International Journal of Human Capital in Urban Management
Volume:7 Issue: 4, Autumn 2022

Since the mosque is one of the most important manifestations of Islamic civilization, it is important to examine its spatial structures. The present study aims to identify the main constituent structures of the spaces in mosques and to investigate how they have changed over time, from the early rise of Islam to the contemporary era.

It is interpretive-historical research carried out through a case study. The required data are collected using library study and observations. In the present study, Aleppo is selected as the case study due to its significance in Islamic civilization and the originality of the works in it, which have led to the inscription of Aleppo city on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The research findings are classified into 5 classes including four historical periods of Umayyad, Ayyubid, Mamluk, and Ottoman, and the contemporary era, based on the similarities of patterns. The results indicate the changes in the structures of mosques from functional (especially devotional) combinations of open, roofed, and closed spaces to merely closed space and the changes in the center of the structure from the courtyard (open space) to the domed Shabistan (closed space).

The pattern of the worship space has changed from columnar Shabistan to domed Shabistan. Shabistan and minarets are the most stable spaces in the spatial structure of mosques from the Ottoman period to the present. In the contemporary period, roofed and open spaces have transition and service functions, respectively, and open spaces are most unstable in the spatial structure of mosques.

Developing countries have been experiencing a rapid increase in their population. This comes in hand with more human activity and hence increased solid waste generation as one of the by-products. The continuous surge in solid waste generation is a challenge to these countries. Thus the need to make conducive decisions for solid waste management. To achieve this, in 2009, the Government of Tanzania privatized solid waste management services and enacted the Environmental Regulations Law. However, only 20% of solid waste generated in urban Tanzania is collected but instead dumped in landfills. In Morogoro, one of the urban centers in Tanzania, municipal officials can only collect and dispose in landfills less than 35% of the 200 tons of solid waste generated per day. This raises concerns about the technical efficiency of solid waste management and specifically solid waste collection services in Morogoro municipality. The purpose of this study is to measure technical efficiency and analyze the determinants of technical inefficiency for solid waste collection services in Morogoro municipality.

Primary data was collected using a structured questionnaire with both open-ended and closed-ended questions. Morogoro municipality has a population of 290 waste management agents from whom a sample of 201 was selected using cluster and purposive sampling methods. A stochastic frontier approach was used to measure technical efficiency and analyze the factors determining technical inefficiency. STATA 14 software was used for model estimation and tests. .

Results show that technical efficiency for solid waste collection services in Morogoro Municipality is 81.56% that is below the technical efficiency threshold of 95%. Thus solid waste collection services in Morogoro municipality are inefficient. In addition, age of the waste management agent, number of houses participating in waste collection, and number of waste collection tools belonging to the waste management agents are significant determinants of technical inefficiency.

Results suggest an improvement in solid waste collection through increased wide service coverage. Increased community participation is a necessity and thus mass awareness campaigns are unavoidable.  It is appropriate to procurement enough tools and labor force by the solid waste collection agents. Morogoro municipal authority should provide a stern law enforcement process.

Global events in recent months, such as the (COVID-19) pandemic, have put pressures on the public budget Especially in municipalities that have made it more difficult to understand and measure. Meanwhile, Fiscal discipline as one of the most basic concepts of optimal management of resources and expenditures requires purposeful research and in this regard, the present study was conducted to identify and ranking the factors affecting the fiscal discipline of Municipalities to improve financial aspects of urban management.

In this research, the mixed exploratory approach has been used so that the qualitative method has played an exploratory role and the quantitative method has played a confirmatory role. Also, in the qualitative stage, the Meta-Synthesis Method and in the quantitative stage, the Shannon entropy method have been used to ranking the factors.

By reviewing 34 studies out of 114 initial studies, researchers identified 14 indicators and 110 codes as factors affecting the Fiscal discipline of Municipalities mentioned in various studies during the years 2000 to early 2021; Identified and categorized in the form of four balanced scorecard (BSC) perspectives.

