سید رضا آزاده

Today, in many countries of the world, environmental issues are very important for researchers. In this field, the spatial expansion of urban heat islands is one of the most important environmental issues. Urban heat islands are formed due to the growth of human activities and the dominance of artificial environments on the natural environments. The main purpose of this research was spatial analysis and identification of urban heat islands in Rasht metropolitan. In this regard, four main indicators (Density of land use, Green Infrastructure, Transportation, and Urban density) were selected. Environmental studies, Google Earth software, the master plan of Rasht, and the questionnaire method were used to collect information. The pairwise comparison method was used to investigate the relative weight of the indicators. For data analysis, the Arc Map software used spatial analysis tools such as point density, line density, kernel density, interpolation, Euclidean distance, and Zonal Statistic model. Results showed that the transportation index with a coefficient of 0.44 was more important than other indices in the formation of urban heat islands. The index of the land use density with a comparative weight of 0.341 was the second most important index. The indicators of urban density and natural infrastructure were the third and fourth most important indicators. According to the results obtained from the overlaying of the indicators, the center of urban heat islands was identified in Bagharabad, Chelekhane and Bazar neighborhoods. Spatial analysis showed that the spatial expansion of urban heat island is towards the western neighborhoods of Rasht such as Pirsera and Ziabri. According to the results of the research, in 26% of the Rasht area, the possibility of the formation of urban heat islands was high and very high. Also, in 48 percent of the neighborhoods of Rasht city, in other words, 26 out of 55 neighborhoods of the city the intensity of urban heat islands was high and very high. Therefore, managers and city officials must pay more attention to this issue in planning for the future of Rasht City and adopt policies that reduce the negative effects and consequences of this issue.

As an important subjects in the urban studies, an issue that has been less addressed in Iran so far, is the relationship between the physical quality of citizens' living environment and mental disorders. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between physical quality indices of urban neighborhoods and mental disorders in Isfahan metropolis. This study was performed on 434 citizens of Isfahan. The assessment of mental disorders was performed with SCL-90 questionnaire. The quality of people's living environment was assessed in five dimensions (natural conditions, quality of public open spaces, street conditions, environmental pollution and local services) with a researcher-made questionnaire. Data analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient and Ordinal Logistic Regression. Results showed, the mean score of the Global Severity Index was 1.29. In the correlation analysis, a significant relationship was seen between mental disorders and physical characteristics (P <0.001). The results of OLR showed that 15 indicators (local parks, quality of sidewalks, walking capacity, diversity of vegetation, street safety, sitting and pause spaces, street lighting at night, cleanliness of the environment, no noise pollution, smooth traffic on the surface Neighborhoods, water spaces, diversity of plants, trees and flowers, access to recreational facilities, access to public transportation and access to local shopping malls) have the greatest impact on mental disorders. The correlation between mental disorders and the physical quality of urban neighborhoods means the integration of health considerations and urban planning principles to reduce the negative effects of residential environments on mental disorders.

An essential condition for urban communities is the he high level of quality and vitality of urban spaces, in a way that it allows people to enjoy social interactions. In fact, the vitality of urban spaces develops the social health of citizens. Urban art as a representative of art arising from the interior, context, and texture of any community and its people tries to merge art with the present life of people and insert aesthetics into the context of their lives. This kind of art tries to raise the attraction of urban life. As an influential and precious means, urban art has an important role in the quality of public spaces. The artistic elements that exist in urban spaces can be effective in the presence or absence of citizens in urban spaces. In fact, to determine the quality of a place, urban art should be consistent with that place and defined for that context. Unfortunately, despite having enough knowledge about the profits and advantages of the existence of urban arts in urban spaces, such works aren’t seen in our country and there is lack of interaction with users of urban spaces with them. In the present project, to study the role of urban arts in improving the vitality of public spaces, the central sidewalk of Rasht was chosen as a case study.

The present study mainly aims to investigate the role of cultural and artistic factors in the vitality of public spaces with a case study of Rasht Municipality sidewalk from the citizens’ point of view. To do this, 22 factors in the field of urban arts were identified based on the study of theoretical foundations and research background. Then, based on these factors, the research questionnaire was designed. In this questionnaire, the respondents were asked to estimate the status of these factors in the cultural sidewalk complex of Rasht in the form of Likert scale (1 = very inappropriate, 2 = inappropriate, 3 = moderate, 4 = appropriate, 5 = very appropriate).In the present study, the statistical population was the citizens who were on the sidewalk of Rasht Municipality. To determine the sample size of the study Cochran formula was applied. Since there was no exact statistical information about the statistical population of the study, the size of the population was considered to be unlimited. In Cochran formula, the sample size with the rise of population size will be a maximum of 384. Overall, 400 questionnaires were distributed among the citizens who were on the cultural sidewalk of Rasht Municipality. Then, among the collected questionnaires, 374 of them were complete and accurate which their information was entered SPSS software.In the present study, in order to measure and analyze the data, the statistical tests in SPSS software were applied. In the descriptive findings section, using one sample t-test, the status of urban arts factors in the study area was evaluated. To determine the most effective factors in the vitality of the cultural sidewalk of Rasht Municipality, exploratory factor analysis was applied.

