نشریه کاوش های جغرافیایی مناطق بیابانی
سال هشتم شماره 2 (پاییز و زمستان 1399)

Nowadays, the physical expansion of cities has made citizens dependent on private and public vehicles to move around the city to meet their needs. In recent decades, many cities around the world have made efforts to improve their central texture. One of these measures has been to build turns in some streets into sidewalks, which has proved to improve the quality of the environment by eliminating or reducing car traffic on busy streets. Walking is as natural as breathing. Increased physical activity is one of the biggest health concerns of the 21st century. Encouraging people to walk as a superior way to move them is very important due to its positive effects, and strategies need to be adopted to make it attractive. The purpose of implementing these policies is to increase the environmental quality of walking through the street space which is the right of way for pedestrians. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of socio-economic factors on pedestrian acceptance in Kashan. The research is of an applied type.

The research method in the present study is descriptive-analytical.  To obtain and collect up-to-date data, the researcher prepared a questionnaire which, according to the research background and theoretical foundations, included many socio-economic issues affecting the acceptance of walking in Kashan. The statistical population of the present study consisted of the city population of 304487. The sample size was estimated to be 150 people based on the Sample Power software. The data were analyzed by the SPSS and AMOS software programs. The main tool of this research was a questionnaire with 68 items whose content validity was confirmed by experts, and the reliability of the questionnaire was confirmed by completing 30 initial questionnaires and performing Cronbach's alpha test. Cronbach's alpha test was also used to determine compatibility. The reliability of the questionnaire was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha test in the SPSS environment for 44 questionnaire items. A number was obtained to indicate the reliability of the questionnaire.

The results of the analyses indicate that the variables of age, sex, and location contribute for more than 0.5, which is statistically significant. It is also indicated that the underlying factors (i.e. age, gender, and neighborhood) are effective in accepting the walk. The variables of social interaction, happiness, attractiveness, attendance, and enhanced level of awareness are of higher effects than the desired average (3), and the variables of security and satisfaction with services are lower than the average. According to the average values obtained, the sum of the averages of social indicators is equal to 3.28. It can be stated that the total of social variables in this region is at a higher level than the average. This factor indicates the desirability of social indicators in the region. Among the economic factors, the variables rate of business use, the prosperity of use, commercial real estate, residential real estate, willingness to buy, and travel cost have been defined as significant (0.05). Also, according to the upper and lower limits and the significance levels, the variables of business usage, prosperity, commercial and residential real estate, and travel costs are significant and of appropriate evaluation indexes, and the variable of multiple shopping centers is higher than 3; due to the level of significance of 0.257 and the upper and lower limits, it is not significant and, thus, inappropriate. The average of the total economic indexes is found higher than the average level, which indicates the desirability of this index in the region. The findings of the second-order factor model show which variables are ultimately more important. The findings show that the social factor has the highest factor load of 0.89 and is more effective than the other factors. Next to the social factor, there are the health factor with a factor load of 0.6 and the economic variable with a factor load of 0.58. Therefore, it can be said that the social factor has the greatest impact on the acceptance rate of pedestrians.

According to the results of this study, suggestions are viewed reasonable for accepting to walk in Kashan. They are as follows: Creating micro-service applications for easier access, creating public open spaces such as squares, local parks, providing adequate lighting for sidewalks at night, using signs and boards to identify sidewalks and places of interest in Kashan, increasing the width of the sidewalks, and providing access to shops, benches, chairs, kiosks and toilets in the city.

The UHI is the effect of the thermal properties of the constructions that results in higher temperatures in urban areas compared to the surrounding areas. The UHI intensifies heat waves during the summer and increases energy consumption. Well-known UHI reduction methods utilize increased vegetation such as shading surfaces through increased tree coverage on buildings. In this research, we focus on the strategic planning of shade trees, which has been shown to provide energy and long-term cost savings to enhance the environmental quality of the urban ecosystem. A simple method to create abundant shade involves planting as many trees as possible on all sides of the building. This approach, however, isn’t practical because of the cost of trees as well as water restrictions in many water-regulated communities. Similarly, excessive shading reduces the possibility of holding exposed rooftops for placing electricity-generating solar panels. The goal of this research is to consider where to optimally and precisely locate shade trees around the building such that a) the shading of the facade, windows, and doors of the building is maximized but the rooftop shade is minimized, and b) spatial optimization is creatively used to find the best tree locations quantitatively in a 3-dimensional (3D) environment. In this study, therefore, a 3D spatial optimization model is presented to identify optimal tree locations for residential structures by integrating the GIS with ACO methods to solve this problem as a mathematical model. The modeling is done on a residential building in Semnan City, where tree shade coverage, water conservation, and solar energy potential are critical because of the hot and dry conditions.

A 3D representation of a building is used with the height and dimensions of 3 m and 12×12 m2 respectively. The building has three windows with a dimension of 1.6 × 2 m2 on the north, east and, west facades and two windows and one door with a dimension of 2 × 3.2 m2 on the south facade. To represent a 3D tree, a simple design of pine with a height of 6 m and a crown radius of 2 m is used. Then, the theory of Duffie and Beckman (2013) is used in GIS to store the positions of 3D objects and extract shade coverage. Also, the MCLP is defined according to Church and Murray (2009). The details of the optimization steps are as follows: a) Defining a set of possible tree positions based on the height, crown radius, surrounding area, and outlook of the building b) Using a method for locating the first tree in all the possible positions around the building in the hot hours of certain summer days, then calculating the maximum shading on the building based on the weight of building components c) Eliminating the possible positions within the tree crown to prevent their overlap d) Repeating steps 2 and 3 to locate the next trees in possible positions around the building block until the trees reach the required number for shading There are three reasons for using ACO for 3D position optimization as follows: 1) The complexity of computing the shading on the building, especially using a highly-detailed 3D model for the tree and building 2) The lack of a particular method to solve the optimization problem considering the nonlinear constraints, including trigonometric functions 3) The constant space around the building block, making it possible to locate trees anywhere Therefore, there are infinite combinations of multiple trees in the solution space. Considering the infinite possible positions, a simplification step is required to limit the number of the available positions. So, the constant space is reduced to possible positions for locating Ni trees with two-meter spacing in the N-S and E-W directions. Further, the possible tree positions in front of the opening components are eliminated to make daylight available, have an outlook from the building, and commute through the doors. The minimum spacing of two meters between the trees and the building is set to prevent unnecessary shading on the rooftop.