The results of this research, in addition to the richness of the literature on the concept of fiscal discipline, assist municipalities in managing fiscal discipline and supervisory institutions in assessments by providing a categorized checklist of factors.

Quick advancement of technology, rising risks, globalization, and expectations for privatization are among the environmental characteristics that current organizations are facing. To be successful in this setting, lean human resources provide a competitive advantage, which its implementation results in the continuous removal of wastes (obstacles) and the high-quality and low-cost providing of services. Therefore, the objective of the current study is to Evaluation of lean human resource management model in the Islamic Council of Tehran. Tehran''s City Council as a service organization must reform the structure of Human Resource to increase the skills of employee, so this study aimed to changing the approach of Human Resource Management to Lean and increasing the productivity.

The present study uses a quantitative approach. This article has a “descriptive-correlational” methodology of the type of “analysis of variance-covariance matrix”. In other words, the relationship between variables is analyzed based on the purpose of the research. The survey was carried out in the form of a desk and field research. The research model was extracted via analysis and interpretation of the interviews with the experts of the Islamic City Council of Tehran by employing the thematic analysis method and four rounds of the Delphi technique. Eventually, the measurement model and the structural model to assess the relationships between variables, as well as confirm the developed model, were examined utilizing the data gained from the Islamic City Council of Tehran.

On the basis of the findings achieved from the structural equation modeling, the items "Performance Appraisal" with a factor loading of 0.89, "Employment" with a factor loading of 0.91, "Improvement" with a factor loading of 0.77, "Remuneration" with a factor loading of 0.87, "Supply" with a factor loading of 0.92, "Compensation System (Benefits and Rewards)" with a factor loading of 0.84, "Flow" with a factor loading of 0.76, "Relationships" with a factor loading of 0.79, and "Maintenance" with a factor loading of 0.86 explain the latent variable of the "lean human resource management model in the Islamic City Council of Tehran".

Results of this investigation have presented a comprehensive model for the evaluation of the lean human resources management in Tehran''s City Council that could be exploited by industrialists and scholars.NOVELTY AND ORGINALITY: The LHRM model has not been designed and localized for Tehran''s City Council up to now. Therefore, this research enhances the existing knowledge about LHRM.

The major sources of pollution along the Mukuvisi River are industrial effluents from Msasa, Graniteside, and Southerton industrial sites, sewage effluent from Firle sewage works, pesticide and fertilizer runoff from Pension and surrounding farms, and domestic and diffuse pollution from residential areas. The primary objective of this study was to assess the impact of point and non-point pollution sources on macroinvertebrates variability and investigate the seasonal water quality deterioration along the Mukuvisi River. To evaluate macroinvertebrate community diversity using South African Scoring System 5 protocol for rapid bioassessment of water quality. The combined application of benthic macroinvertebrates and physic-chemical parameters was the focus of this research to validate the water quality status of the urban River systems concerning emerging pollutants in urban areas.

  According to the Harare municipality pollution control strategy and surveillance, only twelve accessible sampling points were chosen along the river. Macroinvertebrate samples and physic-chemical measurements were collected once or twice a month, according to the city of Harare’s sampling schedule. The ancillary information, temperature, pH, and conductivity were measured on-site with a mercury bulb thermometer, a pH meter, and a conductivity meter, respectively. The standard South African Scoring System 5 sampling protocol was used for the sampling and identification of the macroinvertebrates community.

The early assessments showed that water pollution was, in the 1st place and as a primary issue, a biological matter, and its primary effects could have been traced to living organisms. Eutrophication in Manyame catchment, Harare, Zimbabwe is subjected to prolonged and cumulative ecosystem stress because of human activities, sewage disposal, and industrial discharges, among other pollution sources. The Phosphorus-P, Biological Oxygen Demand, Chemical Oxygen Demand, and Ammonia-NH3 (from 0, 6.9, 118, and 0 to 3.8, 81.9, 840, and 31 mg/L respectively) concentration increases downstream in both seasons. The Dissolved Oxygen saturation was 75% and 67% upstream in the dry-and-wet season and was reduced to 0% downstream in both seasons. The evaluation of macroinvertebrate diversity provided evidence that Mukuvisi River water was polluted based on the South African Scoring System, especially in the dry season.

