review, there remains a paucity of evidence on understanding "what is a Smart City?" to delineate the conceptual capabilities of the SC for urban policymaking. Hence, the question is addressed by data coding as well as the identification of categories in the content of 99 definitions of SC based on the analyzing method of Rogers' Evolutionary Concept (REC). Identifying the antecedents of the SC concept within such definitions shows that it is strongly influenced by the fuzzy and noisy atmosphere of the technology market. However, nowadays the clear paths set by the technology companies are less discussed and more emphasis is placed on the context and perspective in the development of this concept. The main characteristic of most of the resources related to the analysis and development of the concept of the SC is their tendency to search for common functional features (smart economy, people, governance, mobility, environment, and life) by focusing on novel and advanced technologies that would gain widespread acceptance (as they do). In general terms, the concept is composed of three components based on the definitions: conditions, characteristics, and results. Technology, community, institution, and context are factors or conditions that determine the characteristics of a SC. Such characteristics include two basic dimensions: functional and structural. System search and systematization in SC are based on structural features, i.e., a digital structure (platform) for organizing functions, services, and interactions in space. The objectifying functional characteristics are dependent on structural characteristics (instrumented, interconnected, and intelligent). The functional improvement of the city as a consequence of focusing on new information and communication technologies contributes to these expected results: improving the quality of life, sustainability, and optimization of processes (i.e., efficiency). Considering the evolutionary road of the SC concept, the main question would be how we can move up the role of citizens from "technicians' data subjects" to "enabled agents". The expression "SC" refers to cities that benefited from technological changeability. While the technology tends to be only one bombastic item of structural elements, it is evident that other players, more specifically citizens, will play a significant role in developing the SC concept in the literature - though it is influenced by the companies' narrative. The inclusion of words such as citizens/people/city dwellers in the new definitions does not imply the characteristics of the concept are changed, instead, it refers to a different expression of the previous technological concept. The main argument is that specialists and managers need a comprehensive understanding of the big picture of social arenas and dynamics for the "participatory smartening of cities".

In the present study, the main purpose is the qualitative study on garbage collection in Tehran city. It has been done by qualitative research method. Semi-structured interview and purposeful sampling techniques were used in data collection. To do this, 15 people were interviewed and the sample size in the present study was determined based on theoretical saturation. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Theme analysis was performed at 4 levels of primary, main, central and core themes. A total of 184 initial themes were extracted from all interviews. In the main coding stage, the following 9 main themes were merged. Escape from poverty in the origin and the inevitable choice of inferiority, society's view to garbage collectors, and high stress, strengthening the cycle of academic reluctance and illiteracy, physical and mental torment, unknown horizon and confusion of the Khojies, legal ambiguity and customary definitions and contracts, complaints from relevant institutions, the entry of the mafia and the formation of rent and corruption. Finally, these themes fall into two categories of social harmfulness of recycling and institutional exclusion and illegallity of the status of garbage collectors in the second distrect in the form of the core theme of the structure of socially harmful and institutionally illegal, waste phenomenon explained..

The present paper investigated the effectiveness of concept mapping as a learning strategy on EFL students’ self-regulation (metacognitive self-regulation, time and study environment, effort regulation, peer learning, and help seeking). Sixty university students participated in the study. They were randomly assigned to control and experimental groups, each including thirty students. They were at the intermediate level of English proficiency and studying English either Translation or Literature. Their language proficiency was determined by the Michigan Test of English Language Proficiency (MTELP) (Corrigan, 1979). The instrument to collect data on the students’ selfregulation was the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) (Printrich et al., 1991). The findings revealed that students gained higher self-regulation in writing tasks as the result of the explicit instruction of the concept mapping strategy. The findings have implications for pedagogy as well as for research.

