dr. sedigheh lotfi

The service and social inequalities resulting from poor urban conditions underline the necessity of focusing more on children, who constitute a vulnerable and crucial segment of society. Meeting children’s needs and demands within the framework of child-friendly city principles is essential. This study aims to assess the status of child-friendly city components and indicators in Amol, prioritizing them based on feedback from children and their parents. The research methodology involves surveys, questionnaires, and interviews with children as the analysis units and the entire child population of Amol as the statistical population. Through Cochran's sampling method, 250 samples were chosen using cluster random sampling. Data analysis employed the one-sample t-test and Friedman's test. The findings indicate that not all components of a child-friendly city are deficient and exhibit a notable deviation from the desired level. Moreover, there is a significant variance in the importance levels of these components; notably, access to services ranks highest in priority, while participation and valuing of children rank lowest. This suggests a lack of attention to fulfilling children's needs and desires within the context of child-friendly city components. Children have not been adequately acknowledged as stakeholders in development decisions. To enhance child-friendly indicators, prioritizing children's participation and recognizing their value are imperative.

Urban livability is a multifaceted concept that is related to many areas of the living environment in urban areas. Although past studies have provided a better understanding of the evaluation and influence of urban environment quality factors. However, these studies have gaps in the dimensions, methodology and level of study. Therefore, with the aim of measuring the level of livability of informal settlements (Mehdi Abad, Ghafari, Saro Baneh Bagh and Turk Mahalle) in the city of Sari. The present study tried to analyze the livability status and identify the effective factors. Therefore, the methodology of the research is based descriptive-analytical approaches and the data were collected by conducting a field work to complete the given questionnaires which obtained via Cochran. To analysis the data SPSS and AMOS were used. The results showed that the livability level of the neighborhoods is in inappropriate situation and the informal settlements are facing many problems. Also, according to structural equation modeling; Economic (0.69), physical (0.64), environmental (0.54), and social (0.24) criteria are considered the most effective factors on livability, respectively, with the highest factor value. Therefore, the most important indicators affecting livability in order to improve the livability of informal settlements are economic criteria. So, providing low-interest loans to self-employed applicants for residents and long-term tax exemptions (property tax) for building multi-family housing, as well as tax exemptions for the investors who are interested to invest in these areas to create jobs can reduce economic problems to some extent.So, providing low-interest loans to self-employed applicants for residents and long-term tax exemptions (property tax) for building multi-family housing, as well as tax exemptions for the investors who are interested to invest in these areas to create jobs can reduce economic problems to some extent.

In recent years,the flow of the Sefidroud River, as the main water supplier of the Sefidroud irrigation and drainage network, has decreased about 50%. Therefore, the optimal use of the available water is essential to sustain agricultural production in Gilan Province, especially rice cultivation. In this regard, it is necessary to investigate the problems of agricultural water management in this network in order to find effective solutions to solve these problems by tracking the main problems. The aim of this research is to investigate the challenges facing water resource management in the paddy fields of Sefidroud irrigation and drainage network. In this regard, after forming a decision tree based on experts opinions and reviewing the existing empirical models, the required data were collected through questionnaires and face-to-face interviews with water experts in Guilan province. The problems were prioritized using Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (FAHP). The decision tree was defined atthree levels: the first level consisted of three criteria, the second level included 16 sub-criteria and the third level encompassed 85 sub-sub-criteria. Data analysis was performed using the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP). The results showed that among the three main criteria of water problems and obstacles at the farm level, water supply and water transfer- the water transfer indicator accounted for the largest share of problems at 40%, while the water supply indicator had the lowest share at 29%.. Each of these factors was examined with the sub- criteriathat necessitates specialized evaluations by experts, highlighting the importance of precise and professional decision-making in this field. The primary focus of the network’s reform programs should be on addressing water conveyance issues, such as completing the channels of the Sefidrud irrigation and drainage network.

Environmental problems caused by human activities have been raised as a serious challenge for global sustainable development in recent decades. One of the key concepts in this field is the ecological footprint, which refers to the consumption of natural resources by human society and compared to the concept of biological capacity, which indicates the ability of the earth to meet human needs and absorb waste; it evaluates the ecological deficiency of the region. The present study analyzed the biological products in order to calculate the load and pressure on nature as a result of human exploitation and the capacity of the biosphere to provide the land needed for carbon absorption, energy consumption, transportation and etc. In this research, the ecological footprint method with the global hectare (gha) measurement unit has been used to analyze the data, and the ecological deficit has been estimated for the townships Mazandaran province. The results showed that the per capita ecological deficit of the entire province in year of 2021 was -0.49 global hectares for each person, which indicated the imbalance between economic activities and environmental protection, as well as excessive consumption of natural resources. Ramsar was the most unsustainable township with the highest per capita ecological deficit (1.03 hectares), and Golugah was the most sustainable region in the province with the highest per capita ecological reserve (2.5 global hectares). The research can create a platform for decision makers and officials to take appropriate measures and make informed decisions to preserve the environment and sustainable development of the province.

