Assessing the modality of poly-centric development (A case study of Rasht City-Region)

Polarized and Mono-Centric Cities have experienced a chaotic expansion, in partial contrast with the specially balanced development. Polarization causes problems such as the uneven dispersion of the urban system and activity in the structure and organization of the region like Excessive Center, environmental pollution, traffic and ultimately reduces the quality of life in practice. There are different patterns of development and spatial equivalency in the city-region, one of Polycentric Development. The concept of poly-centric development is regional and trans-regional is a new approach that has extracted from ESDP (European Spatial Development Plan) and becomes a new attitude of development in another regions and countries. The main goal of this article is to consider the problems of the Rasht city-region, which assesses the spatial development of this area based on the principles of Poly-Centric Development. In this regard, Poly-Centric spatial development indicators are result from two theoretical and functional modalities and evaluated quantitatively. Based on the results of the research, the Rasht City-Region does not have the structural potential of developing Poly-Centric model and it has a hierarchical and Mono-Central structure.