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This research aims to analyze the spatial distribution of urban public services in the metropolitan districts of Tabriz. This study is an applied research type and its method is descriptive-analytical. To analyze the data, the TOPSIS model as well as cluster analysis and SPSS and GIS software were used. The research results showed that there was no favorable spatial justice between the districts of Tabriz city in privileging public urban services. In other words, districts 2, 3, and 5 were on one level (first level), districts 6, 7, and 4 were on one level (second level) and districts 9, 8, 1, and 10 were on one level (third level). In deprived districts, nonconforming population growth with service needs, lack of green and recreational spaces, lack of suitable health-medical, commercial, and sports services, increase in population growth rate, lack of educational and cultural facilities, low employment, low-income strata and immigrants' residence, construction of unlicensed buildings and indiscriminate expansion in these districts have intensified the level of instability. Therefore, for the optimal distribution of public services between districts of Tabriz city, first of all, the approach of social justice should be placed on the agenda of the managers and decision-makers of Tabriz city so that the distribution of services and facilities between the districts of Tabriz city is balanced according to population needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism, as one of the most dynamic economic activities of recent years, plays a significant role in the economic development of human societies. One of the most essential bases of tourism development is the existence of natural and cultural-historical attractions, an efficient system of facilities services, and tourism facilities. Therefore, the current study has levelled tourism routes of Isfahan province in terms of having attractions and facilities to provide a better serving system for tourists according to the capacity of each tourism axis and its appropriate management to meet their needs. This study uses the descriptive-analytical method. The entropy weight method, cluster analysis (Ward method), and SWOT analysis were utilised. The study results indicated that the Isfahan-Semirom, Isfahan-Kashan, and Isfahan-Fereydunshahr tourism routes were the best in terms of tourism attractions and facilities. In fact, Isfahan province's central, westnorth, and west tourist routes have more tourist attractions, and the need for facilities and services is felt in these routes. The final result of the SWOT analysis shows that it has more tourism strengths and opportunities than weaknesses and threats. Therefore, more services and facilities should be provided to develop tourism on this route. These findings suggest that the increase in services and facilities should occur more in the western and southern routes of the province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of 15-minute city (FMC) represents an urban planning and policy paradigm that seeks to focus the attention on the neighborhood as a place rather than a spatial and functional planning unit. The main premise of this concept is that urban services and amenities should be accessible within 15 minutes of walking or cycling from the residence. The principles of urban planning that enable the realization of the FMC include planning in mixed-use neighborhood units, proximity-based planning, transportation planning, citizen participation in planning and innovation, and smart planning. This innovative approach provides important findings and recommendations to the principles of urban planning of FMC, along with the issues of proximity-based planning, using the land and urban form, urban governance, and citizen participation. The aim of this study was examining the concept, characteristics and theoretical literature as well as the emerging themes for urban planning and policy making in the FMC. The FMC and its principles can help achieve sustainable development in environmental, social, and economic dimensions. The greater accessibility, reduce vehicle dependency, improve air quality, equitable planning decision, better health and well-being are the advantages FMC. However, the FMC can be criticized for its physical determination, feasibility in areas with low population density, difficulty in implementation, financing, not taking into account the different geographical features of cities, the conditions of not paying attention to the needs of different social groups, biodiversity, energy efficiency, and culture and heritage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth and development of urbanization in the last few decades, as well as the land use changes around and inside big cities have been considered as one of the most essential challenges of global sustainable development. The increase in the desire for urbanization and improper management has changed the use of green spaces and gardens around and inside the cities to profitable residential and commercial uses. Accordingly, considering urban parks and green spaces and recognizing their spatial inadequacies is of utmost importance for optimal use by citizens. This research aimed to evaluate the use of green space in the city of Tabriz and the way it is distributed in the urban areas of Tabriz city. This study was an applied research, and its methodology was descriptive-analytical. Moreover, class difference limit model, cluster analysis, and GIS software were used to analyze the data. The results of the study indicated that the per capita use of green space in Tabriz city was much lower than the international and national standard, the spatial distribution of green space use was not the same in different areas of Tabriz city, and was more unbalanced. The results of the cluster analysis method showed that the regions in Tabriz city are at different levels in terms of green space indicators. The results of the class difference limit model showed that the regions of the city of Tabriz do not enjoy balanced green space, and the green space is not distributed evenly among different regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The regeneration of historical and deteriorated areas of cities has been observed in the recent urban planning literature worldwide. Inefficiency is one of the main issues in deteriorated urban areas where the possibility of updating and spontaneous change has all but disappeared. Similar to many other countries, the current process of extension of the deteriorated urban area in Iran indicates that problems will be complicated, if we do not apply any precautionary measures, suitable policies, planning and action plans. In this regard, one solution has been the implementation of flagship developments. One of the main objectives of flagship developments is to achieve urban regeneration goals; an approach that is used as a comprehensive strategy for applying some positive changes in a place showing signs of decay. It