The physic-chemical parameters were significantly related to macroinvertebrates diversity. In the assessment of river water quality, both macroinvertebrate indices and physio-chemical parameters can be sampled together to avoid bias. The results indicated that human activities from the upstream were inducing water pollution. Industries need to adhere to the wastewater discharge guidelines.

According to global statistics, the amount of energy consumption in recent decades has grown uncontrollably and maximally due to the energy consumption in urban fabrics, except for transportation, which is clearly the quality of placement and construction of building masses in the context of urban morphology is more important. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the components of energy consumption in urban settlements based on the urban morphological model`s sustainability. Research in terms of structure was analytical-descriptive, which in terms of the main purpose, was a type of applied and developmental research. The method of data collection was as documentation and using Bing Map data reference and data generation with Arc GIS software and 3D modeling with Google SketchUp software, the dimensions and indicators of which were extracted in the form of figure ground. Case study sample on a scale of 150 by 150 as an isolated urban fabric in the explained scales, different building configurations, the common types of which have been selected and simulated according to the form structure of Khorramshahr urban settlements. Energy considerations were also assessed using energy analysis software with an urban climate analytical approach such as Climate Consultant and Envi-Met. The results showed that assigning a ranking weight to each morphotype for each parameter, the average weight of each case, which includes all 5 parameters, indicates the rank position of morphotypes in Khorramshahr. From four types studied, High-rise buildings with an average of 3.13 worst impact and detached housing with an average of 1.93 have the best impact on the microclimate formed around them, which obviously energy efficiency according to climatic indicators and microclimate metrics can be emphasized the principle of optimal limit. the findings of the current research showed the energy consumption status according to the evaluation of morphological variables. It was the morphotypes as well as the climatic parameters that have determined the specific results of each case and also provided the appropriate type and rating. In future research, by explaining the optimal model of urban fabric stability model based on the concept of sustainable morphology, each morphotypes in the optimal state can be evaluated.

Community relocation could be voluntary or forced, but such change in the composition of inhabitants can endanger the historic urban context and its cultural significance. So, finding the answer to these questions is crucial: What are the main factors for relocation in historic urban contexts, and are these areas affected differently? This paper presented and discussed the results of a systematic literature review of international English-language publications. Databases such as Scopus, ICOMOS Open Archive, and UNESCO digital library were investigated to reveal the main factors for community relocation in the historic urban contexts. Results revealed a frequent focus in metropolitan regions and major cities worldwide between 1987 and 2021. The multiplicity of non-environmental relocation factors was also noticeable. Despite the commonalities of factors for community relocation worldwide, the type and effect of the relocation differed between the historic urban context and other urban contexts. The interaction of two main factors, namely economics and policies, was found to affect the process of community relocation in the historic urban context the most. Forced relocation was more predominant than voluntary relocation in historic urban contexts. However, the existing relations between internal and external factors that drive relocation must be further investigated. This research identified and charted how the local community relocation in historic urban contexts that are reflected in scholars’ publications. It also defined a theoretical framework on the factors of community relocation in these contexts and their interrelation, which is vital for both urban and heritage studies as well as planning practices.