A computer program is developed to maximize the shade coverage on the facade/opening and minimize it on the rooftop via ACO in Matlab. The results show that, for a building in the northern hemisphere, the trees in the north of the building have no effect in shade coverage on the building. Finding the best location for trees depends a lot on the position of the opening in the building, because of the high heat transfer through the opening versus the facade and rooftop. Table 1 shows the percentage of shade coverage on building components from 9 to 15 o’clock in four sample summer days when one to three trees are planted in suitable places around the building.   Table 1. Percentage of the shadow created by tress on the building components Number of trees The best location Percentage of shadow on facade Percentage of shadow on opening Percentage of shadow on rooftop 1 Location K8 on the south 14.73% 23.08% 3% 2 Location K8 on the south & H11 on the east 26.21% 30.77% 5% 3 Location K8 on the south, H11 on the east & H3 on the west 36.04% 38.46% 7%  

In this study, in addition to the determination of the shade coverage of trees, a model is used for 3D spatial optimization to predict the optimal positions of trees for shade coverage on a 3D building. For this purpose, 3D modeling and GIS location processing have been done to determine the 3D geometric characteristics of the building, aiming to optimize the tree shadow on the building. The ACO algorithm is used to create the mathematical model to determine the optimal tree position and achieve optimal tree shading on the building. This study is one of the first attempts at determining the exact position and number of trees needed for optimal tree shading on a residential building in Iran.

Iran, along with the Mediterranean countries, is known as one of the main habitats of pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) in the world. This plant plays an important role in the economies of arid and semi-arid countries such as Iran, Turkey and Syria. Although pistachio crop can produce a medium-quality yield with low water consumption, proper irrigation management can help to increase yield with higher quality. Evapotranspiration, which involves the evaporation of water from the soil surface and transpiration from vegetation, represents the fundamental process of a hydrological cycle. Monitoring the spatial and temporal changes of evapotranspiration is very important for irrigation and water management, especially in arid areas. Evapotranspiration on a homogeneous surface can be measured using conventional techniques such as Bowen ratio, Eddie covariance, water balance, and on field surfaces using a lysimeter system. These methods are usually costly and time-consuming and also do not have the ability to be generalized at a large heterogeneous level. As a result, it is more desirable to use remote sensing methods that take these heterogeneities and changes into account. Several algorithms have been developed to determine evapotranspiration using satellite imagery. In this regard, the SEBAL algorithm is one of the most widely used methods to determine the actual evapotranspiration by remote sensing. The aim of the present study was to determine the actual evapotranspiration using the SEBAL algorithm during different phenological periods and the growing season in pistachio orchards on the edge of Abarkooh desert in Yazd Province. The results of this study can be used to effectively manage the water consumption and prevention of drought stress in pistachio gardens.

The study area is located in Yazd Province, 20 km south of Dehshir district. The total study area is 13971 hectares, of which approximately 3160 hectares are covered with pistachio gardens. In the present study, 16 images of Landsat 8 with 16-day periods from 03/16/2015 to 11/11/2015 were used after the atmospheric, geometric and radiometric errors were corrected. The reason for choosing the mentioned time period is that this it is the active growing season of pistachios. In the next step, the input parameters of the SEBAL algorithm were prepared, and the actual daily evapotranspiration rates at the transit dates of the Landsat 8 were calculated. Then, the rates of evapotranspiration were obtained in 15-day phenological periods, including the four main stages of phenology and the entire one-year growth period of pistachios. Also, in order to evaluate the results, the daily evapotranspiration of pistachio trees in the passing days of the satellite was calculated according to FAO 56 guidelines and at six different points on pistachio lands. In the next step, the correlation coefficient and the RMSE of daily evapotranspiration were obtained by the SEBAL algorithm and the FAO 56 instructions.

A comparison of the daily rates of evapotranspiration obtained by SEBAL algorithm and the FAO 56 showed that the two models are well matched; the average correlation and RMSE at six points were 0.77 and 1.24 mm / day respectively. Based on the results, the average and maximum evapotranspiration of pistachios in a one-year growth period in 2015 in the study area were 1015 and 1650 mm respectively. Also, in 83% of the study area, the actual evapotranspiration rate in a one-year growing season was 700 to 1300 mm. The maximum rate of evapotranspiration was observed in June and July with a rate change between 80 to 100 mm during 15-day phenological stages. According to the results, 50% of evapotranspiration occurs in the period from June 1st to August 31st. The rates of pistachio evapotranspiration are different according to the climatic conditions, the water management system and the area. In some studies done outside Iran, the yearly rate of pistachio evapotranspiration have been found to be 800, 600 and 1018 mm. In two different studies in Ardakan region of Yazd, the actual evapotranspiration of pistachio trees was estimated 1133 and 1275 mm using the SEBAL algorithm. Another study in Yazd Province showed that more than 60% of Marvast pistachio gardens have a seasonal water consumption of 410 to 680 mm, while the cumulative evapotranspiration of the reference plant and the standard evapotranspiration and transpiration of pistachios in the same period were 1558 and 920 mm respectively. In other words, the pistachio trees in this area are under drought stress, which will reduce the crop yield.

