Spatial Measurement of Urban Poverty Zones in New Towns (Case Study: Hashtgerd New Town)

Nowadays, margins of mega cities, especially in developing countries tragically have become centers of poverty and large numbers of poor people gradually have been pushed aside to there. The purpose of this study is evaluation of urban poverty in New Hashtgerd for better planning and management in order to organize and empower the poor and enhance the quality of their life. Accordingly, factor analysis and various economic, social, cultural and physical indicators were used to specify poverty in Hashtgerd New Town blocks.
The results show that there are1732 blocks (%85.9 of very poor class), 141 blocks (%7) of poor, in Hashtgerd New Town. Moreover, 112 (%5.6) blocks belongs to the middle class. 25 (%1.2) blocks and 6 (%0.3) blocks are rich and very rich classes respectively. Moreover, due to construction of massive volumes of housing (Mehr housing), Hashtgerd New Town has faced with extreme segregation and dichotomy in recent years. Socio-economic status of majority of Hashtgerd New Town Population is Poor and disadvantaged. So that "very poor (85%) and poor (7%)" classes considered as the dominant classes in the Town and constituted 92% of it’s population. This disrupted the balance of the Hashtgerd and put it in an unstable and critical condition. The urban middle class normally is the largest class, while this condition has reversed in Hashtgerd New Town; the middle class is declining or virtually destroyed (5%).Also, rich and very rich classes are 1.5% in Hashtgerd New Town. There is direct relationship between poverty and low-income housing areas, and most poverty frequent and geographically centralized ereas are respectively in phases 7, 4, 3, 2 and 1.
Therefore Hashtgerd New Town has a severe social polarization or gap that clearly puts a wealthy minority versus a poor majority. Such a situation has the potential for the occurrence of urban anomalies and crime.