Organizing the Plain Cities with Emphasis on Infill Development (A Case Study of Behshahr)

In recent decades, the emergence of various problems due to the vast  Physical-Spatial growth of cities such as reduced quality of life and indicators of human development, lack of citizens' full access to services and housing, existence of abandoned urban spaces and worn-out textures in urban areas have all led to the approach of infill  development which should be considered by reviving the existing capacities within cities in order to prevent the destruction of the environment and natural resources, spatial and physical organization of the city and the optimal use of urban lands. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the role of the infill development approach in organizing the plain city of Behshahr. This research is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive-analytical in terms of method. The statistical population of the research included managers and experts of executive bodies and citizens. Based on the criteria of infill development, the effectiveness of this approach in organizing and guiding the principles of urban development programs and the performance of urban management institutions in spatial-functional improvement and urban planning, 29 indicators have been considered as an analytical framework for the research. The results showed that in exploiting the capacities and areas of internal development of Behshahr, only environmental criteria with an average of 2.91 and a T-score of -1.21 have been considered in urban development programs. The urban management institutions with one-dimensional view have paid attention to improving infrastructure indicators with an average of 3.09 and a T-score of 2.54 among the five dimensions.Also in the field of spatial-functional improvement and urban organization of Behshahr, urban management institutions have a relatively good performance only in the development of net urban density, optimal use of existing infrastructure and facilities, development of road network and identification and utilization of existing capacities for internal development. The situation of per capita in urban areas and the reduction of development pressure in green spaces have not received much attention.Finally, based on the opinions of urban experts, attention to functional zoning, costs and financial needs, congestion in urban areas, problems from the perspective of residents and citizens and improving infrastructure have been identified as the most important factors affecting the infill development of Behshahr.