Land use and land cover change includes the conversion of natural land cover into impermeable surfaces as a product of the rapid growth of urban and rural areas. One of the topics that has attracted the attention of researchers in recent years is the impacts of these changes on the temperature of the earth's surface as a vital parameter for the environment and human life. In this study, the relationship between the changes in land cover and the temperature of the earth's surface has been investigated using Madis sensor satellite images, focusing on Mazandaran province. In order to analyze the data, Moran's index and hot spot analysis have been used from 2012 to 2022. The findings showed that following the changes of the land cover in the studied area, the surface temperature of the province has increased by 1.46 degrees during the studied decade. Also, during the same period, the night temperature of the province has increased by 1.02 degrees Celsius and its daily temperature has increased by 1.89 degrees Celsius. Also, more than 98% of the urban lands, which are considered as the hottest parts of the province, are located in hot clusters. The results of this study can play an important role in better planning the regional development of Mazandaran province and create healthier residential environments and provide very useful information to help manage and plan the development of residential land in order to achieve environmental sustainability.The results of this study can play an important role in better planning the regional development of Mazandaran province and create healthier residential environments and provide very useful information to help manage and plan the development of residential land in order to achieve environmental sustainability.

Land is a vital natural resource for human survival and the basis of all ecosystem services. However, land degradation through land use and land cover changes has become a serious global issue. Rural-urban migration in developing countries, along with the conversion of nearby villages into urban areas, has largely driven the rapid increase in urban settlements. Evidence shows that northern Iran has been experiencing rapid land use changes, which have endangered the region's stability over the last three decades. This article aims to identify and compare the growth and expansion changes of Amol city, located in Mazandaran province, over three decades from 1986 to 2016. Urban growth is defined by the absolute increase in the population living in cities, while urban sprawl is defined by changes in land cover over time.

To produce images of land cover changes in different years, Landsat time series image data (TM, ETM+, and OLI/TIRS sensors) were used. A linear unmixing model based on the extraction of end members was employed, identifying two classes of land: urban and non-urban. To verify the classification accuracy, high-resolution images from Google Earth and field observations using GPS were employed. Moran's spatial autocorrelation analysis tool was used to analyze the spatial distribution of land cover, and the trend analysis tool in ArcGIS software was employed to analyze the trend of spatial changes in urban land.

The findings show that the city's population doubling over these three decades has not only been accompanied by a 60% horizontal expansion into surrounding green and open lands but also increased building density and the number of floors. Validation of land cover classification, using the ambiguity error matrix, with an overall accuracy of over 90% and a kappa coefficient of over 80% for the obtained images, indicates high accuracy. Based on Moran's spatial autocorrelation analysis, the development of Amol City follows a cluster structure. Calculating the difference in land cover data over the 20 years from 1996 to 2016 revealed that 28 percent of the total city area, equivalent to 890 hectares, has undergone significant changes, including fundamental alterations in land use and land cover. The expansion of Amol City has generally occurred from the center to the periphery, with the least changes in the central parts and the most changes in the northern and eastern parts of the city.

Population growth and urban expansion not only lead to the destruction of natural resources and the environment but also exacerbate urban management problems in providing infrastructure and services. Therefore, the goal of planning should be to achieve optimal development that prevents increased migration from villages to cities. This can be achieved both at the macro level, by distributing urban roles complementarily and strengthening the role of villages, and at the local level, by emphasizing the balanced distribution of the city's population and endogenous growth.

The increase of social capital in long term has important effects on the mentality of the residents of the neighborhood, mutual trust, solidarity, participation in neighborhood affairs, etc., and when achieved, the quality of life in the neighborhood grows accordingly. In this regard, the present study, an attempt has been made to measure the amount of social capital and the level of quality of life among the residents of the neighborhoods of Rafsanjan city with a sociological approach and survey method, and finally to investigate the effect of social capital on their quality of life. In this research, all the residents aged 18 years and older are part of the statistical population, and according to Cochran's formula, 383 people have been selected by cluster sampling method proportional to the volume. The data collection tool is a researcher-made questionnaire, and the description and analysis of the data has been done using Spss software. The results of the research findings show that there is no significant difference between women and men in terms of the amount of social capital and quality of life, but there is a significant difference between income groups and the amount of social capital and their quality of life. Also, there is a significant difference between the different periods of people's residence and the amount of social capital and their quality of life. The results of multiple regression analysis show there is a correlation of 0.508 between research variables. Also, about 25% of the dependent variable changes are predicted by the social capital variable, and among the components of social capital, trust has the greatest impact on the quality of life of city residents.

