Indexing and Ranking the Demographic Function of New Towns in Iran with Emphasis on Socioeconomic Factors

Today, the socioeconomic status of new towns and attracting the population by them are one of the most important issues that have attracted the attention of social researchers and policymakers. The purpose of the present study is to study the socioeconomic and demographic status of new towns in Iran. The present study is a quantitative one and based on secondary data analysis of census of 2006, 2011 and 2016. The theory of linear city and the phased development model of an urban area are the main theoretical frameworks in the present study. A total of 12 new towns, among all of them, which have attracted population and were a city in census of 2016 were investigated. The results showed, all of the new towns have experienced a relative improvement in socioeconomic and demographic indicators during the study period, and their scores in the indicators had been upward. Sadra, Baharestan, and Andishe have attained the highest scores in the final socio-demographic index. The mentioned new towns have a proper situation in the distance from the metropolis and urban density. Hence, it can be concluded that the above factors are the most important determinants of the new towns' demographic function in Iran.