Although valid terrestrial evapotranspiration data such as lysimetric data were not available in the study area to compare with the results of the Sebal algorithm, comparing these results with those of other studies in this field shows that the findings of the present study are accurate and dependable. Also, the comparison of the rates of daily evaporation obtained through the SEBAL algorithm and the FAO 56 method showed that the results of the two models were well matched. In general, the results of the present study suggest the capability of remote sensing techniques to calculate evapotranspiration and their usefulness in crop irrigation management.

The sun is the main source of Earth energy and its climate changes. Changes in the amount of energy emitted from the sun or in its surface temperature can cause fluctuations in the atmosphere. Solar spots are among the factors that can affect the climatic conditins of the Earth periodically and ultimately lead to climate changes. The wavelet transform (WT) has been a major development in the field of data analysis since the 1980s. It is an effective means of processing time-series data, especially those with nonstationary characteristics. Iran has been experiencing high climatic variations during the past decades.Wavelet analysis can be a powerful tool to analyze the processes that are nonstationary in nature and occur over finite spatiotemporal domains. In particular, it is used to study oscillatory behavior and reveal the periodicities present in signals. To obtain the possible correlations among the periodic behaviors represented in environmental datasets, wavelet analyses have to be performed. A wavelet is a wave-like oscillatory function which is localized in a time and frequency space and must have a mean of zero. The output is a graphical representation of the 95% confidence level contour, which shows the correlation between two time series, as a function of the signal period and its time evolution

Wavelets are flexible functions that are resolved in the time and frequency domains and, thus, ideal to quantify the changes in the contribution of each period (or frequency) over time to the overall variance (or power) of a signal (e.g., a time series). Because wavelets can be scaled (i.e., contracted or dilated), they can efficiently accommodate both high and low-frequency structures in nonstationary signals, whose statistical characteristics vary over time. In this study, the Morlet wavelet was used, and the spectral analysis of precipitation time series was done through using the wavelet theory with the aim of identifying the effect of sunspots on the spectral behavior of precipitation. The precipitation data as well as the data on the sunspots for a period of 50 year (1961-2010) were used at two synoptic stations of Isfahan and Kashan. To this end, the researcher benefited from statistical analysis and wavelet analysis using the MATLAB software. Sunspots are the most important indicators of the variability in solar radiation; in the majority of studies, the relative number of sunspots is mainly used to analyze the sunspot changes.

Many studies have analysed the variability in precipitation, since climate change has become a major global issue. We investigated the trends of precipitation in two synoptic stations of Isfahan and Kashan and explored the changes in local water resources to improve our understanding of the impacts of climate change on water resources in the area sunspots in different years. Also, the correlation coefficients of these fluctuations at the mentioned stations were calculated. Based on the wavelet analysis, it was obvious that during all the months of the year sunspots activity left behind an 11-year-old cycle. Of course, in different months, the extremes of activities and fluctuations were found to be different. The plotted wavelets for different months of the year were evaluated. It was revealed that, during the statistical period of 60 years, there have been four cycles in the sunspot activity with a different degree of intensity in each cycle. According to the results, there was no significant relationship between precipitation and the activity of solar spots. Based on wavelet analysis, there was a poor negative correlation between them. Considering the analysis of a 50-year period, four 11-year cycles were observed in the sunspot activity.

Sunspots are the most important indicators of variability in solar radiation. In the majority of studies, the relative number of sunspots is mainly used to analyze the sunspot changes. The application of wavelet transform and regression analysis helps to interpret the periodic cycles, trends and non-stationarities on different timescales in the climate records examined. The present study was conducted based on the annual, seasonal, and monthly averages of the sunspots during a statistical period of 50 years derived from the American Geophysical Union. The aim was to investigate the connection among the 11-year sunspot activity cycles and precipitation patterns in two synoptic stations of Isfahan and Kashan from 1961 to 2010. It was observed that the peak activity was in the second and the third cycles, and the least one was in the first and the fourth cycles. Additionally, the range of rainfall cycles (7-12 years) was higher in the fall than in the other seasons at the studied stations. The findings of this study can be beneficial for policymakers to consider future potential droughts and wet years based on sunspot activities so that water resources can be more properly managed.

The special and critical ecological conditions of Jazmourian lagoon are considered as serious environmental challenges across the region. So, taking practical measures in this case is inevitable. To that end and in order to achieve sustainability in water resources and all the other environmental factors there, adopting sustainable and adaptive policies should be the center of any action plan. Jazmourian, with its specific structure and an area of 3300 square kilometers, is one of the seasonal lagoons located among Sistan and Baluchestan and Kerman provinces. Due to climatic changes and the construction of several dams to feed upstream rivers including Jiroft dam in Kerman Province and Karvandar dam in Sistan and Baluchestan Province, the lagoon has faced serious environmental challenges. According to the surveys, this area is considered as one of the dust centers in the southwest of Iran, and it will completely dry up in case of any continuation in drought conditions and lack of treatment measures. Lack of purposeful and capable management strategies is known as one of the destruction causes where the measures envisaged for the operation or even protection of wetlands do not lead to desired results in many cases. In addition, management of a lagoon, unlike other natural ecosystems, is significantly dependent on the upstream activities. Any development activities or resource utilization across the upstream catchments leading to a lagoon has significant consequences. Therefore, the development of action plans concerning lagoon management should be based on comprehensive approaches on a basin scale. While lagoons provide many ecosystem services, they have been subjected to high pressures across the world; it has been well documented and demonstrated in some cases. Therefore, it is necessary to do research on those areas, especially on Jazmourian, which has received less attention than other lagoons. However, in some places, due to lack of data, evaluation has not been done. A structural and comprehensive method is, thus, needed to collect and analyze the data and guide users through a comprehensive environmental assessment of the place. An action plan is also needed to highlight the lack of data and identify susceptible areas for prioritization. The aim of the present study is to comprehensively evaluate the capabilities and bottlenecks for the protection and optimal management of Jazmourian lagoon using the VIKOR multi-criteria decision model.

