فصلنامه جغرافیا و پایداری محیط
پیاپی 42 (بهار 1401)

Integrated Institutionalization of Rural Development provides an effective framework for the wider interaction of worth having and being of rural institutions to implement sustainable actions in the village. This research aims to determine the effect of integrated institutionalism strategy on the dimensions of sustainable rural development. The main orientation of research is applied and quantitative research method with deductive approach of correlation descriptive type based on structural equations and survey. The analysis measure was the regional scale of the institutions development of villages in West Azerbaijan Province including the Provincial Government, the Agricultural Organization and the Housing Foundation, and the Rural Water and Sewerage Company of West Azerbaijan Province. The statistical population of the research was top and specific experts with scientific, practical and experimental backgrounds of more than five years in managerial positions and expert affairs in the institutions of region. The measurement tool is the questionnaire that convergent validity and combined reliability indicating that there is internal consistency and structural reliability. This research suggested a new institutional arrangement to improve the functioning of the rural institution. Fit indicators of structural model are desirable, so the results can be generalized to the whole statistical population. The results showed that the integrated institutionalization strategy and its fivefold have a significant positive effect on sustainable rural development. Confirming the previous models of sustainable rural development, the findings presented a new composition with new dimensions and new characteristics from the concept of integrated institutionalism, including Practice-driven, network, Governance-oriented, futuristic and value-oriented institutionalism opened to sustainable rural development. Based on an integrated institutionalism strategy, establishing close relations between the villagers and the officials in the institutions leads to exploit the village lands and improve the welfare of the villagers. Therefore, it is suggested that the authorities use the research model for sustainable rural development.

Due to the advancement of technology and facilities at the city level in recent years, large populations of people around the world have been moving towards urban life. It is estimated that by 2030, more than 60% of the world's population will have been living in an urban geographical location, so protecting the environment for sustainability in order to rapidly increase the world's urban population requires extensive knowledge of smart city initiatives. However, nowadays, city stakeholders, decision makers, planners and developers face insufficient information on the dimensions of a smart city to achieve a sustainable urban environment. The purpose of this study is to measure the acceptance of smart city as a solution to achieve urban and environmental sustainability in Julfa. The research method is descriptive-analytical and is applied in terms of purpose. The sample size is 25 IT specialists, city managers and professors of Julfa city. Cronbach's alpha and hybrid alpha were used for reliability of the questions. Structural equations were used to analyze the data using SPSS and Smart PLS software. Findings show that intelligent life has the strongest effect with a path coefficient of 0.659 (0.433), followed by intelligent environment 0.439 (0.193), intelligent mobility 0.346 (119/11). 0), smart government 0.273 (0.740), smart people 0.240 (0.058), and finally smart economy with a path coefficient of 0.189 (0.036). The results of the analyzed survey data also confirm that the identified dimensions of the smart city can be implemented to facilitate the acceptance of the smart city in Jolfa and can lead to improved urban and environmental sustainability in Jolfa.

In recent years, with the importance of the paradigm of sustainable development, the emphasis on the position of the social dimension in the field of sustainability has become doubly important. One of the basic preconditions for achieving sustainable development and one of the most basic criteria of welfare in any society is maintaining and promoting social sustainability. This study is a descriptive-survey one that studies the analysis of structural relationships of social sustainability considering four dimensions based on DFID theoretical foundations and good governance with eight dimensions of UNPD. This research is a survey in terms of practical purpose and the way of collecting data. The statistical population of the study were the heads of rural households in Kashan (N = 364482) which was calculated using the Krejcie-Morgan table, the statistical sample size of 379 people. In order to obtain samples in this study, multi-stage sampling method was used. The obtained Cronbach's alpha value is 0.75 for good governance indicators and 0.72 for social sustainability indicators. SPSS software version 24 and AMOS software were applied for data analysis. Based on the results, the components of good governance and social sustainability with an average of 3.120 and 2.780 in the villages of Kashan, respectively, have been evaluated as average and lower than the desired level, respectively; it had a good fit (RMSEA = 0/022) between the components of good governance and social stability. According to the research findings, improving the indicators of legality, transparency, accountability, efficiency and effectiveness, participation, consensus, justice and accountability are effective in developing the components of social sustainability.