Improving the vitality of a city can not only make people satisfied with the aspects of green ecology, economic development, cultural creativity and quality of life, but also helps to promote its sustainable development. Today, however, cities have rapidly undergone spatial changes under the pressures of modernity. These developments have caused social and economic imbalances. As the largest city in the country with diverse economic, social, physical and cultural functions, Tehran is experiencing complex problems, which has led to the reduction of its vitality. Therefore, the current research was conducted with the aim of evaluating the living conditions in the neighborhoods of Tehran. The data to measure the vitality were extracted from the statistical blocks of the statistics center, land use map of the city, and satellite images. To evaluate vitality, several main components including economy, demographics, tourism, quality of life, air quality, and nightlife were used as indicators. The results of the research showed that vitality in Tehran can be summarized into four main factors. The first factor with 19% of the total variance had the highest impact, and the fourth factor with 10% of the total variance had the least impact in the vitality category. In total, by combining the four factors of vitality in Tehran, the final map of vitality was produced. The combined vitality map showed that the central and northwestern parts of the city have good conditions in terms of urban vitality, but the southern and southeastern parts of the city are in unfavorable conditions in this regard. Also, the results indicated that, as one moves away from the central part of the city, the level of vitality gradually decreases.

Unhealthy lifestyle is an important risk factor for human well-being. Inactivity is an inappropriate lifestyle that is associated with anxiety and depression disorders. In recent years, the prevalence of inactive behaviors has increased. Several factors are involved in the increase of such behaviors. Physical elements are one of these factors. Despite the extent of the health risks of inactive behavior and the increased mortality caused by it, limited studies have been conducted to show the relationship between physical characteristics and inactive behaviors. So far, no study has been conducted on this issue in Iran. Therefore, this research aims to examine the relationship and effect of physical drivers on inactive behavior. The statistical population of this research included the residents of district 3 of Sari city and 380 people were selected as sample size. The methodology of the research is based on descriptive-analytical approach. For data analysis, SPSS and GIS software and statistical methods of Phi coefficient test and multivariate linear regression were used. The findings indicated that there was a positive relationship between physical indicators and active behaviors, and the intensity of the relationship is high in most indicators. Among the variables, sidewalks (0.484), the infrastructure development related to green spaces along the pedestrian paths (0.391) and diversity of land-uses (0.378) had the greatest effect on reducing inactive behavior.

Rapid, irregular, and scattered urban development is the source of many urban problems. Understanding these issues demands a deep understanding of the distribution of the urban spatial structure. The urban mass is the occupied part of the city, whose accurate knowledge, helps the optimal urban management and can be a guidance light for the use of urban spaces in the future. For this purpose and with the aim of accurate and quick identification of the Ahvaz urban mass as the study area, the images taken by the NPP-VIIRS sensor at night are assumed as the base of this research. Moreover, the other factors such as improved vegetation, auxiliary points containing field information, earth surface temperature and geometric mean of the image, are used to prepare three indices HSI, HSI-POI (HP) and HSI-POI-LST (HPL) used in ENVI and ArcGIS software. Then, a support vector machine was used to identify the type of land in the built area using 1000 points. Next, the threshold limit corresponding to the highest overall accuracy and the kappa coefficient of each index were calculated. The general results showed that compared to other indices, HPL shows natural and social characteristics, and the output of this method provides higher spatial accuracy, more spatial details of the built-up area, and also more choices for evaluating small-scale urban areas. Also, The highest and lowest net area of the urban mass belongs to regions 3 and 1, which includes more than 56 and 34 percent of the area of each of these regions.

Collecting, managing and analyzing the required data is a basic precondition in the field of macro and integrated urban management. Today, this operation is feasible in the form of SDI, the evaluation and identification of its implementation platforms is one of its key issues. The purpose of this study is to identify the limiting factors for the creation and establishment of urban spatial information infrastructure in Ahvaz, based on the basic fuzzy model of the readiness index. The research data was collected in a survey and then analyzed in a spatial information infrastructure readiness model. Therefore, Ahwaz urban spatial information infrastructure has been evaluated in five organizational factors, human resources, information, technology and finance, and in the form of 16 decision criteria. In the first step of the research, the required data were extracted from questionnaires completed by experts and specialists familiar with SDI and GIS, from government centers and the private sector in Ahvaz. In the next step and after data collection, the values of general indicators and five factors were calculated based on the model used in the research. The general findings of the study showed that the readiness index of Ahwaz urban spatial information infrastructure is equal to 0.47. Evaluation of the studied factors of the model showed that the organizational factor is the most important limiting factor in the development of SDI infrastructure in Ahvaz and among the criteria, the highest and lowest scores have access to location-based software and individual leadership, respectively. In total, according to the results of this study, 44% of the 16 decision-making criteria (including 7 criteria) were below the average (50%), which acted as the main limiting factor in the development of Ahwaz urban location information infrastructure. Also, based on the results of this study, it seems that in the development of urban SDI in Ahvaz, non-technical factors can be more effective as a limiting factor than technical issues.

