An Assessment Model for Challenges of Urban Management System in Iranian New Towns, Based on Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) Approach

 Regarding the nature of the New Towns in Iran, the attempt to have a desirable habitation and an expected level of urban qualified life by residents in these settlements is faced with multiple challenges. This research aims at presenting an evaluative model of the urban management challenges in New Towns based on the interpretive structural modeling approach. In the present study, the interpretive structural modeling is used to map the hierarchical relationships of the main factors. Hence, the main sources of data in this study are the opinions of a panel of experts in this field. In this method, the initial self-interaction matrix is created and the final reachability matrix is drawn. Thereafter, the variables are ranked and their relationships are clarified and clustered. The results indicate that the factors are ranked in six groups that are included in the cause and effect diagram as follows: the “environmental” factors at the first level, the “social and cultural” factors at the second level, the “facilities and services” at the third level, the “administrative and institutional” factors and “urban development and architecture” factors at the fourth level, the “financing and budgeting” factors at the fifth level and finally the “planning and policy-making” and “legal” factors at the sixth level. Moreover, the clustering of factors showed that the two “planning and policy making” factors and “legal” factors are recognized as independent driving factors. In addition, “urban development and architecture”, “administrative and institutional”, “financing and budgeting”, and “environmental” factors were identified as intermediary factors. Finally, the “facilities and services”, and “social and cultural” factors were considered as dependent ones. None of the factors were clustered as autonomous. The results of this research can help planners and policy-makers to review the urban management system of New Towns for further improvement of the system structure and enhancing the ability of facing the challenges and improving the quality of life for citizens of these towns.