جستجوی مقالات مرتبط با کلیدواژه « Small Cities » در نشریات گروه « اقتصاد »

Distribution of population and activity in space, called as spatial planning in development literature, is the main factor of balance and development in national and regional scale. This paper aims to evaluate the policy of small cities in regional development, the position of small cities in the western area of Zagros in population distribution, and job creation. Research method is descriptive-analytical based on documentary data that were qualified in GIS and Excel soft wares. The results indicated that population distribution and job opportunities are imbalanced between urban classes and are not in line with regional balance. 68percent (9 percent of cities) of population live in few large and medium cities and only 32 percent of urban population live in small cities network and rural–urban commuting areas (RUCAs) forming 91 percent of urban areas. Spatial structure of urban occupation is imbalanced. As a result, urbanization system of the area confronts with maximum population and activity concentration, infrastructures, and types of occupation capacities focusing on service and industry sectors in in large and medium cities vis-à-vis maximum distribution in the majority of this area and its small cities. Even though regional development policies emphasize on small cities approach, urbanization changes of the area, unlike mentioned policies, have resulted in centralization and dominated by high levels of urban system, and the role of small cities has been less considered in reducing inequality and creating regional development and balance.

Small cities, as a link among big and middle cities and urban villages, can be influential on service giving centers in urban hierarchy and regional development; as a result, they are in many planners, focus of attention. Urban system in Iran, besides, are revealing the fact that small cities do not enjoy a great influence in giving services to their own boundaries. This also holds true in the case of Isfahan. Isfahan province included 101 cities in 2011, 85 cities of which are considered small cities (less than 50 thousand people). The current article aims at making an investigation into the role and function of small cites of Isfahan province in urban system and regional development. The research method is descriptiveanalytic in which quantitative models and statistical methods are applied. According to the surveys made through Rank-Size Model, the gradient of the line increased from 1956 to 2011. The Entropy Index of the cities of Isfahan province stands witness to the spatial imbalance. Via a survey based on L. Q. Index, the industrial and services sections in the city of Nain are economically justified as basic sections and the study of the influence factor of Nain based on developing method of Morris determines different layers of services. What has diminished the function of such cities in urban system and regional development is insufficient number of middle cities (with population of 100 to 250 thousand people) in urban hierarchy and is the intense centralization of facilities in the city of Isfahan. As a result, supporting small cites and encouraging investment in them may pave the way for achieving a balanced spatial structure in the whole province.