22 factors were studied in the present study, out of which, the factor of night lighting art gained first place with an average score of 3.36. The creative design of sculptures and decorative volumes gained the second place with an average score of 3.26. Factors of historical monuments, painting, and arrangement of decorative elements of buildings, the beauty of the facades of buildings, and waterfront design with average scores of 3.18, 3.09, 3.06 and 2.93 gained third to sixth places, respectively. Based on the results of the present study, the status of eight factors such as traditional plays, theater and street plays, artistic elements, and murals with an average score of less than 1.8 was very inappropriate. Six other factors were placed in inappropriate status. In this regard, factors such as street music, festivals and public carnivals, and beauty in environmental advertising and special and unique buildings can be mentioned. Eventually, only three elements including creative design of sculptures and decorative volumes, waterfront design, and the art of night lighting were placed in an appropriate status.The results of factor analysis indicated that the 22 studied factors were summarized in three factors. The first factor with seven subsets including artistic elements, historical monuments, and creative design of green spaces, painting and arrangement of decorative elements of buildings, creative design of sculptures and decorative volumes, waterfront design and special and unique buildings with a percentage of variance 38.18% has the greatest effect on the vitality of Rasht Municipality sidewalks. These indicators mainly refer to physical elements in the study area. Hence, they are introduced as "artistic elements". Having a percentage of variance of 38.18%, the second factor with three subsets including traditional plays, street theater, street music and festivals and public carnivals with a percentage of variance of 38.18% is considered as the second effective factor on the vitality of the sidewalk of Rasht Municipality. These factors are related to the activities done in the study area. Hence, they are introduced as "artistic and theatrical activities". Eventually, the third factor gains the third place with four subsets including visual and artistic attractions in space, digital paintings and visual arts, mosaics and fresco and murals with a percentage of variance of 15.22%. The third group of factors that is derived from factor analysis refers to graphic arts. Hence, they are introduced as "environmental graphics". Overall, it can be said that out of 22 studied factors, 15 main factors in the field of achievement of urban arts on the sidewalk of Rasht Municipality were identified.

Collective and public arenas in the city are considered as a platform for the achievement of urban arts. The spaces that promote vitality are both movement and pause, and in fact urban life can be shown in these spaces. In order to be influential in developing the quality and vitality of that environment, urban art must be defined and demonstrated based on the context and place in which it is formed. In the cultural sidewalk of Rasht, the attractiveness of the studied sidewalk can be increased by designing special and unique buildings, creative design of green space, designing artistic elements and, in fact, by focusing on artistic elements. This attraction makes more use of space and increases the tourism potential and vitality of this space. On the other hand, performing artistic activities such as traditional and indigenous plays, organizing music and street theaters, and celebrating public festivals and carnivals, become a platform for human and social activities and enhance the vitality of the space.

the main purpose of this study was to investigate the utility of housing in residential complexes in Rasht, and also to identify executive priorities to improve the desirability of residential complexes. In this context, seven residential complexes were selected for the study. The method of this research is descriptive-analytical. A questionnaire method was used to gather information. Statistical society of the study were resident households in residential complexes. In this regard, 1000 questionnaires were distributed in seven residential complexes. For data analysis, average scores comparison method, Shannon entropy model, two-dimensional analysis method and also confirmatory factor analysis method were used. In this study, 47 factors were investigated. The conclusion of the residents' opinions of the seven residential complexes studied in the metropolis of Rasht, showed that the situations of 51% of the factors are at "undesirable" and "very undesirable" level. The results of confirmatory factor analysis showed that physical factors in the internal dimension of housing with a variance of 77.22%, have the greatest impact and importance on the desirability of residential complexes.

Nowadays, the lack of attachment is a significant point in the construction of towns, which is demonstrated with criteria such as lack of environmental attraction and visual qualities, lack of readability, security, and so on. These factors will affect peoplechr('39')s relationship with the environment around them and thus their satisfaction. Golha Town faces numerous problems including lack of space for gatherings, lack of security and space confusion, inadequacy of appearance of the newly constructed buildings in relation to older monuments, and most importantly the existence of empty and unused land. The method used in this research is combinational including a set of descriptive-analytical methods. Data collection is performed using field and documentary methods. The statistical sample of the study was considered to be 384 people, based on the population of Rasht city. By distributing 420 questionnaires, 386 correct questionnaires were answered and returned. Analysis of questionnaires was performed by SPSS software. Measurement of selectivity, permeability and readability was also accomplished using the space syntax method and integration and connectivity analysis on the road adjacent to Golha town. The results showed that the impact of criteria such as readability, security and permeability was moderate. Visual proportions, elemental functions and access have a great effect on increasing the satisfaction of residents. As a result, the use of architectural patterns, considering pausing and moving spaces, creation of management applications, prevention of mass construction and indoor parks, are among the solutions to create the desired increase in satisfaction.

There are growing concerns worldwide about the interdependencies between city life and mental well-being. Perceived stress is a mental disorder induced by urbanization. Today, the quality of the environment that is built and the neighborhood in which residents live is recognized as the main source of stress. In addition, recent research in the context of psychology suggests that urban life is stressful.The main purpose of this research is to evaluate the relationship between neighborhood quality and perceived stress. For that purpose, two neighborhoods in the city of Isfahan, Iran are selected.

Theoretical Framework:

Perceived stress is affected by numerous factors such as individual characteristics, lifestyles, life events, and job variables. The physical quality of the built environment is a factor which is generally underestimated (Beil & Hanes, 2013). Green space is a physical quality of the built environment which affects mental health, and decreases residents’ stress (Roe et al., 2013; Wolch et al., 2014). Another environmental variable which affects the mental health of residents is the transportation pattern. The walkability and bikeability of a neighborhood is strongly correlated with the residents’ mental health (Nieuwenhuijsen et al., 2016). There is a great deal of evidence that the accessibility of a walking or bicycling route is significantly effective on the general health of residents (Frank & Engelke, 2001). In addition, availability of public spaces is another variable of physical quality which affects residents’ mental health (Knöll et al., 2018). Public spaces provide opportunities for residents to interact with each other. On the other hand, the increase in interaction among residents leads to a rise in their confidence, and, eventually, improves the physiological capability of residents when confronted with changes. Finally, appropriate physiological reactions decrease stress.A variable which can be considered here is environmental security. Studies have demonstrated that the violence present in urban communities and residential neighborhoods threatens mental health, and deeply affects psychological behavior (Clark et al., 2008). Moreover, another variable of environment quality is environmental comfort. For instance, living in neighborhoods which are highly polluted, whether with noise or light pollution, influences the sleep quality of residents, and eventually increases stress. In addition, non-standard houses with improper cooling or heating systems can influence the variables of mental health (Hale et al., 2013). The conceptual model of this paper expresses the relationship between the built environment variable and the mental health variable. In this model, environment beauty, functional attraction, physical form, and environmental comfort indicate the quality of the built environment as independent variables. Moreover, perceived stress is evaluated as a dependent variable from the viewpoint of mental health.

