Spatial analysis of poor groups' access to urban services (Case: Urmia City)

The city's livability largely depends on its capacity to meet the residents’ basic needs. One of the essential components of public welfare is the ability of residents to access urban services on a neighborhood scale. This research aims at evaluating the accessibility of different socio-economic groups to urban services. Fair distribution of urban resources and services among socio-economic groups is an issue that needs attention, especially for developing countries with rapid urbanization like Iran. In this research, various methods have been used to analyze the correlation between accessibility to services and urban poverty and to provide the information needed for better decision-making. 21 social, economic, and physical indicators of statistical blocks have been used to map urban poverty. In order to map the accessibility of urban services, criteria such as the capacity of urban services (park, educational, religious, therapeutic, and sports), population density, and distance to services are considered. The results show a negative correlation between accessibility to services and urban poverty in Urmia city. The highest intensity of negative correlation between accessibility to services and urban poverty belongs to educational services (r=-0.231). This situation is not compatible with the goals of sustainable development and equal access to urban services. In this article, the areas of the city that need attention are identified on the map, which will be useful in the future planning and development of the city.