Many experts and regional planners believe that multicenter development can create a balance between growth, dispersion, and compression, and while protecting land, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing motor vehicle trips. Based on this, this article seeks to strengthen the decision makers' understanding of its application by examining the relationship between polycentricity or monocentricity in 31 country provinces, the travel pattern and scattered behaviour. Thus, the logic of the current research is comparative and based on descriptive and correlational methods. First, using two criteria of city size distribution and spatial distribution of centres, the degree of polycentricity of the country's provinces was determined. Then, using Pearson's correlation, the relationship between the spatial structure indicators and topographically dispersed variables and travel patterns at the level of the country's provinces was investigated. The results show that more polycentric provinces generate more trips per person (personal and public). Also, there is a positive and significant link (0.825) between the spatial distribution of cities, the degree of polycentricity of provinces and energy consumption caused by transportation. Although, at first glance, the increase in the share of trips by private car can appear as a threat in multi-centred areas, but according to the travel demand, it can be an economic justification for strengthening public transportation and an opportunity to reduce pollution, especially in multi-centred metropolitan areas. In addition, there is an inverse relationship between the size distribution of cities, and the number and area of building permits (respectively, -0.37 and -0.36), which can indicate the weakening of economic incentives for urban sprawl. Finally, it seems that the polycentric-intensive model can be a more suitable structure for sustainable development.

Today, the increasing level of urban population and migration has caused new challenges in the structure and performance of cities in environmental, socio-cultural, and economic issues. Urban sustainability is a concept that emerged as a new paradigm in the world following the sustainable development plan, and it is an approach that leads to social justice. It is necessary to provide a suitable basis for evaluating and measuring environmental, economic, and socio-cultural sustainability in urban planning and development. Arak metropolis is one of the most polluted cities in the country. The purpose of the present study is to measure the sustainability of Arak city zones from the citizens' point of view to show the quality of different city zones.

The city of Arak, the capital of Markazi Province, has 5 municipal zones and a population of 520,994 in 2016. Regarding geomorphology and geology, Arak is located in a valley surrounded by mountains on three sides and the Miqan desert. With the establishment of several industrial plants, such as machine building and metal industries, in the 1940s, the city became polluted environmentally. The required data and information were collected by secondary and field study using a questionnaire; in order to achieve the objectives of the research, 4 main indicators and 13 sub-indices related to sustainability in Arak were defined from reliable sources in this field and adjusted in the form of a 5-option questionnaire in the form of a Likert scale from very high to very low. The statistical population of the research consists of all the citizens of Arak city who are over 20 years old and have a history of living in Arak city for over 5 years (due to the understanding of the dimensions of the research), which is 384 as sample size. Stratified sampling based on urban neighborhoods were exerted to distribute the questionnaires. In order to measure the validity of the research questionnaire, the opinions of 10 experts commented on the primary version. Also, in order to measure the reliability of the questionnaire, Cronbach's alpha test was exerted, and the reliability coefficient was obtained above 0.70 percent, which confirmed the reliability. Finally, the collected information was analyzed using GIS and SPSS26. To measure indicators for variable, a one-sample t-test and variance test (ANOVA) was used, and Friedman's test was applied to rank indicators and the urban zones. Finally, GIS was applied to display the analysis results in maps regarding the different socio-economic and environmental dimensions.

The research results showed that the average economic sustainability is more than 3, and the upper and lower limits are positive. So, the status of economic sustainability in the 5 zones of Arak is evaluated from medium to high. Also, the average of the variables of environmental and physical-infrastructural sustainability and socio-cultural sustainability is less than 3, and their lower and upper limits are also negative; Therefore, according to the significance level is less than 0.05, it can be concluded that the average obtained is lower than the value of the test (3) and the status of variables of ecological-environmental sustainability, physical-infrastructural sustainability and socio-cultural sustainability in the  5 zones of Arak are evaluated as less than average and inappropriate. The finding from the Friedman test revealed that the highest average rating (3.14) is assigned to economic and the lowest average rating (2.05) to physical-infrastructural sustainability.

The theoretical and research background review showed that sustainability is valued concerning economic, social and environmental indicators. Paying attention to sustainability issues as one of the most important factors and drivers for promoting urban development has been the focus of urban planning researchers and city planners in recent years. Environment-friendly policies could strengthen sustainability. The present research showed that the sustainability of the different urban zones of Ark is evident regarding the different dimensions. So, it can be concluded that the following recommendations could improve the situation as strengthening local and indigenous industries compatible with the environment, increasing green space, concerning the limits of factories can reduce pollutants, and closing polluting industries or at least modifying and improving them.