In this study, two questionnaires were used. One is the researcher-made questionnaire of built environment quality, and the other is the perceived stress scale (PSS-14). Two neighborhoods were selected for the study. The survey was conducted via face-to-face structured interviews, and yielded a total of 434 valid samples. Then, 203 individuals in the Moftabad neighborhood and 231 in the Mardavij neighborhood filled out the questionnaires as participants. The data has been analysed using normal and partial correlation coefficients and linear regression.

The descriptive statistics on the dependent and independent variables in the examined neighborhoods were compared. Moftabad and Mardavij scored 0.78 and 2.98 in average on environmental beauty. The functional attraction in Moftabad and Mardavij was 0.77 and 2.81, respectively. The median scores on the variables of physical form and environmental comfort were 0.71 and 1.58 in Moftabad and 2.94 and 2.92 in Mardavij. In fact, all the environmental variables were scored on significantly lower by the Moftabad neighborhood than by Mardavij. The total scores on built environment quality were 0.96 in Moftabad and 2.91 in Mardavij. According to the results, it is concluded that the dependent variable, i.e. the level of perceived stress, is higher in the Moftabad neighborhood than in the Mardavij neighborhood. The median scores of stress are 2.07 in Moftabad and 1.04 in Mardavij.The findings indicate significant inverse relationships between the independent and dependent variables of the research. When the control variables are considered, however, the relationship is preserved, but its intensity decreases.Based on the results, the significance level of F-statistic is 0.000 in all the three models. This finding, which is obtained through regression analysis and analysis of variance, indicates that the conceptual model of the research is well-fitted. In Moftabad, two variables (environmental beauty and environmental comfort) are capable of predicting the changes in the dependent variable. In this case, the standard coefficients of the above variables are -0.537 and -0.181, respectively. These statistics mean that environmental beauty predicts 53.7%, and environmental comfort predicts 18.1% of the changes in perceived stress in Moftabad. In the Mardavij neighborhood, environmental beauty, functional attraction, and environmental comfort exhibit the highest capability of predicting the dependent variable. They predict 22.6%, 28.9%, and 14.3% of the changes in perceived stress, respectively. Moreover, in the proposed model for the full sample, environmental beauty, functional attraction, and environmental comfort predict 45.9%, 26.8%, and 24.4% of the changes in perceived stress, respectively.In the second phase of modeling the changes in the dependent variable, the relationship between the built environment quality, i.e. the independent variable, and perceived stress, i.e. the dependent variable, was evaluated. Moreover, three models were proposed in this phase. According to the obtained results, ANOVA provides one significant F-statistic for each of the three models. The adjusted R-squared of the proposed model is greater in Moftabad than in the Mardavij neighborhood. On that basis, it can be stated that the effect of the built environment on stress is more in Moftabad residents than those of the Mardavij neighborhood. Based on the standard coefficient (Beta), the built environment quality of Moftabad predicts 67% of the changes in perceived stress, while the value of this variable in Mardavij is 46.4%. Finally, the built environment quality determines 78.3% of the changes in perceived stress in the full sample.

The results of the present study introduced new aspects of the environmental factors effective on perceived stress. The main finding is that cities serve as powerful forces today in shaping the mental health of citizens. Therefore, treatment of mental disorders requires an interdisciplinary approach. In other words, the living environments of individuals, along with many personal, social, economic, personality, and family issues, are the major sources of mental disorders. To treat mental disorders, therefore, psychologists should interact with urban planners. Lastly, we conducted this research in one Iranian city, i.e. Isfahan. Researchers studying other cities and countries may report different results. The conclusion agreed on by all researchers, however, is that the relationship between urban planning and psychologists should be enhanced more than ever before to reduce the negative impacts of urban neighborhoods on mental disorders.

The main purpose of this research is qualitative study and modeling the effects of physical structure of urban neighborhoods on mental disorders of citizens. In this research, content analysis method was used. The statistical population of the study was families that living in Moftabad and Mardavij neighborhoods. Based on this, people were selected as the sample who have diversity in terms of living environment. Also, the condition for entering the study was to be over 20 years old, to have lived in the desired neighborhood for at least 3 years, and not to have acute mental disorders. Based on this, 60 people were selected as the sample size. The content analysis method used for this study that included determine and extract the analysis unit, coding the analysis units, summarize and reduce data, use the categorization system, and analyze and report research results Based on the results of the research, the six main variables for the physical structure of urban neighborhoods were extracted such as natural environmental conditions (diversity of vegetation, water spaces and environment temperature), environmental pollution (noise pollution and unhealthy urban environment), streets conditions (walking ability, street lighting at night, smooth traffic in the neighborhood), public spaces (Local Park, urban furniture, sitting spaces in front of the residential complex), local services (local market and retail stores), and urban landscape and image (Environmental readability, proper application of paint in the environment).

The aim of this stuy was to investigate the situation of Rasht metropolis in terms of urban cycling and prioritization of optimal routes for designing cycling routes. The type of research was descriptive-analytical through survey method. The statistical population of the study included the citizens present in the cycling route of Gil Square in Rasht. Using Cochran's equation, 384 people were determined as the sample size. The research instrument was a researcher made questionnaire and its reliability was confirmed by using Cronbach's alpha test with a coefficient of 0.74. SWOT analytical model and QSPM matrix, hierarchical analysis (AHP) were also used to analyze the data. The innovation of the present study is in using the opinions of citizens and proposing optimal cycling routes on the same basis, with respect to rankings. According to the research findings, 52.33% of the research sample preferred to use bicycles and 36.33% preferred buses for city trips. An examination of the status of the current cycling route showed that citizens do not choose the current two-kilometer route, despite their high desire for cycling. More than 60% of the respondents have expressed their desire to use the bike path from Gil Square to Mosalla Square at low and very low levels. SWOT matrix analysis showed that the best strategies for upgrading the urban cycling system in Rasht are offensive strategies, especially the design of new cycling routes. In this regard, using the AHP model, the optimal range for this strategy was suggested.

