Policies of Optimum Distribution of Population and Migration in Iran: Prioritization of Global Experiences from Perspectives of Iranian Experts

Nowadays, over-concentration of population in metropolitans and large cities has become a complex issue. All states are concerned with optimal population distribution, and always implement some policies to balance the population of metropolitans. In this paper, the most important policies in selected Asian countries that had been applied for better population distribution are identified. Then, these policies have been evaluated and classified by 54 Iranian’s experts in order to be adjusted and implemented in Iran. Thus, this paper has two main purposes A) Identifying of effective policies that could be consistent and adjusted with Iran’s condition. B) Prioritization of policies with regard to effectiveness and implementation. The results showed that the policies in the following four domains might have the greatest effects on optimal distribution of population. 1.  Social and cultural policies, 2. Developing poles of growth, 3. Planning of land use and 4. Fighting against socio-economic corruptions. Also, investment policies in regional development, actualizing of the regional development potentials, and extension of employment opportunities in rural areas and towns are the first three priorities chosen by experts in implementing population control of metropolitans and large cities in the country.