Assessing the Affecting Geographical Factors of the Urban Development Competitiveness Based on Strategic Scenario Planning (Case Study: West Azerbaijan Province)

Evidence suggests that inequalities within regions are the result of top-down development programs and the policy-making process, with spatial consequences of increasing centralization in major and limited urban centers. Accordingly, one of the adjustment policies aimed at reducing inequality and strengthening the existence of cities is to emphasize the flow of competitiveness based on specific legal, political, ecological, social and economic characteristics between urban centers. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the factors affecting the competitiveness of urban centers in West Azerbaijan province. A qualitative-quantitative approach has been used to do this article. In the first part, drivers are identified by experts in the field (Delphi) by weighting software, extraction weights and dimensions, and then by Meta-SWOT software, 15 effective factors. The competitiveness of urban development in the time horizon of 1410 was determined and again provided to experts by Delphi method. The results show the fact that the metropolis of Urmia, with its first position of competitiveness, is still the center of space currents in the province. Meanwhile, public investment strategies, the attention of policy makers, planners and officials, the interest of the private sector in investing in the province and the lack of large-scale development infrastructure are the most important factors determining the competitiveness of urban development. In the final part, Micmac software was used by ranking and extracting the impact matrix and believable situations in the competitiveness of urban development of the province were identified with a specific futuristic approach and proposed strategies.