Informal settlement is largely rooted in migration, particularly influenced by parameters such as poverty, lack of expertise and specialization, type of occupation, cultural conflict, illiteracy, ethnic and cultural identity. Most of the residents of these areas are forced to live in ghettos and slums due to factors such as lack of access to jobs in the city coupled with poverty and lack of specialization. Heterogeneous and dispersed constructions without observance of technical principles and urban planning with narrow, meandering alleys, running sewage in the alleys and unsavory sanitary condition are among the adverse consequences of informal settlement. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to investigate the key factors affecting rural migration with emphasis on the issue of informal settlement in Shirabad neighborhood of Zahedan.

The research method is descriptive-analytical and data collection was conducted by a survey. In the first step of the research, a list of primary factors involved in the spread of migration to informal settlements was identified as research variables using existing documents and previous researches. The variables were analyzed based on two local communities (all heads of households in Shirabad neighborhood) and expert questionnaires. Descriptive statistics and exploratory factor analysis in SPSS software as well as cross-impact analysis model in MicMac software were used for the analysis of data.

The results suggested that four key factors of drought and lack of water resources, reduced productivity and devaluation of the agricultural sector, inappropriate infrastructure in rural areas and wage gap between rural and urban areas play a key role in shaping rural migration and intensifying informal settlement.

In the present world and with the development of cities and urbanization, citizens’ mental health is at risk. In other words, rapid growth of the cities can be considered as one of the threats to the environment which influence the residents of the cities i.e. humans by devastating effects on their soul and body. Studies have shown that the quality of the constructed life environments and urban neighborhoods affects the citizens’ mental health. If we accept that the quality of the constructed environments affects the mental health, in this physical environment housing plays an important role in the indicators of mental health, because people spend much of their time at home and their residential environment. With this approach, this research is mainly aimed at investigating the mutual relationship of different patterns of residential densities on the indicators of the citizens’ mental health in Mardavich neighborhood, Isfahan.

The main goal of this research is investigating the mutual relationship between quantitative indicators of housing and the citizens’ mental health. In this regards, independent variables include different types of housing patterns, household density in the residential unit, and density of peoples living in a room. Depression and perceived stress are dependant variables of the research. For measuring people’s stress, perceived stress scale by Cohen et al. (1983) was used and for measuring depression, the second edition of depression questionnaire by Beck et al. (BDI-II) was used. The research population includes the households living in Mardavich neighborhood. Regarding the fact that no precise statistics were available, for filling the questionnaires, 250 questionnaires were distributed among the households and at the end, 231 correctly filled questionnaires were gathered.

One of the independent variables of the research is housing pattern. In this research, the respondents’ homes were analyzed in three classes including house, apartment, and high-rise residential complexes. The results showed that the average depression and perceived stress in houses and apartments are much lower than high-rise residential complexes. Statistically, there is an almost strong relationship between different housing patterns and mental health indicators. The second independent variable of the research is building density. The results of the present research showed that with the increase of building density, the average scores of depression and perceived stress also increase. Statistically, building density has a relationship with the variable of depression with the correlation coefficient of 0.518 and also, it has a relationship with perceived stress with the correlation coefficient of 0.464. The other independent variable of the research is the per capita residential land. The results of the present research showed that there is a negative relationship between the per capita housing and mental health indicators. Actually, with the increase of per capita housing and allocation of more land area to every individual, stress and depression will be decreased. Statistically, the correlations between the indicator of per capita housing and the dependant variables i.e. depression and perceived stress are respectively equal to 0.447 and 0.373. The forth independent variable of the research is the density of people living in a room. According to the obtained results, with the increase of people density in a room, depression and perceived stress will also increase. Statistically, people density in a room has a significant and positive relationship with depression and perceived stress with the respective correlation coefficients of 0.405 and 0.380. In the following, for investigating the fact that which of the independent variables has a stronger effect on perceived stress and depression, modeling of the changes of depression and perceived stress levels is done based on quantitative indicators of housing by stepwise linear regression. According to the results, significance level of F statistics for the indicators of perceived stress and depression is equal to 0.000 in the proposed models. This finding which is the result of regression analysis by variance analysis suggests that the research conceptual model has an appropriate goodness of fit. The results of perceived stress showed that for the changes of this indicator, we can propose a model based on the indicator of building density. It means that of the four independent variables, building density has the strongest effect on perceived stress. Finally based on the proposed model, building density can predict 47 percent of the changes of this indicator. According to the proposed models, the two indicators of building density and people density in a room are introduced as the predictive indicators of the variable of depression. Actually, the results of stepwise linear regression analysis for the variable of depression showed that two models can be proposed for the changes of this variable. In the first model, building density is the only predictive indicator which predicts 51.9 percent of the changes of depression. In the second model, the two indicators of building density and people density in room can respectively predict 42.6 and 16.7 percent of the changes of depression. Conclusion In general, it can be stated that all the independent variables of the research i.e. the quantitative indicators of housing have a significant relationship with mental health indicators i.e. depression and perceived stress. So, this research hypothesis which is consistent with many other works is approved and it suggests that there is a significant relationship between quantitative indicators of housing and mental health indicators. Therefore, by improving the quantitative indicators of housing, people’s mental health can be improved. This fact suggests that the communication between housing planning experts and psychologists should be strengthened more than the past in order to be able to control the negative effect of increased density on mental health indicators.

