Prerequisites, Challenges and strategies of Spatial Planning- based Higher Education Planning: Case Study- Spatial Planning of Higher Education of Esfahan Province

Various methods are applied for planning of higher education (HE). One of these methods is spatial planning-based planning method (SPBPM) which is backed by global remarkable background. Although SPBPM has been considered in recent decades, but in the late 2009 it was re-emphasized by Ministry of Science, Research and Technology seriously based on which the higher education future development and expansion must be settled. Although this can be seen as a promising development which may have desirable outcomes for the country’ HE, undoubtedly various complications in HE of the country encounters this kind of planning with different challenges. In order to study this problem, the first part of this analytic-descriptive paper deals with conceptualization of SPBPM and its history in the country, and HE and also the composition of members of Esfahan SPBPM‘s working group and their most important goals and duties. In the second part of the paper the current status of HE of Esfahan and its strengths and weaknesses have been taken into account. The third part of the paper discusses the estimated HE situation of Esfahan Province for the period of 2011 to 2015 which has been resulted by the pilot implementation of SPBPM in the Province. Finally, prerequisites, challenges and strategies for optimal implementation of SPBPM in the HE are discussed.