An Analytical Study of the Effective Factors on Urban Sprawl: A Case Study of Yasuj City

One of the most important forthcoming problems and challenges of the cities is the urban unbalanced horizontalexpansion(urban sprawl) whichhappens influenced by different factors and increasingly develops.Factors affecting urban sprawl may differ from city to city.Yasuj is one of the cities rapidly expanded in the recent years. The present study investigates the effective factors on Yasuj urban sprawl according to the sprawl indices and criteria. This study uses an analytical-descriptive method to determine the nature and status of Yasuj urban sprawl by using the indices of population, area, and gross urban density as well as the multi-criteria analysis method whose characteristics include simplicity, flexibility, and simultaneous utilization of quantitative and qualitative criteria having the capability of investigating judgment adjustment. The results indicated that the following criteria are the most effective ones on Yasuj urban sprawl, respectively: weakness in mixed land uses, urban land prices, urban open spaces, migration, and weak and inefficient accessibility; furthermore, there are some criteria like population density, distance from CBD (Central Business District), building density, the average size of lots, physical continuity, and the percentage of buildings without construction permitthat somehow affect urban sprawl. Some recommendations are offered so as to prevent urban sprawl in Yasuj city with an emphasis on eliminating the weakness in mixed land uses, utilizing the capacity of open urban spaces, land price control, and eliminating weaknesses in accessibility network and irregularity in the constructed areas.