The main goal of this research is to measure the quality of services in the Rasht city BRT from the citizen's point of view. In this regard, the research with respect to goal is practical and with respect to method is descriptive-analytical. A questionnaire technique was used to collect information. In this regard, 400 questionnaires were distributed, and in which 389 complete and error-free questionnaires were collected. After collecting questionnaires, the data were entered into SPSS software and analyzed by using statistical tests (one sample t test, factor analysis, and Cramer's V test). The results of the survey showed that out of the 389 respondents, 178 people (45.8%) evaluated the overall quality and efficiency of the BRT system in Rasht city at a moderate level and also 99 respondents (25.4%) evaluated the quality and efficiency of the BRT system in Rasht city at a desirable level. The average quality and overall efficiency score of the BRT system in Rasht city has been 2.87 out of the citizen's idea. The results of one-sample t-test indicate that there is a significant difference between the mean quality variable and overall efficiency of the BRT system in Rasht city with the test statistic. Based on the results of factors analyzes, 17 studied indicators are summarized in three factors. Based on the extracted factors, the first factor has the greatest impact on health and safety. The second factor has been the load factor on bus working hours, waiting time, cost of payment, total number of buses and distance between bus stations indicators. Finally, the third factor has its impact on cleanliness of buses, cooling system, heating system and the number of seats on buses. Using v Kramer test showed that there is a meaningful relationship between the five independent variables age variables, type of occupation and personal car ownership with dependent variable (quality and overall efficiency of BRT system in Rasht).

The main purpose of this research is investigation of tourism Spaces of Yazd in terms of internal and external tourists. In fact the main hypothesis of the research is that the quality of tourism in the city of Yazd is average. For this investigation, 14 indicators (Accessibility, Possibility to stop the car, Distance from main roads, Distance from terminals, Distance from hotel and accommodation, Appropriate lighting, Readability of space, vitality of the tourism space, Supply and distribution of handicrafts, Advertising and the introduction of spaces, A suitable space for children's play, Great place to relax, Distance to the main shopping and shopping malls and Diversity) and 15 tourism attractions were selected. In the next step, with using questionnaire techniques the status of tourism in the case study was evaluated based on the indicators. Therefore, 400 questionnaires were distributed among tourists and and 390 completed questionnaires without error were collected. Finally, using SPSS software and statistical tests (One-sample t-test) collected data, were analyzed. The results showed that the total of 14 indicators studied, the index of supply and distribution of handicrafts in tourism spaces with a mean of 4.60 is in the first rank. Also the vitality index tourist areas with the lowest average (1.84) is allocated to the fourth rank and can be said the quality of tourism in Yazd in terms of the mentioned index is undesirable. Based on research results and calculations the final score and the average quality of tourism services provided in Yazd is equal to 10/3 Which shows the quality of tourism services in the city of Yazd is moderate. Based on research results about five indicators (Distance from the main roads, Readability of space, Advertising and the introduction of spaces, Great place to relax, distance to the main shopping and shopping malls) the level of significance was more than 0.05, which can be said in relation to these indicators, the research hypothesis (the quality of tourism in the city of Yazd is average) Confirmed. Studies show that despite great potential in tourism in the Yazd City, there have been few good practices. While, Tourism development can be considered as a city development strategy

The main purpose of this research is to evaluate the quality of the Housem neighborhood in Rudsar based on the components of the sustainable city. The first step of the method, after studying of theoretical foundations and research literature, indicators and indicators that affect the utility of urban pedestrians have been identified. In the second stage, using these questionnaires and analytical hierarchy process, these indicators are weighted and prioritized. In the third stage, using field studies and completing a questionnaire from residents of Housem neighborhood, the status of the neighborhood is assessed in terms of the desired indicators (in the form of a questionnaire and Likert scale). The results of the evaluations carried out on the significance of the four dimensions of the study in the research showed that the social dimension with relative weight of 0/399 is more important than the other dimensions in the level of urban neighborhoods. The results of the research on the status of the neighborhood in terms of four social, physical, environmental and economic criteria indicate that the social standard with an average of 2/578 and a relative score of 0/263 are in the first place. But according to the Likert spectrum, the level of neighborhood sustainability is moderately low based on this indicator, which is the highest ranked indicator than the other indicators. It shows that the level of sustainability of the neighborhood is at a weak and very weak level.

Stress is one of the most important mental disorders. The issue, which has been ignored so far, is the impact of the built environment on mental health indices.

The main objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between housing quality indices and citizens' mental health in a case study of MoftAbad and Mardavij neighborhoods of Isfahan city.

descriptive-analytic method together with Pearson correlation coefficient and linear regression methods used in this research. Independent variables are qualitative variables of housing that, have been studied in both internal and external dimensions. 8 indices in the internal dimension and 12 others in the external dimension of housing were selected for this study. The dependent variable of the research is perceived stress. To measure stress, the standard perceived stress scale of Cohen et al. (1983) was used which has 14 questions.

The results of the research showed that in the mentioned neighborhoods as well as in the whole sample, all independent variables have a significant and inverse relationship with the dependent variable of the research, that is, perceived stress. Finally, it was found that the quality of the internal environment in the neighborhoods of MoftAbad and Mardavij, with the intensity of -0.671 and -0.656 respectively, has a significant relationship with perceived stress and the quality of the external environment in relation with perceived stress in MoftAbad and Mardavij neighborhoods is -0.665 and -0.675 respectively. The results of regression analysis showed generally that variables such as interior design and architecture, indoor green space, received natural light, building quality, diversity of green spaces, inappropriate use of color in space, pavement flooring, and the possibility of pedestrianism, the quality of public spaces, environmental cleanliness and environmental security have the most impact on the stress level of urban residents.

Today, in the literature of planning and urban design, Focus on small-scale urban in the military hierarchy of Urban divisions as the most important residential scale has been Special attention. In this case, attention to the Iranian and Islamic values had a decisive role in the type of elements, attributes, quality of relationships, the way formation and the identity of the neighborhood and the city. In this case, present research evaluates the features designed in the neighborhoods with the help of indexes that derived from the principles of the Islamic religion. To achieve this aim, two neighborhoods (Juybareh as an old neighborhoods and Negin town as a new neighborhoods) was selected in Isfahan. Then the residential neighborhood design indicators based on the principles of Islam religion was extracted. In this regard, 25 indicators in the three aspects (Physical, Social and Economical) were selected. In the next step, using the questionnaire technique and field studies, the research data were collected. In the next step, the collected data was entered into SPSS software. Finally, the Situation of two neighborhoods, according to the Islamic community design indicators through using two-sample t-test were compared. The results of statistical analyzes indicate that the mean of the two groups in the two neighborhoods studied has a significant difference in 20 indexes and also the average of the indicators in the neighborhood of Juybareh is much higher than Negin town. Respectively, the largest difference between the two studied areas is in the social, physical and economic sectors. The important point is that in the economic sector have very little difference between the two neighborhoods.

