The world has entered the new millennium with globalization, cultural development and dialogue among civilizations forming the bases for the new world order and international relations. At the same time, the twenty-first century is characterized by rapid, unprecedented URBANIZATION. Today, almost half of the world"s population live in urban areas, and the rapid increase in urban population is expected to continue, especially in developing countries. The powerful forces of globalization are further propelling this historic transition, the central challenge of the 21 century will be how to make both URBANIZATION and globalization work for the benefit of all human kind, instead of leaving billions behind. world cities will be especially influential in shaping the development of the global economy. Technological advances and easy access to information will enable cities to create more efficient ways of production, while capitalizing on the cheapest sources of materials. URBANIZATION in a "Globalizing World" is an authoritative assessment of the three most significant forces shaping the world today. It is essential to understand that URBANIZATION, civilization and globalization are positive forces of development in the 21 century. Cities are the centers of political power and industrial might, higher education and technological innovation, artistic achievement and medical advances. They are the great markets of today, the hubs of specialization and interaction, the sources of news and information, the suppliers of services, and the providers of sports and entertainment. In short, cities are the crucibles of civilization. Cities of the future have more freedom. Greater freedom will be enjoyed by individuals and institutions because they will be networked electronically. Wired interactions will supplement face to face contacts. This will affect urban lifestyles as people can work at home, shop by computers and travel with credit cards. URBANIZATION is not evenly distributed around the globe. In western Europe, the United States, Canada, and Japan, four out of five citizens live in cities or towns. But in India and China, the figure is closer to three out of ten, but even where URBANIZATION still is low, people are moving to the towns and cities. Globalization has not been a boom to all cities, While it has brought new opportunities and wealth to some cities, it has marginalized others, the marginalized city can be found anywhere in the world, but especially in Africa. It lacks the requisite information infrastructure and is generally not able to plug into the global economy.

This article is a criticism on Bobek's Rentcapitalism Theory and on the other hand is presenting a new theory to answer the questions about rapid development of URBANIZATION in Iran. Bobek believed that urban development in Iran was the result of capital accumulation which comes from commercialization of agricultural products in cities. It seems that he overlooked the dominant role of state in the Iranian urban development. Since Land Reform in 1960' s, the relation of landlords and rural areas was interrupted therefore they could not transfer their shares from land to the cities. In the modern period, which means after the constitutional revolution, the government had access to oil incomes and established a new position. The new government has paid for infrastructure and developing projects and also other payments in the cities. In addition, it tried to commercialize capital in the cities. This theory is going to explain the mechanism of rapid development and URBANIZATION trend in Iran and the role of state in this process.

In this article the writer has discussed the following question: the necessity of establishing ideal cultural standards in the following areas: the equality of the rights of all citizens, boosting the public welfare, respecting human dignity, guarding individual freedom; observing social discipline, protecting the environment, advocating the partnership of all people in political and social issues with the aim of realizing human and sustainable development in the civil society.The writer has also touched upon the keys concepts of culture, URBANIZATION, sustainable development,discussing the relationship between them.

During the March of 2010, the archaeological survey of the Mehran Plain aiming to review the previous surveys, identifying and recording the Prehistoric sites was carried out. The main question and aim of the survey was to identify and mapping of the Prehistoric sites and to survey and analysis their distribution pattern making the suitable condition for more precise and extensive archaeological investigations. As expected, however, the prehistoric potential was great and high, as 36 sites, including open-air site, Rock- shelter and Mound were identified and recorded; of them, 15 sites were attributed to the Prehistoric times (Pre-Pottery Neolithic to the URBANIZATION Period) of which, the Initial URBANIZATION and URBANIZATION sites being discussed. Generally, 6 sites are attributed to the Initial URBANIZATION and 9 sites to the URBANIZATION Period. The undertaken investigations have revealed the strong interaction with the Prehistoric societies of the Khuzestan, Deh Luran and Mesopotamia. The settlement pattern of the sites by the Initial URBANIZATION has proved the existence of big center for the first time on the Plain. The identified sites have contains strong evidence on the mass production, craft specialization and highly-organized societies by the time. This article will introduce the sites attributed to the Initial URBANIZATION and URBANIZATION Periods, meanwhile their main characteristic, distribution pattern and function has been noticed. Finally, by studying and assessing of the identified sites, some directions and notes aiming to do more accurate investigations in the near future have proposed.

Background: Today, obesity is a key healthcare problem on a global scale including Iran. The present study aimed at determining the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Hormozgan province, Iran to propose effective healthcare programs and strategies to reduce this dilemma in future. Objectives: The current study conducted in the South of Iran aimed at exploring the prevalence of overweigh and obesity in males and females in terms of social variables affected by demographic variables such as age, gender, marital status, education level, smoking, and physical activity. Methods: In the current cross sectional, observational study, a sample of 5000 eligible males and females above 18 years old were selected based on a multi-stratified clustering sampling method. The data were collected by a researcher-made questionnaire consisting of variables such as weight, height, drug consumption, and physical activity. Statistical analysis was performed. Results: The present study findings revealed that 31. 8% of the population in Hormozgan province was overweight, while only 15. 2% were obese. The highest percentage of obesity (18. 3%) was observed among the subjects aged 35-44 years. The prevalence of obesity among females was higher in urban population. Conclusions: The current study results showed that the urban married middle-aged females had the highest rate of obesity, which requires appropriate educational planning and utilization of efficient models in the realm of females’ health.

The purpose of this study is to present "differential URBANIZATION" theory and to test it for the case of Iran within a period of 50 years (1950- 2000) for 10 statistical periods. First, the differential URBANIZATION theory was presented and then the case studies employed this theory were described. Finally, the theory was applied for analyzing the urban system of Iran. The survey of this theory for Iran showed that Irans urban system has started "URBANIZATION" phase since 1950 and has passed three stage of it up to 1975, respectively and from 1975 to 1995 it has passed two stages of the "polarization reversal" phase. Finally entered into "counter URBANIZATION" phase. The obtained results showed that totally differential URBANIZATION theory conforms to Iran's urban system trend, although it showed some differences with the urban system of Iran.