A Comparative Study of the Explanatory Components of Sustainable Urban Development in Border Areas (Case Study: Marivan of Iran and Kalar of Iraqi Kurdistan)

In today's world, cities have become the main place of residence and activity and the superior way of life. In this regard, some cities attract the population and others, such as border areas, repel the population. Due to the role of border cities in order to ensure the internal security of countries, the need for proper planning in order to improve the indicators of sustainable development in these areas is strongly felt. In general, it can be said that sustainability in cities seeks to successfully respond to current needs without compromising future needs in order to achieve a dynamic economy and a healthy natural environment with the cooperation of various organizations and people. Cities are a complex and living integrated system that includes economic, social, cultural, and physical components, and sustainable development, which is one of the main goals of United Nations policies and activities and the constant debate of developed and underdeveloped countries, is a process that requires improvement and Progress has been mentioned in various fields. For this purpose, the present study has been written with the aim of examining the components of sustainable urban development in border areas (Marivan of Iran and Kalar of Iraq) and to provide solutions to achieve the desired situation. The research method is applied in terms of purpose and in terms of exploratory-comparative nature which for data analysis has been used of structural equation modeling in Amos software. The statistical population of the study also included the citizens of Marivan and Kalar cities, which based on Cochran's formula, 383 people were determined as the sample size for each city. Findings show that the highest feasibility of sustainable development dimensions in Kalar city are related to sustainable community and culture, sustainable environment and body, sustainable security and sustainable economy with coefficients of 0.57, 0.52, 0.45 and 0.37, respectively, and in Marivan city were related to environment and sustainable body, sustainable community and culture, sustainable security and sustainable economy with coefficients of 0.61, 0.54, 0.48 and 0.46, respectively. The results also indicate that the situation of sustainable security and sustainable economy in these two cities is not appropriate and in Marivan city is slightly more favorable in sustainability indicators than of Kalar city.Also, the results indicate that the lack of proper planning and management of the studied cities has caused these cities to be in a state of disarray in various dimensions, such as the lack of citizens' awareness and preparation and exposure to crises, and the lack of job opportunities and access to stable incomes. Therefore, considering the integration of the concept of sustainability in different dimensions and the realization of sustainable development in a comprehensive and systemic approach, the need for strategic planning is felt in order to realize integrated sustainable development by considering different dimensions in the studied cities. Also, the root of many socio-economic issues and problems of backwardness of border areas, especially many security issues, should be considered in the general inadequacies and underdevelopment of these areas and neglecting them.