In this study with the purpose of assessing the status of urban walking vitality and with the survey research, Alam-al-Hoda pedestrian walkway of Rasht is studied. In this regard, the conceptual model of research with four criteria (land use and activity, physical, access and connection and environmental and climatic) and 16 indexes were considered. Then, these criteria are evaluated through questionnaires and by the Likert frame and the questionnaires are completed by 380 users of Alam-al-Hoda pedestrian walkway. Based on the analysis of questionnaires, about the land use and activity Criterion, the index of diversity of people activities in the pedestrian walkway with an average of 2.8 and in the physical Criterion, urban furniture with the average of 2.6 are gained the lowest average of each criteria. Also in the access and connection Criterion, the index of movement fluency on the streets around the pedestrian walkway with the average of 2.5 and in the climatic and environmental Criterion, climatic comfort with the average of 2 have the lowest levels of satisfaction in the people's thought. Then according to the swot table, Mini-Mini Strategy, Maxi – Maxi Strategy, Maxi – Mini Strategy and Mini – Maxi Strategy are presented and scoring and ranking of strategies are done with the AHP technique.

The field of natural hazards research has a rich history in geography, appropriately so because it involves conflicts between physical processes and human systems. Natural events occur without direct human effect and endanger his social life. Events that enforce average annual up to 150000 human damages and more than 140 milliard dollars financial damages on counties and especially developing countries. Among all the natural disasters, the earthquake is one of the most serious ones. It brings tremendous economic losses and deaths of people, as well as the enormous effects on the harmonious and continuous development of society. Iran is an event ism country in the world. In this field look at the recent decades earthquakes statistics that reveal average once in every five years.
Gilan province is located in south western of Caspian Sea in mountainous area of Talesh and central Alborz range that endure many earthquakes up today. The most ancient earthquake ever occurred in this area refers to Marlik civilization which is located near Rudbar – Rostam Abad. One of the recent earthquake in the 20th century in this area is Rudbar earthquake in 21 Jun 1990 with magnitude Ms = 7.7 Richter that caused many destruction. In one hand according to complex tectonic of central Alborz and in the other hand locating Gilan in the south west of Caspian sea that demonstrate many seismic activities, it illustrates as a result that this area is one of the active high potential seismic area of Iran.
The current study is aimed at investigating the earthquake vulnerability of rural and urban settlements of Gilan province. To this end, Euclidean distant analysis and raster overlay have been conducted in GIS. To run the procedure, the first step is to calculate distance (pixels in 86 m dimension) between province and active and inactive fault line based on Euclidean analysis distance in Arc Map. The next step is aimed at standardizing the calculated distances using Raster Calculator Command. The, zoning of earthquake vulnerability of Gilan into five zones (based on active/inactive faults) is the primary goal. As a matter of fact, standardization leads to fuzzy maps. Standard score (distance) is calculated by dividing each score by sum of the scores. The next step tries to categorize zoning map and to translate Raster map into vector one in order to calculate the area of each risk category. Finally, overlay of urban and rural layers base on zoning map may help us analyze seismic hazard urban and rural regions of Gilan province.
Results have shown that 40.72 % of total area of Gilan province are in 15 km distance from active fault. Also, 21.51 % of total area of Gilan province are in 15 to 30 km distance from active fault. Additionally, 64.45 % of total area of Gilan province are in less than 8 km distance from inactive fault (Table 1).
According to seismic hazards due to active faults, 18 cities out of 51 urban regions are severely vulnerable to earthquake. Accordingly, 67.20 % of Gilan urban population are located at high-risk zone. Seismic hazard zoning map based on active faults have indicated that 20 cities are highly vulnerable to earthquake. (Table 2)
Seismic studies on rural settlement of Gilan province have indicated that 1350 rural out of 2925 rural residences are severely vulnerable to earthquake because they are near to active faults. These regions are the habitat of 24.9 % of the total rural population. Zoning map based on inactive faults have shown that 1679 rural regions are vulnerable to earthquake (Table 3).
Studies have claimed that the majority of rural and urban regions of Gilan province are severely earthquake-prone. It is due to geographic and natural features of the mentioned province. To this end, some recommendations are given:1.Meticulous supervision on safety of building from the stage of plan-making to administration which have to be based on engineering principles for earthquake-prone cities including Baresar, Ataqur, Asalem, Haviq, and Roodbar which are next to active faults
2.Prevention of formation of suburbs and towns on southern and northern parts of Gilan because these parts are really vulnerable to earthquake
3.Prediction of temporary accommodation in central Gilan because this part is less vulnerable to earthquake
4.To equip buildings, hospitals, schools, and other buildings located in big cities including Rasht, Bandar-E Anzali, Fuman, and Lahijan with facilities required in case of earthquake
5.To hold training courses in rural and urban parts of the mentioned province to make residents prepared for earthquake and for emergency evacuation
6.To prioritize reformation of old and historical buildings in Rasht because Rasht is mostly laden with old buildings which are really vulnerable to earthquake.

Looking at the regional plans in Iran shows that the results of these plans have not been profitable in order to balance the urban system and creating a hierarchy of settlement. In the previous studies, the regions were defined based on the political and administrative boundaries. As a result, the quantitative models used have non help to improve the urban systems problems. Thus, the main objective of this study is to explain the true concept of region from two points of view (Objective and Subjective views) and true utility of quantitative models in regional planning. In this regard, the Zagros region (including five provinces: Kermanshah, Kurdistan, Hamadan, Lorestan and Elam) and also Kermanshah province were selected as a subjective and objective regions, respectively. The research method of this paper was comparative study and the results of using quantitative models (the Quantitative Indexes of Determining the Primate City and also, the Herfindahl concentration index, Gini Coefficient, and Coefficient of Variation) in the two mentioned regions were compared. The results showed that the urban system in the Zagros region has relative balance compared to Kermanshah province. By analyzing the findings, the approach to this paper is that the concept of the region should be considered in terms of cultural, economic, social, and geographic points of view in order to balance the system of urban settlements and decentralize population, services and facilities. So, we do not summarize this concept on the political and administrative boundaries.

