The Role of Internal and External Factors in the Physical-spatial Transformation of Rural Settlements around the City of Ardabil

The nature of physical-spatial characteristics of human settlements is resulting from the interaction between a vast range of different environmental-ecologic and socio-economic forces and factors. In this interactive process, according to the laws of “structural-functional dynamics”, not only different internal, but also many external forces and factors are synergic ally involved. The extent of dynamics of this complex determines the dynamic or static processes of change of the settlement. Thus, the transformative spheres of environment and space of human settlements are referred to normative extent of changes in their internal and external relationships. Sometimes the outside interferences, whether inherent or based on certain (often development) plans, underlie the basis of change or even inappropriate metamorphosis of human settlements. Accordingly, rural settlements in their bilateral or reciprocal interaction with urban centers, not only are influenced, but also affect the urban physical form and spatial relationships. The area under study in this paper is the City of Ardebil and its peripheral rural, or its immediate umland, which have encountered with vast and ongoing transformations in different physical and spatial dimensions, especially after the establishment of the province of Ardabil (1973) and regional centrality and unclaimed dominance of the city. It is evident that these changes have caused different environmental-ecological, socio-cultural and polito-economic reflections. In other words, one can take these changes as the impacts of interactive relations of internal and external forces and factors over time. Through detection, verification and analysis of internal and external factors and forces, this article attempts to identify the process of change and transformation of rural settlements around Ardebil.