Library and document studies were conducted as the method of data collection in the present study and an attempt was made to control some data and to achieve some mental realization of the lagoon and its conditions. Field surveys and interviews were performed with some experienced managers and experts in lagoon management using a questionnaire. Then, through field study and observations, five effective managerial indicators were identified. Afterward, by using DPSIR indicators and the Vickor model, the data analysis and identification and prioritization of the indicators were performed, and management solutions and suggestions were adopted.

The indicators of the DPSIR model are pressure, driving force, position, effect and response. The pressure index, the driving force, position, effect index and response in the model are benefited by 4, 9, 1, 5 and 12 components respectively (Table 1). The components of the DPDIR model and the average rankings of the indicators related to driving force, pressure, status, effect and response are listed in Table 2. Among the model components, the situation, pressure, response, effect and driving force sections with an average of 4.26, 4.24, 4.18, 4.07 and 3.89 are ranked from first to fifth respectively. The driving force of the component is the lack of coherent management with a score of 4.20 in the first place, the pressure of the disruption component of the upstream and downstream watershed with a score of 4.40 in the first place, the effect of the components of increasing dangerous diseases and increasing fine dust with scores of 4.60, 4.53 in the first and second ranks, the response of the component of construction of small dams instead of large ones with a score of 4.70 were in the first rank. Then, the extracted solutions were ranked using the VIKOR method. The result of VIKOR concerning the evaluation and hierarchy analysis of the management strategies revealed that maintaining and restoring native vegetation with zero weight reached the highest priority and was laid in the top of the hierarchical analysis. Then, public participation in watershed management with a weight of 0.119, construction of small dams instead of large ones with a weight of 0.179, job opportunity creation in the service and handicrafts sector with a weight of 0.196, arranging drilled wells with a weight of 0.312, cultivation of cost-effective plants in terms of virtual water with a weight of 0.205, expansion of the use of modern irrigation systems with a weight of 0.237, determination of real water prices in the agricultural sector with a weight of 0.488, the use of treated wastewater for irrigation with a weight of 0.509, development and expansion of greenhouse and sub-plastic cultivation with a weight of 0.742 and, finally, the solution of cementing, covering and piping of streams with a weight of 1 were sequentially the second priority.

Applying ecological management (conservation approach) along with engaging the indigenous communities of the region in management processes have been presented as the best management method.

Governance is an inherent element of cooperation between civil society and political society, as well as government and citizens. It is considered as a new vision of public administration. This theory deals with the causes and consequences of various forms of interaction between social actors and local governments. Urban regeneration means the revitalization and renewal of the old textures in a city. It is a process that leads to the creation of new urban spaces while preserving the main spatial features (physical-activity). In social, economic and environmental dimensions, the process takes place on urban, regional and national scales. From functional and historical points of view, District 12 in Tehran is one of the most important areas of the city that currently suffers from a kind of inefficiency and disorder. The growth of population has declined in recent years, which is due to the vulnerability of social context, physical instability as well as environmental, social and economic degeneration. Therefore, the present study has evaluated the role of the components of good urban governance in the reconstruction of dysfunctional urban structures in District 12 of Tehran Municipality.

The research method in the present study is descriptive-analytical, and documentary data were collected through a survey using a questionnaire. As many as 383 questionnaires were prepared and completed using a simple random sampling method. The data were analyzed using the SPSS and PLS Smart software programs. In this research, heuristic factor analysis was done to classify the corresponding components, determine their degree of importance, analyze the relationships among the indicators and rank them through PLS path modeling with the help of the Smart PLS software and Friedman test conducted with the SPSS software.

In the present study, heuristic factor analyses were performed to determine the coefficients of the importance of the components of good urban governance affecting the regeneration of dysfunctional urban structures. Structural equation modeling and Friedman test were also done to identify the relationships among the indicators and the components and to rank the factors of good urban governance affecting urban regeneration. In order to extract the coefficient of importance of the components of good urban governance affecting the regeneration of dysfunctional urban contexts, exploratory factor analyses were performed. In the factor analysis of 10 governance criteria affecting the regeneration of disordered urban structures in District 12 of Tehran Municipality, four factors were identified as the main factors. The variables of participation, transparency, legitimacy and empowerment on the first factor emerged to have more practical burden. The variables of responsibility, accountability, justice and fairness had greater effects on the second factor. Also, the variables of flexibility, efficiency and effectiveness on the third factor and the variables of strategic insight and agreement orientation on the fourth factor had the highest factor loads. As the comparison of the factor scores indicated, the first factor, including the criteria of participation, transparency, legitimacy and empowerment, was found as the most important factor of good urban governance affecting the regeneration of dysfunctional urban structures in District 12 of Tehran Municipality. According to the results of the PLS path structure and the analysis model, the components of empowerment, efficiency and effectiveness and transparency with the path coefficients of 0.820, 0.766 and 0.653 had the first to the third ranks respectively. The components of flexibility, legitimacy, justice and fairness, strategic insight, agreement orientation, participation and responsibility and accountability were ranked next with the path coefficients of 0.639, 0.630, 0.552, 0.568, 0.537, 0.463 and 0.442 respectively. They had the fourth to the tenth ranks of impact on the regeneration of dysfunctional urban structures. According to the results of Friedman test, the components of good urban governance affecting urban regeneration were prioritized by the respondents. Empowerment, regularity and transparency with average values of 7.85, 7.23 and 6.62 were ranked first to third. The components of efficiency and effectiveness, flexibility, participation, justice and fairness, responsibility and accountability, agreement orientation and strategic insight were also ranked fourth to tenth respectively.