Today, the distribution method of urban services is one of the major requirements of urban life. However, using traditional methods of land supply for urban services in Iran (such as compulsory acquisition, dispersed incentive policies, etc.) has led to the destruction of agricultural land, gardens and other valuable land. It has also led to non-optimal use of land with the capacity for development. This has not left a choice to urban managers and planners other than turning to new approaches, including transfer of development rights which is based on respecting ownership rights. The transfer of development rights (TDR) is a voluntary and market-based land use management mechanism. In this approach, land development is introduced to more suitable areas to protect the land with higher agricultural value, the environmentally sensitive areas and open spaces. The concept of TDR is to establish an exchangeable market of transferable development rights. In this applied research, quantitative techniques were studied in the city of Shiraz using theoretical background concepts. It was attempted to answer these questions: “What are the conditions required for using the TDR approach in Shiraz metropolis? Which metropolitan area is suitable for the implementation of this approach?” Analytic hierarchy process (AHP), expert questionnaires and Arc GIS software were used to answer these questions. Based on the TDR method, the case study regions were divided into regions transferring and receiving development rights. In this context, each of the regions has an indicator. The results showed that in the receiving regions the participation rate of citizens ranked first with a weight of 0.271. The desire to increase density and having the passage network ranked second and third, respectively. In the transferring regions, parameters of monuments and historic buildings ranked first with a score of 0.273. Citizen participation was the second and gardens was the third priority. Based on the results, District 5 of Area 1, District 7 of Area 4 and Districts 2, 3 and 4 of Area 8 have a very high potential to get developed. Also, District 1 of Area 1, Districts 1 and 6 of Area 2 and District 2 of Areas 6 and 8 have a very high potential to transfer development rights. The results indicate that this approach needs to be implemented in Shiraz metropolis as it enjoys lands which are valuable for their historical, natural and ecological properties, such as Ghasredasht gardens and the central historical texture of the city. The main requirements for the implementation of this model are high level of people's participation, firm legal guarantees, the presence of a coherent administrative structure, and respect for private property and public interests. The present research has been conducted academically based on the available information and resources. The participation of organizations and executive authorities is required to apply the results. In fact, this research has investigated the necessity of implementing the TDR model with an emphasis on Shiraz metropolis. It has identified priorities related to executive issues and urban management for each district of Shiraz

During the past 50 years (1956-2006), our urban population has increased from 6 million to over 48 million and the number of cities has soared from 200 to over 1000
Urbanization is perhaps one of the most important human activities, creating enormous impacts on the environment at the local, regional and global scales. Although urbanization in the form of land-cover (either built-up or impervious surfaces) occupies less than 2% of the Earths land surface, there is plentiful evidence that human disturbance due to urbanization has significantly altered the natural landscape.
Urbanization is one of the most important human activities that has negatively impacted natural environment at local, regional and global scales. Cities are currently home to nearly half of the world’s population and over the next 30 years most of the two-billion-plus person increase in global population is expected to occur in urban areas in the developing world Urban sprawl is the common characteristics of many fast growing cities across the globe that consumes agricultural lands around the cities and puts pressure on natural environment. In the first half of 20th century, the majority of people were living in rural areas and cities had a slow growth, however, after mid 1950s due to the improvement in medical conditions as well as rural urban migration, it faced with rapid population growth in urban areas. Improvement in the socio-economic conditions especially increasing the private car ownership in the following decades, led to the low density physical expansion of many cities in the country. This paper aims to examine the status of Iranian cities based on two main patterns of continuous and discontinuous physical development and seek for the association of major social and environmental factors related to growth patterns of urban areas in the country.
A descriptive analytical method has been employed in this research. The main source of data for the study has been driven from Google Earth images and Google Maps as well as the results of General Census of Iran from 1956 to 2006. In this research, the growth pattern for all cities of over 5000 population in Iran has been studied and attempts has been made to associated these patterns with main social and natural variables such as population size, annual population growth rate, density, area, city plan, elevation and regional climate pattern. A Chi Square analysis has been used to find the association between city growth models and selected social and natural variables.
Findings: Research findings indicate that form 689 cities over 5000 population, 413 cities (59.9%) had continuous physical growth and 276 cities (40.1%) discontinuous growth. To describe the physical growth pattern, we did a Chi square analysis and tried to find their possible association with the existing physical patterns with a number of social and environmental variables. The following Table summarizes the outcome of Chi square analysis with selected variables Our analysis revealed that there is an association between the population size of the cities and their physical growth patterns in a way that most large cities (over 500 thousands) have discontinuous physical growth pattern while most small and medium size cities have continuous physical expansion. The ratio of discontinuous physical growth pattern for cities between 5 to 24 thousands is 40%, cities between 25 to 49 thousands 45%, cities between 50 to 100 thousands 31% and cities between 100 and 500 thousands 34%.
Our study also depicts that there is a significant relationship between physical pattern and the area size for cities. While small and medium sized cities have more continuous physical growth, most cities with large area size (over 5000 hectares) have discontinuous growth pattern. Such a relationship also exits between urban density and physical growth pattern. Our data indicates that over 45% percent of the discontinuously growing cities have less than 50 person per hectares, while over 80% of the cities with more than 100 persons per hectare has continuous growth pattern.
To find any relationship with urban physical pattern, we calculated urban population growth for the three time period of 10, 20 and 50 years. In contract with the discussed variables, none of the population growth rate for the three periods revealed any significant association with physical growth pattern in Iranian cities.
Among the environmental variables, two variables including elevation and climate were examined with respect to the physical patterns of cities. Data findings indicates a correlation between elevation and city growth pattern in a way that cities located at very low elevation (around Caspian see shores) tended to have more discontinuous growth pattern than those located in other areas. In contrast, cities located at higher elevation especially above 1000 meters sea level tended to have more continuous growth pattern. Also an association exists between climate type and growth pattern. Our data also showed that cities located in Moderate Khazari climate (Caspian Sea Climate), have more discontinuous physical while cities located in other climates especially semiarid and mountainous climate mostly have continuous physical growth.
This study examined the status of Iranian cities in terms of their physical growth patterns and their associations with main social and environmental variables. In this research all cities over 5000 inhabitants were examined based on two major physical patterns of continuous and discontinuous growth. Then their relationship was tested with the selected variables using a Chi square analysis. Main result indicated that about 60% of Iranian cities has continued growth pattern and 40% has discontinuous pattern. Our findings showed that four main social variables of population size, urban density, and area size and two main environmental variables of elevation and regional climate showed a degree of association with physical growth patterns. However, there is a need for more detailed data and variables for explanation of the physical patterns of Iranian.

