Analyzing the Physical-Spatial Development Pattern of City Using Spatial Analysis Methods

Understanding the physical condition of the city and analyzing the pattern of physical development to achieve sustainable urban development is vital, because today the bulk of researchers assume that there is a significant relationship between the pattern of physical development of the city and sustainability. Accordingly, the primary goal of this study is to analyze the physical-spatial development pattern of Yasuj using spatial analysis methods such as local spatial autocorrelation (Moran), directional distribution, standard elliptic distribution and hot spots. The research methodology draws on both deductive and inductive methods. The former was employed to explore theoretical foundations and research literature, and the latter was adopted to gain insights into the pattern of physical development of Yasuj by tapping into statistics and information obtained from secondary data. The results of spatial analysis suggest that in population, residential and construction indices, density displays a pattern of cluster distribution and spatial autocorrelation. As such, the Z-Score was 54.58 for population density, 57.48 for residential density and 51.12 for construction density in 2015, exhibiting a significant surge compared to 1996 and 2006. The results of hot spots for 1996-2016 span in Yasuj city show dispersed and low-density physical expansion of the city, which has laid the ground for the spiral and unplanned growth of the city, especially in the northwest area. The highest hot spatial clusters of varying densities in Yasuj were observed in western blocks of the city with 99% significance and the highest cold spatial clusters were recorded in the northwestern blocks. Therefore, controlling and monitoring urban constructions and deterring the destruction of agricultural lands in the west and northwest areas of this city can serve as a key strategy in guiding the physical development of Yasuj.