The results obtained in the present study show that good urban governance as a new management model is of effects on a large scale on the regeneration of dysfunctional urban structures. Good urban governance has certain components ten of which were evaluated in the present study based on theoretical perspectives and a research-guided approach. All the components proved to have a positive effect on the regeneration of dysfunctional urban contexts. In terms of ranking and the extent of impact on the regeneration of dysfunctional urban contexts, the components of empowerment, transparency, regulation and efficiency and effectiveness are in at the top and are more influential. Therefore, in order to upgrade and organize these components based on their degree of importance and rank, it is possible through planning to facilitate the viability of regeneration in dysfunctional urban contexts.

Dogonbadan City is located in Gachsaran County in the southern part of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province. Since the beginning of oil extraction, this region has been divided into two different residential areas in terms of living conditions. One area belonged to the employees of the Oil and Gas Company and the other was the residence of the natives of the region. In this division and accommodation, the employees of the oil company, while provided with all kinds of free services, were accommodated on flat fields and wide streets built according to international standards (as it is still the case). On the other hand, the natives of the region were settled on the hills near the city of Dogonbadan for unknown reasons, which denotes a kind of spatial injustice in the city. According to some studies, it seems that there is a relationship between the physical-environmental components, livelihood-economic base and social base of the citizens on one hand and the livability of the neighborhoods on the other hand. This study intends to pathologically examine the most important components affecting the promotion of urban livability by emphasizing the physical, spatial, social and cultural dimensions. Finally, solutions are provided to reduce the spatial injustice and improve the livability of the neighborhoods.

The present study is of an applied descriptive-analytical type. The statistical population consisted of the residents of Sadat neighborhoods (old texture) and the employees of the oil company (new texture) in Dogonbadan. The Cochran method was used to estimate the sample size, and 200 respondents were selected through random sampling. The respondents were the heads of households, owners, investors, officials and city managers in Dogonbadan. The data required for the research were evaluated through the SPSS and AMOS software programs.

According to the results, the situation in the neighborhoods of Dogonbadan is unfavorable in all the components of livability. For instance, in the economic dimension, the Kruskal-Wallis test showed the low satisfaction of the citizens in Sadat neighborhood with an average of 1.87 as compared to the higher level of satisfaction of the oil company neighborhood with an average of 4.01. In the socio-cultural dimension, the results of the Kruskal-Wallis test show a significant difference at the level of 99% in terms of the component of urban education and citizenship; the neighborhood of the oil company with an average of 4.3 stood in the first rank, and Sadat neighborhood of Dogonbadan with the average of 2.41 took the next position. In the physical-environmental dimension, to measure the quality of the environment and the physicality of the city, 12 components were used in this field. The results showed a significant difference of up to 95% for some components. In fact, there was a huge difference in the physical-environmental dimension between the selected neighborhoods, and the obtained averages showed that the residents of Sadat neighborhood were less satisfied than those in the oil company neighborhood. Finally, to confirm the findings, the satisfaction levels of the citizens of different neighborhoods with the services provided by the responsible organizations in the city were compared. As the results of the Kruskal-Wallis test showed, only in the component of public transport network expansion, there was a significant difference of up to 99% between the different urban areas; for many components such as fire station, green space, flood dam and urban furniture, there were significant differences of up to 95%. The other items were not significantly different.

According to the results of this study, it can be claimed that the neighborhoods of Dogonbadan are not in a favorable situation in various aspects of livability and urban sustainability. However, of the two selected neighborhoods, the residents of the oil town are in a better situation due to various social, economic and environmental advantages. The most important reasons for the differences, especially the level of livability, between the studied neighborhoods seem to be  lack of proper urban services, lack of proper asphalt, surface and open sewage in Sadat neighborhood, urban management complex paying no attention to cleanliness and urban health, lack of safe drinking water, lack of connection to the smart urban transportation system, unemployment and the prevalence of false and hidden jobs, proliferation of businesses, malnutrition and homelessness, the spread of social harms, social and service discrimination and unsustainable security. The neighborhoods, especially in Sadat neighborhood, are disadvantageous in terms of bioavailability.

Inefficient structures are part of the urban space that cause disorganization, imbalance, inequality, inefficiency and declining urban life. As the smallest cell and the most important factor in the sustainability of urban life, these structures play an important role in the urban future. Therefore, paying attention to the future perspective and planning for these places can lead to the stability of neighborhoods and the whole city. In recent years, urban planners and managers have turned their attention to sustainable planning through regeneration to address the problems faced by inefficient structures. Sustainable regeneration is a comprehensive and integrated approach to solving urban problems, leading to the continuous improvement of sustainable conditions in the physical, social, economic and environmental domains. The present study seeks to investigate the key factors affecting the sustainable regeneration of the dysfunctional texture in District 14 of Isfahan City.

The present research is applied in terms of purpose, descriptive-analytical in terms of research method, and, in terms of nature, based on new futuristic, analytical and exploratory methods. Data collection was done through a documentary-survey technique. To determine the variables, the Delphi method was used along with the opinions of experts. By snowball sampling method, 15 experts consisting of those in urban planning who were familiar with the study area were selected to respond. In this connection, the variables extracted from the documents and the variables obtained from the interview with experts were combined, and a set of variables was formed, which affected the future of sustainable reconstruction of dysfunctional tissue in District 14 including physical, social, economic, environmental and institutional dimensions. The variables were included in a questionnaire in the form of a 35 x 35 matrix to identify the interactions among them. Finally, matrix analysis was performed using the Mick Mac software.