In recent years, polycentric urban areas have become widespread as a spatial reality, analytical framework, and normative approach. While most researchers are focused on the structure of these regions and the assumptions such as economic competitiveness, territorial cohesion, and environmental sustainability; understanding the potential of planning in such areas is yet limited because planning in polycentric urban systems is relatively in a new scale which is based on new strategic goals. This paper studied the problem from the planning perspective and focused first on the role and necessity of the regional approach in developing polycentric urban areas. Then, by accepting this essential, a framework waspresented to apply a regional approach in these areas, i.e., the central Mazandaran urban complex, emphasizing the three dimensions of spatial-functional integration,institutional capacity, and culture-identity as a planning prerequisite. The results revealed despite the potential of complementary relations and everyday culture in this region, the immaturity of public organizations and institutions, and the lack of legal boundaries for the urban complex, the urban complex of central Mazandaran is a product of competition between cities rather than being the result of cooperative relations.

Urban sprawl generally indicates a kind of urbanization with horizontal and inappropriate growth. This is due to the uncontrolled expansion of urban areas, scattered residential areas, and low-density development. The goal of smart urban growth is to solve problems in the urban development process in order to promote urban development and also turn urban lands into more rational and efficient uses. The main purpose of this study is to investigate and analyze the pattern of physical expansion of Qaemshahr city which is located in Mazandaran, Iran, with the approach of smart urban growth. To achieve this goal, intensive development, condition of the road network and access, shape and morphology of the city, quality of urban transportation, quality and variety of housing, concentration of activities in neighborhoods, and creation Attractive areas are investigated in 20 neighborhoods of the city, from 8 indicators of mixed use. The research method is descriptive-analytical. Holdern's model, GIS data, and data from the Statistics Center of Iran were used to analyze the data. Also, a questionnaire was used to determine the weight of the criteria and the MOORA technique was used to rank twenty neighborhoods based on smart urban growth indicators. The results of the studies showed that according to the Holdern model, during the period 1380 to 1395, about 56% of the growth of the city, was in line with population growth and the remaining 44% had uneven, horizontal, and spiral urban growth. Also, the calculations performed in the MOORA technique show that neighborhoods 6, 12, 14 and 2 are considered as developed neighborhoods and neighborhoods 1, 13, 11, 10, 9, 7 got the lowest ranks among the others. Moreover, neighborhoods 4, 5, 20, 3, 18, 19, 8, 15, 16, 17 ranked fifth to fourteenth and are in the middle of the development

Achieving a creative society requires the existence of a creative class, and it seems that one of the appropriate ways to recognize and attract the creative class is to use the tourism industry. Creativity in the field of tourism is a new approach to the structural dimensions of the city and region. Therefore, the current research is trying to evaluate the tourism potential of Behshahr; to investigate the potential and capacities of this region to create creative tourism. The present research is based on descriptive-analytical approaches. The data was collected from documentary studies and field surveys in the form of questionnaires. To examine the research variables, four major tourism indicators including historical, architectural, natural, sociocultural, and infrastructure attractions, as well as five basic indicators of the realization of a creative city have been evaluated. To analyze the data and evaluate the tourism potential of the study area, the SPSS was applied and Friedman and T-tests were used. The results of the research related to the creation of creative tourism indicated that Behshahr has potential and capacity in terms of the given indicators. Also, the results of the t-test in connection with the investigation of the feasibility of creative tourism in Behshahr indicated that among the components, social capital is at a higher level and the leadership and management component is at a lower level compared with the levels of other components. The results of the Friedman test also showed that the four indicators of social capital, risk-taking, initiative, innovation, flexibility, and acceptance are in a favorable situation in terms of forming creative tourism.

The concept of complementarity and polycentric development are closely related. Experts and decision-makers believe that small and medium-sized cities can reap the benefits of wider labor demand, greater access to services, and as well as physical spatial overflows to achieve the functions of larger cities. The question, however, is: do polycentric structures have greater potential than monocentric areas to make complementary connections between their cities and reap the benefits? To answer this question, the present study uses correspondence analysis to measure and compare the potential of complementary relationships in the two urban areas of Central Mazandaran and Rasht as a representative of polycentric and monocentric structures. For this purpose, employment data of major activity groups of two areas have been used. The results showed that there is a clear distinction between the economic functions of Amol, Sari and Babol cities in the field of industry, public administration and trade. However, in the urban metropolitan of Rasht, with the exception of Anzali port, which is considered as one of the most important ports in the country, other cities could not play a distinct role independent of the agricultural sector near Rasht. Although the findings support the potential for more complementary relationships in the polycentric region of Mazandaran, it does not mean that these links are not established in the Rasht urban region.

The physical expansion of cities and villages leads to the merging of a smaller settlement into a larger settlement. In this regard, adjacent villages to the city are a part of the city based on their formation, economic and social institutions, population growth, even being in the center of social and economic exchanges and interactions in a geographical context. It is possible that the village is fully integrated into the city and turns into an urban settlement, or it may continue to live while preserving the rural nature on the outskirts or inside the city. The northern areas of Iran are experiencing urban growth due to the physical and functional changes of city and village borders, which is evident in Amol city with a growth rate of 4.04 of the population between 2006 to 2016 and the growth rate of its area (4.47). Therefore, the main question of this research is posed as follows:1. What are the consequences of annexing rural settlements to Amol city?Is there a significant difference between the consequences of annexing villages to the city in terms of economic, socio-cultural and environmental-physical dimensions? 