Rapid population growth in urban areas, has created the adverse consequences for cities. So cities must provide better places to live. One of this places is sidewalk and increasing walkability in this cities. The main purpose of this study is measurement the status of Alam al-Hoda sidewalk. In this first step, theoretical basis was studied. Then, four main factor (physical, Comfort and Convenience, environmental and land use and activity) and 22 index selected. Then, by using the Delphi method and Analytic Hierarchy Process and Expert choice software, these indexes were prioritized. Then, by field studies and 400 questionnaires completed by citizens, the status of this sidewalk was assessed. Result in the physical indexes showed that the Width of the walkways is first ranked with a score of 3.65 and appropriate design of walls with a score of 2.21 is the seventh rank. Result in the environmental indexes showed that the Protection of pedestrians against climate change with a score of 2.61 has the best situation. Result in the comfort and convenience indexes showed that the noise pollution is first ranked with a score of 3.59 and easily access to sidewalk and security are second and third rank. Result in the land use and activity indexes showed that the diversity of users with a score of 3.68 has best situation and the possibility of loading and unloading of commercial units (with a score of 2.83) and special landmarks (with a score of 2.72) in second and third rank.

Zanjan has many faults due to its severe tectonic activity in geology areas. According to conducted studies on Zanjan, this county has three separated areas in earthquake occurrence term including high danger widths, average danger widths and low danger widths. This research main aim is Zanjan population main centers seismic spatial analysis. In this case uses ultra-available plans and present documents to analyze Zanjan active faults and mentioned county seismic widths. In continue study how establish and disperse population main residential places (Zanjan villages and cities). Finally by using ArcGIS software analytical abilities and layers overlapping analyzes how establish county cities and villages regarding to county seismic widths. Conducted studies revealed that of 22000 km2 Zanjan area 45% widths have high earthquake danger, 47% average and only 8% low danger. How disperse county cities and villages points according to 1390 census has shown 1015734 population in 7 counties, 16 parts, 16cities, 46 villages and 961 rural areas. By using ArcGIS software and layers overlapping has analyzed earthquake danger spatial analysis in population main center. Results reveal that of 16 urban residential places in Zanjan, 12 cities have placed in high earthquake danger width. Also of 46 villages, 25 ones are in high danger, 18 in average and 3 in low danger areas. Considerable share of burgess population are living in high earthquake danger widths. As of 626760 individual of burgess population 93.01 % area in high danger areas. 5.4% are in average and 1.5% in low danger areas. Earthquake danger spatial analysis in villages show that in county villages 52% population are in high danger, 41% in average and 7% in low danger widths. Also of 46 villages, 25 ones are in high danger, 18 in average and 3 in low danger areas.

As an important subject in urban studies، city form corresponds to the spatial distribution of human activities in cities and is deeply influenced by urban management and physical and socio-economic characteristics. The main goal of this study is to provide a general perspective on the characteristics of city form in Iran through the evaluation and classification of their physical patterns. Attempts have also been made to analyze the potential associations between city forms and a number of selected physical and human variables. The main method utilized in this study is descriptive and the employed data comes from a variety of sources. Google Earth Pro images، results of Iran’s national censuses and Climatic Atlas of Iran are among the main data sources of this research. Q-square tests (x2) have been used to analyze the relationship among city form and selected variables. Only cities with over five thousands inhabitants، which include 689 cities، are examined in this research. During the past 50 years (1956-2006)، Iran’s urban population has increased from 6 million to over 48 million and the number of cities has soared from 200 to over 1000. Definitely، such an increase in the number of cities and their population has impacted the arrangement of human activities in urban areas which are reflected in different city forms. Main city forms in this study were classified into five categories. Our findings depict that 40. 2% of the cities have mixed، 29. 2% linear، 24. 3% iron grid، 4. 35% organic and finally 1. 9% radial patterns. Findings also indicated that 60% of the cities have predominantly continuous and 40% discontinuous physical growth pattern. Our data revealed a higher population growth rate for iron grid and linear city forms than that of organic، radial and mixed city forms. In terms of area size، while organic and linear cities، mostly tends to have smaller areas (less than 500 hectares)، iron grid radial and mixed cities mostly have larger areas. Like the size، organic and linear cities tend to have lower population density (ResultsFindings asserted a significant association between the city form and selected human and physical variables، like population size، growth rate، physical growth pattern، area size، density، elevation and climate type. The results were put in a suggested model that tries to describe urban forms in Iran. The major characteristics of this model can be summarized as follow: cities with organic pattern are related with small population and area size، continues physical growth، low growth rate and density and semi-arid and Mediterranean climate. Cities with liner pattern mainly correspond with small population and area size، but with discontinuous physical pattern، above average population growth rate، medium density، low altitude and Khazari climate. Urban areas with iron grid pattern، on the other hand، are mainly linked with medium population and area size، continuous physical growth، the highest population growth rate، medium and high density، altitude of over 1000 meter and predominantly arid and semi-arid climate. The radial pattern cities are mostly connected with large population and area size، continuous physical growth، average growth rate، high density، above 1000 meter altitude and mainly Mediterranean climate. Finally، mixed pattern cities are mainly correlated with combination of medium، large and very large population and area size، continuous physical growth، relatively lower population growth rate، average and high density، over 1000 meter altitude and a combination of Mediterranean، arid and semi-arid climate.