The results of the study were based on a cross-impact matrix questionnaire that consisted of 1190 questions for 35 variables. Some variables were removed because they had no systematic and comprehensive effects. Depending on which area of the matrix the sum of the values of the matrix was located; five categories of variables could be identified. The method of distribution and the dispersion of variables in the scatter plot showed the degree of the system instability. According to the results obtained, out of 35 factors studied in this study, 16 factors were identified as key factors influencing the future of regenerating the dysfunctional texture in District 14. Out of those 16 factors, two were related to Zone 4 (independent variable). Due to the fact that the variables in this zone had a low impact, they were ignored according to the logic of the Mick Mac model and in order to simplify the planning process and focus on key variables. As a result, the 16 key factors found were provided to the group of experts in the form of a panel for screening. After re-screening, they were reduced to nine propulsive forces and considered as the final key factors.

Generally, nine key drivers were extracted as the main factors affecting the sustainable recreation of the study area. They included the immigration of foreign nationals, sanctions, inflation, financial crisis, attraction of domestic and foreign investments, expansion of the legal confines of District 14, stakeholder participation in urban decisions, planning the polar management style, tourist infrastructures and environmental sustainability. The results of this study showed that the variables defined in the economic domain have the greatest impact on the situation of he dysfunctional textures. Therefore, these variables have a significant advantage in terms of influencing other variables, and they can be introduced as key factors affecting the future of the sustainable regeneration of the dysfunctional texture in District 14. The recognition of the key factors makes it possible to deal with the problem of structural dysfunctionality. The findings of this study and what has been obtained from the existing theories about sustainable urban regeneration call for attention to inefficient urban structures with new approaches to sustainable urban regeneration. This can not only stabilize and improve the economic, social, physical and environmental conditions of those structures but also increase sustainability in metropolises. At present, most reconstructions ignore the social, economic and environmental dimensions and pay attention to the physical dimension. In this research, the perspective of regeneration is stable. In other words, if the four dimensions of sustainable regeneration are considered together in metropolises, it can lead the whole city toward sustainability. Otherwise, without considering these four dimensions together, we will see the continuation of the current unstable situation, which has a beautiful shape but is worn-out and inefficient inside.

Climate change in cities has been in close focus in the past few decades. Heat stress in urban areas has also had adverse effects on human health and is expected to worsen in the future due to the global warming. In recent years, the mapping of urban biophysical and thermal conditions as well as their relation to land use and land cover (LULC) and air pollution has attracted increasing interest. In most cases, UHIs are a result of the use of fossil fuels which affect air-pollution in urban areas. It is a well-known fact that an increase in the population, particularly in developing countries, intensifies the pressure on natural resources. Rapid population growth, in conjunction with urbanization, expansion, and encroachment into limited agricultural and green areas lead to the destruction of vegetation coverage. It is obvious that such destruction, in combination with population growth, causes environmental impacts such as intensified land surface temperature (LST), UHIs and air-pollution. LST is considered as one of the important parameters in urban climate, which directly controls the UHI effects. LST is believed to be closely associated with LULC, resulting in heat islands. In general, thermal remote sensing is regarded as an efficient technology which provides a synoptic and uniform means of studying UHI effects on a regional scale. In the absence of a dense network of land-based meteorological stations, the spatiotemporal distribution of LSTs from thermal remote sensing imagery can be used as data to support UHI management and, potentially, countermeasures. Thermal satellite-measured LST has been utilized in various studies on heat balance, climate modelling, and global change. This is because LST is determined by the effective radiating temperature of the Earth’s surface to assess UHIs. There some methods devised in this regard, such as SplitWindow Algorithm (SWA) and Single Channel Method (SChM). In this line, the present research seeks to investigate the relationship between LST and LULC in Isfahan City, using Landsat thermal remote sensing satellite images. For this purpose, Landsat 8 (OLI) and Landsat 5(TM) satellite images were utilized, and the obtained images were received and preprocessed from 2000 to 2018.

The study area is Isfahan City located at the  longitudes of 51° 50′ E and 51° 78′ E and the latitudes of 32° 50′ N and 32° 80′ N. The data used in this study were Landsat 8-sensor (TIRS -OLI) and Landsat 5-sensor (TM) satellite images. Land use classification was also done by the Ecognition and Envi 5.3 software programs. Then, Hot Spot analysis was done to determine the hot and cold clusters in Isfahan thermal islands. Finally, the ArcGIS 10.5 software was used to plot the corresponding maps.

Land surface temperature was determined by the split window algorithm for images obtained via TIRS and the single-channel TM sensor of regional weather stations. The statistical analysis of the temperature data was done via Roots of Mean Square Errors (RMSE), and the values found for 2000 and 2018 were 1.64 and 0.93 respectively. The split window method proved to have a better performance than the single-channel method. The other achievement of this study is to identify the relationship of land surface temperature and land use. According to the results, the temperature of the desert areas was 42.76° C and 46.06° C in 2000 and 2018 respectively. It can be claimed that the high temperature of these area is due to the lack of vegetation. The temperature of the lands with water consumption was also 21.6°C and 32.09°C in 2000 and 2018 respectively. This phenomenon can be attributed to the development of urban areas and the recent droughts which have occurred in the Zayandeh Rood River. Consequently, Hot Spot analysis was done to determine the hot and cold clusters in Isfahan thermal islands. The analysis of the spatial correlation with global Moron indexes suggested that the surface temperature of the earth is distributed in a cluster form. Hot Spot analysis, indeed, provided evidence for the spatial concentration and clustering of the thermal islands in Isfahan over the time.