The methodology of the research is descriptive-analytical. The data were collected from documents and completion of the questionnaires.  The statistical population of this study is the residents of three villages of Ghoroq, Klaksar and Shadmahl of Amol city using the latest official statistics of the country (2016). The questionnaire was prepared with 37 questions about the various consequences of the annexation of rural settlements to the city of Amol emphesizing the economic, socio-cultural and environmental-physical dimensions. the reliability of the questionnaire was calculated to be 0.866 using Cronbach's alpha. SPSS software was used for the measurement of the effects of indicators in the study areas. A one-sample (T) test was used and the means of the items were compared with each other. ANOVA test was used to differentiate the effects and consequences between the studied areas and Scheffé's method was used to determine the differences between the areas.

The results of analyzing the opinions of the respondents using t-test showed that the value of the average scores of the respondents in the social and cultural dimension are 2.66, 2.68 and 2.85 for the three villages of Ghoroq, Klaksar village and Shadmahl village, respectively. It has the lowest score and the average of all three villages is less than the average (3), which indicates the unfavorable situation of this component in these three villages. In terms of the economic consequences the scores are 3.02 3.12 3.08. for the villages.in terms of the environmental and physical dimensions the lowest score is 2.88 for Ghoroq. In Klaksar village (3.17) and Shadmahl village (3.17), this is higher than the average and has a good condition. Overally, two indicators of economic (3.1) and physical environment (3.13) with a significant level (0.000) are above average and its condition is appropriate. However, in the index of social and cultural dimension (2.74), the score is lower than the average and is in an unfavorable situation.

The annexation of rural to urban settlements is generally a multifaceted issue that has both negative and positive consequences. In general, the integration of rural to urban areas in Iran improves the economic situation and increases the income and new job opportunities in the service sector. In terms of social dimension, however the contrast between the culture of urban and rural life causes negative effects.  The widespread change of land use from agriculture to residential and commercial, reducing agricultural and livestock production can be examplified as the negative effects of this process. In terms of socio-economic dimensions, it has positive consequences due to the increase of accesses and facilities such as educational improvement and medical accesses. The level of satisfaction for the three given village was high.  Improving access to public services and infrastructure, improving the physical quality of the village, increasing jobs in the service sector have been some of the positive aspects of the annexation of the village to the city.

   Today's cities face to many problems due to over-reliance on passenger transport. The increase of cars in the city, tearing the urban fabric and creating many problems such as congestion, traffic, air pollution, reduced safety and security, and damage to the city is done only by car. Paying attention to sidewalks increases communication and social interactions, improves the quality of urban space, boosts shopping centers, reduces environmental pollution, reduces traffic and accidents, respects pedestrian identity, and increases pedestrian safety and security. Therefore, addressing the issue of sidewalks and paying attention to their characteristics such as vitality, flexibility, safety, accessibility, continuity, etc. are of special importance in sustainable urban development.

 The method of the present study is descriptive-analytical. In this research, both documentary and field methods have been used. In the documentary method, mostly scientific books, scientific-research journals, Latin sources, sites, and related institutions and organs have been used to collect information and the history and meaning of this title. In the field method, to study the implementation of this project in terms of sidewalks in the central part of the city, field visits to the study area and the distribution of questionnaires have been used. The statistical society includes residents, employees, and pedestrians in the area of ​​Ayatollah Khamenei Street. The sample size of the statistical population was obtained by Cochran's formula, which is 370 samples due to the unknown population of the statistical society. In this study, a random sampling method was used. Also, the t-test and Friedman test were used to analyze the data to determine the ability to convert the street into a sidewalk.

A questionnaire was used to evaluate the feasibility of converting the street into a sidewalk in the central part of Chamestan. Questionnaire questions from research participants in socio-economic, physical-functional, access and traffic, and design and urban furniture. According to the results, the average scores of the respondents regarding the effect of organizing and paving Ayatollah Khamenei Street on increasing their satisfaction, as well as the property and rental prices of this street are higher than average compared to other streets in the city. The average scores of the respondents about the historical and cultural identity of the street, the appropriateness of the connection with the street, and the ability to provide emergency services to this street are moderate. The average scores obtained for other items are below average. To prioritize the effectiveness of each of the factors affecting walking, the Friedman test was used. The results indicate that from the respondents' point of view, access and traffic, socio-economic, physical-functional, and urban design and furniture have the greatest impact on walking, respectively. A one-sample t-test was used to evaluate the condition of urban furniture. According to the results, the condition of urban furniture on Khamenei Street is at an unfavorable level. The results obtained in the study of the goals of those who refer to the desired street show that the average scores related to the status of visiting for fun and appointments with friends are lower than average. Based on this, it is concluded that people go to the streets less for the above cases. But the average score for shopping and being on the road is higher than average. Also, using a private car and visiting on foot is at a high level. The average score for taxi and bicycle use is below average. The average scores of the respondents about stopping on the side of the street are higher than average and stopping in the surrounding alleys is low. The use of public parking is also moderate. 