Increased urbanization, population growth and socio-economic and environmental problems besides growth and development of ICT at the global level are the sign of the 21st century. The contradiction between economic growth and environmental protection, encountering ultra-modern citizens with industrial cities and lack of responsibility to current citizens has led to a smart sustainable city that thanks to ICT such as IoT following to solve mentioned problems. This paper beside introducing smart sustainable approach as a counterpoint to Neoliberal approach, assessing emergence, evolution, aspects, indices, and differences between similar approaches like smart city. This research from the view of aim is basic research and from the view of nature and research method is descriptive analytic one. The results of the research indicate that also there is no universal definition of smart sustainable city, but there is an agreement on the final goal to obtain sustainable development. The reason for this necessity is the third wave of sustainability and crisis of social, economic and environmental challenges in the context of the cities. Also, primary focus of these definitions is equity and social inclusiveness, quality of life, efficiency, flexible infrastructure, ICT and environment protection. Furthermore, there was such a futuristic gap in the definition of smart sustainable city that a new definition presented based on future study approach. In contrast to similar approaches, the core of the smart sustainable city is ICT and environment protection. Also, results shows that for implementation of this aprroah inaddtion to use theory of change, future study and systems theory, should consider the slogan of “ think globaly and act localy” and localization of smart sustainable approach based on social, economic, political and futuristic condition of Iranian metropolises.

The urban form of Middle Eastern and North African cities was scientifically studied in the Europe for first time in the early decades of 20th century. The French Orientalists were the first authors who applied the term “Islamic city” and categorized these cities into a specific group. Since then a series of manuscripts, influenced by former ideas, have been emerged which try to deal with the urban morphology of the “Islamic Cities”. Recently, a group of scholars has tried to propose new ideas in this regard. As this chain of ideas makes the main body of the research in the western and international scope on the theme of “Islamic City”, it is necessary to review it as a sequence of related ideas and highlight the problems and clichés hidden in them.Reviewing the history of formation and course of change of the concept and term of Islamic cities, this article is an attempt to discuss and emphasize on the formation, time of emergence of these clichés, their authors, criticisms on those views by today’s theoreticians of Islamic cities, the validity of their alternative methods and the abilities of studying the complexities of these types of cities. So, for this purpose, the theories on urban form of “Islamic cities” grounded by western authors are dealt with in three major groups entitled as follows: 1) emergence of the concept of “Islamic city” (1900s-1950s), 2) revisionist ideas (1950s-1980s), and 3) pioneer theories.It is intended to show how specific pre-assumptions have overshadowed their descriptions and how today's clichés of this area of studies have roots in primary readings, which were broadly under the influence of urban theories prevailing at their own age in Europe.

Aims: Numerous articles and books on the concept of "Islamic city" have been written by Muslim scholars and western orientalists over the past decades. Some scholars have indicated that the concept of an Islamic city is not appropriate with the requirements of contemporary times and on the other hand, some scholars argue that there is a need for more attention. The aim of this study in the first step was to classify and analyze different readings of Islamic city and it was rethinking the definition based on the requirements of contemporary times in the second step. Instruments & Methods: The present study is descriptive-analytical and exploratory research. Data collection was conducted using library studies and depth interviews with experts inside and outside of the country that they were discussed, analyzed and criticized in comparison with each other. This study first categorized and compared the inter-religious and outer-religious approaches to the concept of Islamic cities. Another finding of this study was to add the inter-religious reading to earlier readings of the Islamic city. In this regard, in parallel with the investigation of different studies on Islamic cities, different layers of Islamic thought were also studied and adapted to existing readings. Conclusion: In conclusion, the present study addresses the question of which aspect of Islamic thought is more in line with the needs of today's society in urban planning. According to the analyses indicated in the study, the emphasis on the ethical approach can meet the current requirements of cities in Islamic societies more than the other approaches.

Todays, cities have become one of the most complicated systems, which may become fragile when not managed appropriately. In order to prevent fragility, cities should respond more quickly and effectively to complicated threats, which requires an accurate understanding of the concept of fragility. In this regard, a systematic review was conducted based on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) to understand the concept of urban fragility by electronic search using keywords combined with Boolean OR and AND operators in Google Scholar, ISI Web of Science, and Scopus. Based on the reviewed articles, the dimensions of urban fragility, including the economic, social, governmental, environmental, international relations, and economic, social, and political conditions of individuals, were identified for each component and indicator. Given the definition of fragility and its dimensions, the present study can provide an opportunity for identifying the causes of fragility in cities and providing some solutions.