Evaluation and Geographical Analysis of the Principal Components Affecting Urban Economic Sustainability; Case Study of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Cities, Iran

Today, economic challenges is the most important obstacles to achieving sustainability in the cities of developing countries. Therefore, recognition and geographical analysis of the factors affecting the economic sustainability of cities are among the important goals and priorities of urban and regional planning.

This research has been done by quantitative and survey method and using secondary data. In this study, with using the content validity index and content validity ratio, 17 objective indicators of economic sustainability were selected and economic sustainability of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari cities measured and analyzed by using principal component analysis, spatial autocorrelation (Morans I) and inverse distance weighting interpolation methods.

Findings of the research in the principal component analysis show that the three principal components (economic welfare, economic dynamism and economic diversity) with a total variance of 60.7%, explain the correlation between research variables to measure and evaluate the urban economic sustainability of the province. Also, spatial autocorrelation Moranchr('39')s Index with a value of 0.031 indicates the random spatial pattern of urban economic sustainability in the province and the significance of spatial relationships of 7 urban centers in economic welfare, 8 urban centers in economic dynamism, 6 urban centers in economic diversity and 9 urban centers in the composite index of economic sustainability.

The results of the study, while showing the unfavorable situation of the cities of the province in the economic welfare component, show the concentration of the better situation of the cities located in the eastern half, especially the cities located in Saman, Borujen and Shahrekord county compared to other regions of the province in all three principal components and combined economic sustainability index.