  The results of examining the condition of Khamenei Street show that the street in terms of socio-economic, physical-functional, access, and traffic is in a moderate condition. It has the desirability and quality required for walking. Among the four components studied, the social and economic component is the strength of pedestrianization in this street, which shows the historical, cultural, and commercial identity of the street and can attract different age groups. However, the average scores obtained from the design and urban furniture component indicate that this route is at an unfavorable level, which is the main weakness of the street for pedestrian construction. In this regard, complementary measures and planning should be considered, such as street flooring, proper lighting, and lighting, green cover, tree planting, etc. The physical and functional dimensions of the street are also in a state of disarray that must be addressed, including order and fit between the buildings on the street, the desirability of the color and appearance of the buildings on this street, providing parking, strengthening public transportation, and various activities. The results show that the more effective role of this street is to "cross it" which in case of closure, it is necessary to define a suitable alternative route to prevent serious disruption of the city's communication system. Therefore, strengthening and supporting "Salamat Street", which has a similar role and is located in the eastern part of the city, can be suggested as an alternative route. In general, it can be said that the gradual implementation of the streets of the city center of Chamestan is a good solution for better access and prosperity of civic life and stability of the functions of the central part of the city. This program has been successful in many countries around the world and the cities of Iran and has had many positive results.

Planning and designing cities based on the needs of pedestrians is one of the new approaches that has been considered in recent years, especially in large cities. In most cities of Iran, giving priority to the car-oriented system in urban arteries endangers the safety of citizens and reduces their vitality and social dynamism. Therefore, the present study has tried to study the safety and security of sidewalks adjacent to shopping malls with an emphasis on walkabilty in one of the northern cities of the country, Ramsar. The research methodology is based on descriptive-analytical approaches and the statistical population of the research included commercial uses located in the two main streets of the city, namely Motahhari and Razzaqi. By determining the number of samples, two types of questionnaires were prepared and completed for vendors and citizens. To analyze the collected data SPSS, Friedman and Spearman correlation tests were applied. The results of Spearman show that there is a positive correlation between the elimination of the car-based function of street and security- safety at the level of Motahari and Razaghi streets, more than 0.569 units (57%), i.e. 57% on safety. Based on the ranking test of the safety and security components of the sidewalks adjacent to shopping malls, it was determined through the Friedman test that the permeability component with an average of 5.00 and the safety component with an average of 4.80 were in the first and second ranks, respectively and they have the greatest impact on the safety and security

Introduction :

 One of the important areas of urban governance is urban policy-making. Due to the increasing population and urbanization, attention to the issue of urban governance as the basis of urban policy-making and urban planning has doubled. For this purpose, there must be a clear understanding of the referentials, through which with policy-making and planning for urban people can be proceeded. Determining this big picture in the Islamic Republic of Iran causes a coherent plan in cities and avoids daily decisions, thus creating competitive, cohesive, and accountable cities. The urbanization trend in Iran is increasing in a way that its urban population has increased from 54.3 to 74% from 1986 to 2016. Therefore, in the present study, the various themes existing in the 6 development programs of the Islamic Republic of Iran were examined, along with the growth of population, to become more familiar with the resulting changes in the policy-makers’ mindset. Urban policy-making is a branch of public policy-making knowledge, which enables urban policymakers to become aware of policy-making and its network in urban areas.

Analysis of themes provides data reduction, through which qualitative data are segmented, classified, summarized, and reconstructed. In the current research, the theme position model was used in the theme network. This method has the 3 levels of basic themes, organizing themes, and global themes.

Discussion of Results & Conclusions  :  

In the summary of the existing development programs in the Islamic Republic of Iran, the aspects of efficiency, decentralization, equality, transparency, accountability, spiritual heritage, health, and security, which were appropriate to the specific culture and conditions in Iran, could be seen. 24 basic themes, including the use of new technologies, culture of productivity, local income, attention to each region, government, downsizing, delegation, strengthening civil society, proper communication with the private sector, poverty reduction, attention to specific groups, attention to women, historical heritage, preservation of prior identity, access to resources, monitoring and evaluation, citizenship rights, citizenship education, effective civil society participation, crime prevention policies, social problems, health policy, food policy, environmental protection, and pollution prevention, were identified. The organizing themes were made of 12 components, including performance promotion, financial independence, subsidiarity, sustainability, attention to minorities, equitable access, preservation of national-religious heritage, transparency, citizen-centered governance, civic participation, human security, and environmental health. The specific referential point in the documents of Islamic development in Iran could be mentioned as follows: the global theme of efficiency focused on the basic theme of productivity, which had the characteristics of attracting specialized manpower, training managers, and work conscience. The global theme of decentralization was the basic theme of attention to each region, in which attention was paid to education and cultural, artistic, and sports services in each region. In the global theme of equality, special attention was paid to the themes of special attention to groups, such as veterans, martyrs' families, education of exceptional children, attention to women, and strengthening family institution. The global theme of preserving and strengthening spiritual heritage referred to features, such as paying attention to celebrities, the infallible Imams’ manners, preservation of Persian scripts and language, and Islamic-Iranian civilization. Finally, the global theme of both security and health focused on social issues, such as eradication of addiction and fighting against it and psychosis and mobilization of all government agencies. In comparison with the international documents and indicators, the special points of Iranian development programs included productivity culture, attention to each region, attention to specific groups and women, preservation of a priori identities, and social problems.

