From Compiling the Vision of Sarakhs City to Municipal Operational Planning

The changes that have taken place in the global and urban arena mean that the prediction of the urban future is ambiguous and it is no longer possible to predict the future of cities simply by using comprehensive plans. Meanwhile, border cities have a special position due to their spatial function. Designing of Sarakhs urban development visions for 1415, setting a strategic framework in the field of urban management and also presenting a 5-year operational plan of the municipality (1300-1400) are the objectives of the research. In this regard, six working groups were formed: socio-cultural, transportation, urban and environmental services, crisis management, urban planning, architecture and management services. The Economics Working Group also played the role of a support working group. The research method is combined and 36 Sarakhs city organizations were referred and 36 semi-structured interviews were conducted. About 177 questionnaires were distributed among the experts of the organizations. Two meetings were held with the urban elites and the results were presented in the form of a SWOT table and the strategies were prioritized using the QSPM method. The research findings are: formulation of Sarakhs city development vision in 6 working groups, formulation of Sarakhs city final vision, formulation of urban development strategic plan and formulation of municipal operational plan (1300-1400). In connection with operational planning, the Economics Working Group estimated the revenues and funding sources of Sarakhs Municipality and predicted different revenue scenarios. About 126 projects and 47 activities have been identified and presented for Sarakhs Municipality.