Irregular and unplanned development of cities has led to some difficulties with the natural environment and human well-being reflected in the inappropriate spatial structure. Perception of physical-spatial pattern leads to the invention of appropriate policies to equitable distribution of services in urban areas and achievement of balanced development. This study aims to analyze the physical-spatial pattern of the Mashhad City from 1986 to 2016 conducted based on GIS data of the census blocks of Mashhad. The current study was performed using descriptive-analytical method. In order to achieve that, spatial statistics tools including Moran coefficient, hotspots and directional distribution (standard deviational ellipse) have been used on ArcGIS PRO 2.5 software as well as Holdren model. Population is one of the prominent variables affecting growth and physical-spatial development of the city, therefore, the population has been considered as an indicator in this research. The obtained values of the Moran Index (1986=0.13, 1996=0.14, 2006=0.15, and 2016=0.15) represented that the population pattern of the city was clustered, compact and continuous. Likewise, Hotspots revealed high population density in the continuous area from east to northwest in addition to the neighborhoods around the Vakil Abad highway. Standard deviational ellipse of the population illustrated that the population distribution was heading to the northwest. Applying Holdren model and data analysis showed that Mashhad experienced the horizontal and sprawl growth. Obtaining balanced future development and avoiding unplanned encroachment of the city boundary are integral issues. As a result, the current and legal city limit must be maintained and inner development and compact pattern must be implemented.

Most economists believe that the lack of investment in manpower is the cause of low economic growth in developing countries, and as long as these countries do not use their knowledge to improve their professional skills, the return on labor and capital will remain at a low level. This study was designed to evaluate the impact of human capital on the relationship between technological advances and economic growth in Southwest Asia within 2000 and 2018. For this purpose, the growth of internet economy in the world and the development of education for strengthening the human capital and its effect on the world economic growth were studied. The technological advances were assessed using two Components of the number of… internet users …and the number of mobile subscribers. The scope of this research is from 2000 to 2018.The Generalized Movement Method and the EViews 10.0 software were used to test the research hypothesis through model. The first model showed that the significant effect of human capital on the relationship between internet and economic growth. In this model, the internet coefficient was equal to 0.357, implying that the economic growth in the studied countries would increase at a rate of 0.0357 units with the increase of the internet coefficient by one unit. Moreover, the human capital coefficient was equal to 0.0618, implying that the economic growth in the intended countries would be improve by 0.06 units with the increase of the human capital coefficient by one unit. The second model revealed the significant relationship between mobile phones and economic growth in the countries with a higher human capital involving the educated employed people. This was consistent with the results of self-correlation of fixed effects. According to the results, it was concluded that human capital would moderate the relationship between internet and economic growth. Moreover, it was confirmed that the effect of education on the relationship between mobile phones and economic growth was significant.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVS:

 Today, creative and innovative manpower is one of the most important assets and capital of organizations. Although strategic human resource management can be effective in enhancing employee innovation capability, not many research examined the impact of this type of management subsystems on innovation. Therefore, the purpose of current study is to evaluate the impact of strategic HRM subsystems on improving innovation capability in Municipality of Tehran.

The present study is mixed in terms of applied-developmental purpose and among the researches. In the qualitative stage of the research, the theme analysis method was used and the purposeful participants were selected and interviewed, which included 13 university professors and 19 managers of Municipality of Tehran. Based on the results of the qualitative stage, the strategies of 7 strategic HRM subsystems were identified and a research model was designed. In a quantitative step, in order to validate the model, the structural equation modeling method and smartPLS software were used. For this purpose, while conducting the validity and reliability of the researcher-made questionnaire, 169 managers and experts in Municipality of Tehran who were randomly selected were interviewed.

According to the study, the relationship between strategic HRM subsystems and innovation capability is positive and significant. Also, the results showed that the coefficient of determination for the strategic HRM variable is 0.611, which means that 61.1% of the changes in the innovation capability variable can be predicted with strategic HRM strategies and its subsystems.  Moreover, among human resource subsystems, "talent management system and succession management" and "service compensation and reward system" have the greatest impact on innovation capability.

The results showed that strategic human resource management subsystems are effective on innovation capability in Municipality of Tehran, and the results of this study can be utilized and generalized in municipal organizations and public non-governmental organizations that have an almost similar organizational structure.