Marni Formations have little vegetation in most arid and semi-arid regions due to special physical and chemical properties. The establishment of coverage on them faced several limitations. To properly understand the state of ecosystems in arid and semi-arid regions, it is necessary to understand the dynamic relationship between vegetation and soil. The aim of this study is to identify the established plant species and to investigate the interactive effects of physical-chemical characteristics of erosion-sensitive marl and rangeland vegetation in marl formations in three regions (Taroud Roads, Bakran and Riabad) of Shahroud city; so that after delimiting the marl lands on topographic maps and using geological maps, soil sampling was performed to determine the characteristics and to measure the vegetation canopy. Moderate erodibility in Marni formations in three areas, Taroud Roads, Bakran and Riabad, was done using BLM model. The results show that in general, the erosion status by BLM method in Bakran region with the highest percentage of vegetation is in the lower class and in the area of Taroud Roads and Riabad is in the middle class. The results of correlation between physicochemical indices of soil and vegetation showed that the canopy factor was related to soil factors including gypsum percentage (CaSo4) and clay percentage at 99% and 95% confidence levels, respectively affecting each other. Clay in marl soil of Shahroud city is one of the most important factors that play an important role in the establishment of vegetation. The important point is that in all three regions, there is an abundance and predominant species of Artemisia plain and, without a doubt, this rangeland species can be considered as the most compatible plant species in the areas covered by marl formations.

Having sustainable human capital leads to the adoption of strategies which make rural families resilient to risks, especially drought. The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of human capital in climate drought management in rural areas of Kermanshah. The present study is an applied research in terms of purpose (type of use), and the method used in this research is a descriptive-analytical method. The statistical population of the study, including all experts related to the subject of research in Kermanshah, is made of 120 people. The sample size was selected for 120 experts based on the total census. Data collection tools include two questionnaires of human capital and drought management. Moreover, the human capital index has sub-indicators that include (expertise, skills and knowledge). The validity of the questionnaire was formal, which was confirmed by university professors, and the total reliability of the questionnaire, based on Cronbach's alpha, was 0.84 and was proven. The collected data were analyzed based on the path analysis of structural equations. The results showed that human capital in general is effective in drought management. Among these, human capital sub-variables, which include knowledge, skills and expertise have also affected drought management, so that knowledge on drought management with an impact factor of 0/26 and a significant value of 0/002, drought management skills with an impact factor of 0/34 and a significance of 0/000, and specialization with an impact factor of 0/49 and a significance of 0/000, have affected drought management. Among these, expertise had the highest impact, while knowledge had the least impact.

Landslides are one of the most important environmental hazards to be considered in the Harris Plain area. The phenomenon of subsidence in recent decades has created many problems for agricultural lands, residential areas, roads and water supply canals in some parts of the country. In order to analyze the time series of surface displacement, a short baseline algorithm called SBAS was used. Subsidence time series analysis was performed using 6 interferograms calculated from 21 radar images of Sentinel1 satellite over a period of 4 years (2016-2019). It is an optimal attenuation factor that reduces atmospheric noise, phase recovery error, and orbital effects; in other words, it reduced atmospheric effects using the atmospheric model to optimally maintain nonlinear signals. The results of the time series analysis showed that the region is continuously subsiding. PSI method was also applied to estimate subsidence and compare it with SBAS method, which showed the superiority of SBAS method with PSI method in this study. In this research, using land radar images of Sentinel 1 and also images of Sentinel 2, the land subsidence in Harris plain has been estimated. The land uses in the plain were extracted from Sentinel 2 images and adapted to the results of radar images to investigate the relationship between land subsidence and each of the land uses in the Harris Plain. The results of two methods of estimating land subsidence showed the amount of land displacement (0 to 15) cm per year. The results of depth analysis of piezometric wells also show a strong relationship between subsidence and the depth of water wells in the region.

The activity of Sericulture and its ability to develop this industry, its roots in Persian culture and civilization, and the need to maintain and continue it by relying on the development of new silkworm breeding techniques to improve the living conditions of rural residents are of great importance. The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of Sericulture activities on improving the sustainable livelihoods of rural households in Ramyan County. The data collection tool is a researcher-made questionnaire that has been validated by experts and professors. 103 households involved in Ramyan Sericulture activity make up this study's statistical population. To determine the reliability of the research variables, Cronbach's alpha coefficients in the range of 0.7 to 0.83 were determined. The data were analyzed using the sum of the mean scores, standard deviation, and coefficient of variation, Friedman statistical tests, and Chi-square and Spearman correlation coefficients with SPSS software. The map was generated using ArcGIS software. At 99% confidence level, Sericulture activities improve the sustainable livelihood capital of rural households, and employment in Sericulture businesses has significant effects on economic, social, physical, human, and natural capital. The share of human capital with an average rating of 3.17 is higher than that of other capitals. In addition, the change in subsistence capital ranges from 3.10 to 3.17, with an average of 3.13. In light of this, it can be concluded that the development of Sericulture activity is dependent on the changes that occur in subsistence capital. Sericulture is a combination of agriculture, animal husbandry and textile industry. In order for the sericulture industry to be successful, the stakeholders of the silk value chain must have access to experienced and skilled manpower. The development and expansion of nomadic activity can be said to improve the sustainable livelihood of rural families and the sustainability of the population in rural areas by creating rural employment, particularly for women, enhancing rural green spaces and supporting the environment.