takes into account the idea of quality improvement, with integrated goals of economic, social and physical topics. This study aims at investigating the necessity of regenerating the old and historical texture of Tabriz. This is a descriptive-analytical study where GIS software was used. Results indicate that Tabriz is the second city in Iran with a worn-out texture; more specifically, about 25% of its texture is worn out and approximately 500,000 inhabitants live there. There are also several important historical monuments found in such texture. Given that the texture is located near the northern fault line of Tabriz, any earthquake may cause serious economic and human loss. The final result of the SWOT analysis shows that the best strategy for Tabriz city is an aggressive one that would exploit the strengths and opportunities. Therefore, in order to reduce human and economic losses, the best approach would not be to build near the fault line, but to regenerate the old and worn-out texture of Tabriz city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, cities have become arenas of social conflicts. And, achieving more services and benefits has substituted socioeconomic differentiation for racial-ethnical one. Therefore, the issue of spatial inequalities in the cities and the necessity of establishing social justice in citizens' enjoyment from public services have become serious for urban managers and planning specialists. The current research aims at investigating spatially population distribution and service distribution in Snandaj. Research type is applied and research method is descriptive-analytical. To do spatial analysis of population distribution and service distribution, relative entropy efficient model, TOPSIS model and Spearman rank model have been used. Findings indicate that the extent of enjoyment from urban services and utilities is not balanced among five districts of Snandaj, which those factors have entailed such consequences as unnecessary movements in the city, the centralization of population and activities in some parts of the city, expansion of different urban problems and lack of equal enjoyment from public service among different urban districts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smart growth has become a popular concept in territorial planning in the last twenty years. The main emphasis of smart growth is on mixed land use and the design of compact buildings, which produce high densities together with lower environmental effects. The current research aims at investigating urban smart growth indexes based on the three indexes of compactness, environment and access to districts and neighborhoods of Piranshahr City, Uremia. The main research method is descriptive-analytical and it is done through Analytic Network Process, GIS and Holderness and Shannon Entropy Models. Research findings reveal that Piranshahr has registered sprawl growth in the recent years. Furthermore, in terms of access index, public transportation does not cover the city, entirely. Also, in terms of green space index, there are many shortcomings and relative standards have not been observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Equitable access to land uses and optimum use of land is an essential element of sustainable development and social justice. One of the challenges on the way of today's cities is the lack of suitable locations for urban activities which made urban life difficult. In general, land and space is a public source of life and public wealth and is considered as a commodity which we should use in line with public interests. It should be monitored and evaluated, which is a duty of land use planning. Land use planning has spatial and location organization and urban activities according to the needs and wants of urban community on its agenda. The aim of the present study is to investigate spatial distribution of urban land use in Zone Three of Isfahan city and determine the deficiencies and problems of its uses. Arc GIS software was used for descriptive and factor analysis and land studies. The result of the study shows that Zone Three of Isfahan has different uses with a cross-regional role which created problems in the city. And also, most of the uses in the region lacks suitable homogeneity (such as educational, hygienic, recreational, sports uses and etc) and the uses aren't distributed optimally in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A strategic planning is an important tool to guide the urban planning. It will help maintain a focused, long-term vision of the urban mission and purpose, and aid decisions about the urban development. In reality review and understanding of urban development, its strengths and weaknesses are of major importance in the strategic planning. Today, awareness of strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats are a necessity for urban development plans and programs. Urmia City, despite being rich in natural and human resources, it faces difficulties in terms of unsustainable development due to the lack of proper utilization of resources and environmental degradation of agricultural land suitable for industrial and residential land uses. The aim of the current research is to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in Urmia city. This study is applied and it utilizes both descriptive and analytical methods, but also the AHP and SWOT methods. The result of the study indicates that, for the development of Urmia City, the overcoming strategy has the maximum score (4.07), whereas the negatives control strategy has the minimum score (1.77). Therefore, Urmia City should make the maximum use of strengths and opportunities in order to reduce weaknesses and threats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban sprawl has become a remarkable characteristic of urban development worldwide in the last decades. Urban sprawl refers to the extent of urbanization, which is a global phenomenon mainly driven by population growth and large scale migration. In developing countries like Iran, urban sprawl is taking its toll on the natural resources at an alarming pace. The purpose of this paper is to study urban growth and effective factors on them in the city of Urmia, Iran. We used quantitive data of the study area from the period between 1989 and 2007, and population censuses of Urmia. To measure the model of urban growth, Holderness and Shannon's entropy were employed. The Urmia case is interesting for several reasons: first, it is a case of very fast urban growth even for a developing country; second, it illustrates how the fastest rates of urban sprawl may correspond to middle size cities rather than to large centers. Third, it portrays a land substitution process in which agricultural land is not the primary provider of urban land which is relatively rare in urban contexts, and fourth, it also illustrates how urban sprawl may also hide important internal land uses such as the presence of agricultural plots within urban boundaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]