In recent years, some researchers have used the concept of "Borrowed size" as a justification for the efficiency of small and medium-sized cities in Poly-centric urban regions. They believe that smaller cities located near or within an integrated functional urban area can take advantage of the population, facilities, and amenities of larger cities while avoiding the agglomeration costs of larger cities such as traffic, high housing prices, and congestion. In this regard, the present article tries to use this concept, in addition to explaining the growth of the furniture industry in the city of Bahnamir, to open the way for its application in urban and regional policies. For this purpose, the applicability of this concept in Bahnamir was measured in four phases: first, specialization and concentration using locational coefficient and firm density, second, a geographical overlap of demand market by connectivity field index, third measurement polycentricity using Green indicator and entropy of daily travel flow data, and finally, the balance between agglomeration economies and diseconomies using Correspondence analysis. Findings show that the city has been able to access the market demand of larger and coastal cities, lower production costs due to cheap land prices, land ownership and cheaper labor, and increasing returns become into a specialized furniture market that achieves better performance than larger cities by increasing competition, lowering prices, diversity and competition. In this regard, it is suggested that this concept could be used as support to reconsider the development role of small and medium-sized cities.

Urban areas are often considered very important tourist destinations due to their many historical and cultural attractions. For this reason, urban facilities and equipment are among the most important factors that can attract international and domestic tourists in a city. Therefore, this study examines the development of tourism and green indicators of smart urban growth in the city of Isfahan and evaluates the role and impact of three green indicators, urban furniture and arrays, sidewalks and green spaces. The method of the present research is descriptive-analytical and survey method and is applied in terms of applicability. Using a questionnaire to collect basic information and using SPSS and PLS software, it was found that the three green indicators of furniture and urban arrays, sidewalks and green spaces based on the proposed research model have a positive impact and role in development. Isfahan tourism and the results performed on a sample of people in Isfahan, showed that the index of urban green spaces has a greater impact on the development of tourism in the region than the other two indicators and the index of furniture and urban arrays and sidewalks are in the next categories.

Today, city management is of particular importance due to the complexity of its issues and problems. Using new approaches can help solve the problem to some extent. The city of Arak is facing many problems such as air pollution, urban traffic, etc. Therefore, the purpose of the present study is the identification and analysis of drivers affecting the development of urban management in the city of Arak using this tool (scenario writing). The required data and information were collected by library and field methods, and interviewing experts (Delphi method). To analyze the data, MICMAMC software was first used to determine the effect of variables and Morphol software was used to predict the scenarios. Finally, the obtained results showed variables such as macro-national management, international sanctions, lack of attention to citizenship, instability of management, politicization of managers have the most impact on the performance of Arak urban management and have the highest direct impact score. Also, out of 5000 valid output scenarios, 10 scenarios with the highest inertia (probability of occurrence and reproducibility) were presented as the final scenarios. According to the type of scenarios, the management performance of the city is in an intermediate state, which can be improved by moving the middle scenarios towards optimism and prevent the occurrence of catastrophic scenarios.

Cities have become a regional phenomenon both physically and functionally in recent years. Thus, by the change of the ontological status of space, logic and meaning of place in a new context have been interpreted in the new context. Central Mazandaran has faced the challenges of functional segregation due to lack of integrated regional development strategies, lack of attention to competition or cooperation of centers and urban areas in the network. It seems that under the existing direction of spaces, the conducted researches will not be able to describe the integrity, function and structure of the urban network in the province. The study used descriptive-analytical method and network analysis tools to explore the components and indicators of spatial interaction analysis and to study the spatial pattern of central Mazandaran urban network by analyzing the origin-destination data for the year 2018. The results showed the formation of a multi- base centered system and even a balanced network in the region. Therefore, by evoluting the new pattern in the region, there is a need for change in approach of spatial planning based on the economic advantages of network. The relations among the bigger cities are not seen only competitive but they should be complementary with each other. Moreover, the results of social network analysis indicated that the morphology of the polycentric region of Central Mazandaran has a significant influence on the area as the form of the region is such that the adjacent cities follow the cluster pattern and have a network structure.