Assessment about the Impacts of Industrial Parks on Life Quality in Nearby Rural Areas, Case Study: Sharif Industrial Park, Abhar City

Today، industry plays a pivotal role in development of a region، particularly development of poor areas. The important role may be resulted from the fact that production factors in industry sector compared with agriculture sector are more flexible relative to environmental-regional and national circumstances. Therefore، one of the strategies in development of rural settlements is to industrialize them by creation of industrial towns and areas in their vicinity. Presence of non-agricultural activities in the rural areas and income from the activities can facilitate rural development. Industrialization of rural areas with evolution in rural economy is a transformation from a state in which the population mainly involved in agriculture into a state in which the population is involved mainly in non-agriculture as major activity. Therefore، rural industrialization has a vital role in strategies and policies of developing countries. The research has investigated the influence of industrial towns surrounding the Abhar County on quality of life of the rural residents. From the rural districts of the area، the Humeh with 17 villages has been selected for the examination. This research is performed in a literature and survey method. We have used questionnaire tool for analysis of data. The villages of the rural area of Humeh are categorized in three groups of high populated، med-populated، and low populated. From the groups، the four villages of Nurin، Ghamchabad، Ghorveh، and Hesar Ghajar have been selected as samples. According to Cohran formula، the questionnaires were distributed among the villagers. Up to 304 questionnaires were distributed. Eight indices were designed in the questionnaire. These are employment and income، immigration، construction and housing، agriculture، environment، health، education، and participation. The reliability of the tool was tested by Chronback Alpha (0. 926). We have also used the views of geography and rural planning experts for validity assessment of the tool. The questions were in Likert scale. Finally، we have used one sample T test in SPSS to analyze the data. For quality of life assessment، the integration of all the villages has been assessed in each index and، then، they have been compared separately. The health index was positive due to better quality of services، better accessibility، and increase in the number of health practitioners in the area. Education index show significant positive effects on the area. Participation index has significant positive influence on the public participation. Employment and income in the villages with industrial towns in their surrounding were improved by increase in income، job creation، diversity of jobs، higher money saving، and expect to better employment condition. The industry in the rural areas increased the incentives for perdurability and residence in the areas، the industrial towns caused decrease in urban-rural migrations، increase in emigration of non-natives to the area، and increase in return of the villagers back to the area. Housing index show positive effects and caused increase in land price، better quality of building materials، and increase in construction projects. The towns had positive influence on decrease in the number of people involved in agriculture، decrease of livestock، and decrease in farmland area. The environment has experienced somewhat negative effect from the towns. Conclusion From the indices of quality of life in the villages، Sharifabad industrial town had the most positive influence upon the employment condition in the area. This may be due to attraction of work forces from surrounding rural areas. The improvements in the quality of life indices are mainly resulted from development in infrastructures. The negative effects of the town on the environment are not considerable. The health condition has experienced the least influence from the creation of the industrial town.