The results of this study showed that the object-oriented classification method provides better results and has a better kappa coefficient and higher overall accuracy. There is also a close relationship between land use and surface temperature. The results indicated a negative correlation between LST on one hand and vegetation canopy and moisture, as already known from many other studies. LST was found to be very sensitive to vegetation and humidity. The study also rejected the hypothesis of irrelevance of spatial temperature of Isfahan (H0) and proved that the surface temperature data of Isfahan have a spatial structure and are distributed in clusters.

The existence of various hazards in rural communities can be considered as a main obstacle in the process of sustainable development in economic, social and civil domains. The greater the risk, the more problematic the national development programs will be. The purpose of development is to improve the quality of life for everyone. Therefore, the effort to achieve development must be such that the majority of people benefit from it. Development should meet the needs primarily by eradicating poverty. Nowadays, a major concern, especially in developing countries, is to reach an acceptable level of development in various dimensions. Meanwhile, rural development is one of the primary and important foundations of the national development of any country. This is because villages still hold a large part of the population and play a significant role to ensure food security and production. Rural development should, therefore, be part of the national development plan, focusing on solving the problems of the rural community and somehow trying to eliminate deprivation and reduce poverty in these areas.

The present study is applied in nature. The research method is descriptive-analytical, and the data are provided through library and field sources. In the research process, first, the theoretical foundations of environmental hazards and the corresponding records were studied. Then, fourteen items and four factors including readiness, reaction, reduction and recovery were determined. The statistical population of the study consisted of the villages in Nimroz County. Due to the large number of villages there, 20% of them were selected, which included 15 villages with 1890 households. Using the Cochran's formula, a sample size of 320 was selected. The validity of the questionnaire was examined by professors and experts. For this purpose, after compilation, it was provided to experts, specialists and professors. Their opinions were collected, and the necessary corrections were made. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used to determine the reliability of the study. The alpha value was 0.72, which indicated that the number was desirable. It was also shown that the items designed to measure the indicators were internally correlated. To analyze the data, one-way sample test and multivariate regression analysis were used.

In this study, 67% of the respondents were male and 33% were female. Also, 59% of the respondents were married and 41% were single. Farmers made up the largest occupational group with a 48% proportion, while employees comprised 14% of the sample. The largest age group with a 33% proportion related to the people of 40 to 50 years of age, and the smallest was the age group of over 60 years. In order to investigate the dimensions of sustainable development in the villages of Nimroz County, a one-sample t-test was used. In this test, according to the range of five Likert options, 3 was considered as the desired average. If the mean obtained was less than the desired average, the effects of drought on the studied item were considered negative and significant. However, if the mean obtained was greater than or equal to the average, the drought would be considered with no or negligible effects.

The results of the study showed that the effects of drought on the sustainable development of villages in Nimroz County have been significant. These adverse effects include the reduction of the income from agricultural production and horticultural products, reduction of farming yields and gardening yields, increase of the price of farming crops and the costs of farming production, increase of non-agricultural incomes, reduced capital rural household investments, decrease of the economic value of rural property, decrease in non-agricultural job opportunities, decrease of investment incentives in agriculture, increase in natural risks and investment risks, increased debt to banks and government agencies, decrease of supply production inputs, increase of non-agricultural job opportunities, change of production and agricultural systems, destruction of springs and drying of wells, drastic reduction of groundwater and surface water resources, increase of pests and diseases in gardens, decline of water quality, increased temperature, increased water requirement of orchards, reduced diversity of rangeland forage, soil degradation and erosion, reduction of rangeland production and medicinal herbs, loss of wildlife habitats in the region, increase of invasive plants in rangelands, less willingness of villagers for agricultural activities, increase of rural migration and social tensions, reduced local participation and motivation of assistance among the villagers, reduced equality and justice in the distribution of funds and facilities, weakening of the beliefs and customs of the villagers, increase of psychological problems and rise of false jobs in the studied villages.

According to a 2016 census, there are 62,284 small populated and unpopulated villages located throughout Iran. Such a number as well as the presence of water, soil, and agricultural production capacities in these areas doubles the need for paying attention to green ethics. Consequently, to confront environmental crises across rural areas which are more exposed to the natural environment, it is necessary to focus on a number of important ethical principles regarding the environment including conservation of natural resources, renewal of consumed resources, reduction of pollutants and wastes, development of recycling programs, optimal management of waste disposal, adherence to both national and global environmental standards, and enhancement of environment conservation indices.   It appears that the significance of the culture of using natural resources and environmental facilities and coexistence with the environment is overlooked by the current generation. Additionally, the lack of education on environmental issues has desensitized the current generation against the subject while worsening the ecological unsustainability of various geographical spaces such as rural areas. Meanwhile, in the past, rural environments used to be relatively sustainable in ecological terms, and the level of environmental sensitivity used to be higher among rural residents. The lived experiences of the author in rural areas suggest that the past behavior of rural residents, particularly in the border-adjacent, dry and deprived Khaaf County in Khorasan Razavi Province, has been intertwined with environmental sensitivities; an aspect that has lost its importance as a result of changes in villagers’ values. A few instances of this situation are the prevalence of using disposable dishes in ceremonies instead of reusable copper plates, willingness to use ready-made foods (such as tomato paste and jam) already prepared at homes, releasing dangerous detergents in farming fields, and refusing to use indigenous materials and opting for non-native construction materials. Accordingly, the main research question was posed as ‘To what extent do the rural households living in the study area adhere to green ethics?’

