The Roles of the Main Components of the Formation of Smart Growth Approach in the Sustainable Development of Rural Settlements: A Case Study of Jiroft County

Problem definition:

 Today, smart growth approach has an extremely important role in rural sustainable development. This approach aims at improving the quality of human life and responding to social-economic, environmental, and physical problems. It can pave the way for rural management, optimal use of facilities, and solve rural problems. Indeed, the smart growth approach can provide a way out of instability and achieving sustainable development in rural areas.

 The aim of this study was to investigate the status of smart growth components in the rural settlements of Jiroft County.

 The required data were collected by using a questionnaire and various pieces of software were used to analyze them. This research was based on a descriptive-survey method with an applied purpose. Also, documentary and field methods were utilized to collect the information. The sample population of this research included the residents of 18 villages with a population of more than 1000 people in Jiroft County in Kerman Province. Using Cochran's formula, 131 households and 261 people were selected and randomly surveyed. To achieve the research objectives, SPSS, AHP, GRA, and GIS software was applied.

 Based on the results obtained from the structural model of Smart PLS, transportation and communications (0.723) had the greatest impacts on the formation of smart growth in the study area. Afterwards, the indicators of physical texture improvement, environmental quality improvement, local community sustainability, local economic sustainability, quality of housing, and compact development were ranked with 0.715, 0.707, 0.706, 0.704, 0.626, and 0.459. The results of spatial analysis showed that the highest ranks of rural settlement were related to the villages of Aliabad, Dolatabad, Dubneh, Hosseinabad Dehdar, Ismaili Sofla, and Gulab Sufian Sofla and the lowest ranks were related to the villages of Tarj, Kenar Sandal, Narjo, and Soghdar based on the intelligent growth indicators. In general, the results revealed that the smart growth approach had a positive and significant effect on the sustainable development of the studied rural settlements.

Innovation: 

In the present study, for the first time, the issue of effective components on the formation of home-grown growth in the sustainable development of rural settlements was addressed by using applied models.