The position of small towns in relation to the changing orderOf urbanization in Iran

The expansion and development of urban areas have long been investigated from different approaches. One of these approaches or theories is the quantitative base of super city. According to this theory , in most of the developing countries such as Iran, the urbanization and its spatial expantionto the super city stage have happened at the expense of rural areas , has caused sever problems and challenges for the governments and landscape planners in developing a suitable and balanced spatial organization in terms of economic and social functions. As a result, the governments should develop a legitimate policy so that they can produce spatial balance in the distribution of population. According to the previous researches, the urban network of Iran lacks a balanced spatial Organization in relation to the ranked position of different sized urban areas. The small towns do not hold a legitimate position in the urban hierarchy of the country. That is, day by day the number of small towns increases while their population decreases. Therefore, it seems reasonable to present a rational policy for developing a balanced spatial urban order. This is what this study has undertaken.