The method used for the study is descriptive-analytical with applied purposes. Data collection was carried out through a combination of field and library studies. The indices and variables of the study were edited with respect to the theoretical foundations, literature reviews, and exploratory studies (interviews with local experts, rural managers and members of Islamic councils). In this research, on the basis of Likert scale., ‘green ethics’ was quantified using 39 indices divided by three dimensions of ‘human-centeredness’ with seven indices, ‘ecosystem-centeredness’ with 12 indices, and ‘God-centeredness’ with 19 indices. Cronbach’s Alpha was also used to confirm the reliability of the study’s numerous questions. Since the obtained coefficients for 38 indices were above 0.81, the reliability of the questionnaire was confirmed. Considering the fact that the data distribution was approved as normal, the one-sample t-test was used in SPSS to compare the mean value of the respondents’ assessment with the average value (Likert scale). In this study, 16 villages with the populations of over 20 households were randomly selected. Then, Cochran’s formula was used to select 235 families as the sample population followed by a random selection of the sample members in each village.

Given the significance level in the one-sample t-test, the mean value was significantly higher than the theoretical median in the three dimensions of green ethics and the construct (P-value = 0.000). Accordingly, the God-centered, human-centered, and ecosystem-centered aspects obtained the mean values of 4.06, 3.24, and 3.74 respectively, which were assessed to be in the range of medium to high. Taking into account the religious background of the residents in the region, who are mostly Sunni Muslims, and the substantial role of religion there, the God-centered aspect was found to be a higher average value than the other dimensions, with the lowest mean value belonging to the human-centered aspect. Overall, the mean value of the green ethics construct was above average (3.68). Furthermore, a significant positive correlation of average intensity was found between green ethics and its dimensions; improvement of the God-centered, human-centered, and nature-centered dimensions would increase green ethics value by 0.73, 0.65 and 0.75 respectively (P-value = 0/000).

Through emphasis on dos and don’ts, green ethics is an expression of how humans behave in the environment. In addition, behavioral theories also emphasize that human behavior is influenced by values, beliefs and insights. In other words, values, ethics and individual beliefs severely affect one’s decisions and actions. Such an approach calls for attention to ethical norms as one of the determinants of human interactions with nature. In this regard, certain recommendations may be made as follows: - Considering how human-centeredness is an effective dimension to explain changes in green ethics and how such an aspect is internalized within the family, the family occupies the first position as the most effective social group in green ethics. Therefore, it deserves special attention from environment conservation programs. - A review of educational methods and systems is essential as well. Governments and policymakers can be the trustees to introduce changes and new methods in development. The compilation of a set of environmental behaviors as a guide for human-nature interactions and instructing it to the public and students is recommended. Meanwhile, the role of media (national TV, publications, etc.) to increase public awareness and sensitivity should not be overlooked. -Considering the necessity of the God-centered dimension in green ethics, religious preachers should enlighten the public on conserving and supporting the environment. Religious teachings can serve to enhance the adherence to ethical principles in this area as a mandatory affair in life.

The role of agricultural activities is vital in the livelihood of rural households. In recent years, the draught-induced damage of the rural economy has led to social and economic instability in rural settlements. In this regard, due to the vulnerability of rural settlements in the face of drought, it is necessary to take measures to reduce it. Drought vulnerability is of  physical, environmental, economic and social types with direct and indirect effects on welfare, the price of agricultural products and the cost of living. This leads to rural migration, instability and depopulation of villages. Therefore, various measures can be taken to reduce vulnerability. In this regard, in different countries, water conservation measures are a priority which aims to maintain the existing water resources in a cost-effective manner. So, by doing different water projects, they have tried to make the most of the available water. In addition, diversification of villagers’ income is another main solution to reduce drought vulnerability. This is because the extent to which farmers adapt to drought depends on their capital; farmers with more capital have more power to deal with climate change. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of drought control measures in different sectors in a systematic way.

This research is a descriptive-analytical study based on library and field surveys of rural households. The data collection tool was a questionnaire, and the items were evaluated on the Likert scale. The inferential analysis is the structural analysis of Smart PLS. Factor analysis was done through focal correlation, multivariate regression and path analysis. In such a way, the direct and indirect effects of the variables could be estimated. The variables in this study were considered in different dimensions, and, thus, multivariate regression had to be used for them. The effectiveness of the measures to reduce vulnerability was also assessed.

According to the research results, drought and agriculture management measures have the highest correlation with the reduction of vulnerability. Indeed, drought risk management measures have a positive effect on drought reduction. In this regard, the role of drought control measures in reducing the vulnerability of villagers is very significant. These measures stabilize the rural population, maintain the rural economy, strengthen social cohesion and increase household income. According to field studies, the best way to deal with drought in this area is to manage water resources and protect aqueducts. In this area, the villagers pay a lot of attention to preserving and dredging these long-standing and traditional aqueducts. Also, many insulated pools have been constructed to store water. Since much of the water loss occurs in waterways, measures such as building cement canals, piping and using new irrigation technologies such as pressurized and low-pressure irrigation, and making indoor water canals have been taken to prevent evaporation. These have been done through water transfer projects in various villages such as Al-Qour, Mazdab and Glunabad. In addition, due to the decline of the agricultural economy, the villagers have been helped with their income in other economic sectors. In this regard, certain jobs have been created to make the rural livelihood more resilient. For example, various facilities such as livestock units and handicraft workshops have been established in the village, resulting in sustainable livelihoods and job creation for young people and women.

Drought control is one of the effective measures in rural areas. The most obvious consequence of drought is water shortage in agriculture which causes many problems in rural areas. One of the most important measures taken in the field of water resources in rural areas is the construction of pools to use for water storage. The construction of cement water transfer canals is another solution to prevent water evaporation. Another way to practically deal with drought in this rural area is to change the cultivation pattern. In addition, the stabilization of livelihood has occurred through the economic diversification of the measures that have led to rural resilience. In a comparative study of measures, it was shown that the measures to prevent water loss in the cultivation of low-requirement crops are more cost-effective and efficient than the other measures. Economic diversification and job creation in other economic activities have also proved to be important. Therefore, in order for rural households to be resilient, a set of social and economic measures are needed to manage natural hazards such as drought.