نشریه جغرافیا و توسعه ناحیه ای
سال نوزدهم شماره 2 (پیاپی 37، پاییز و زمستان 1400)

The main goal of this research is sustainable planning of the brownfields of Abkouh sugar factory in Mashhad and investigating possible scenarios in the redevelopment of its lands. To achieve this goal, six main steps of scenario writing were done. In order to carry out these steps, quantitative and qualitative combined studies were conducted.First, to determine the expected future, a semi-structured interview was conducted with 12 experts familiar with the scope of the study, and the initial framework of the questionnaire was designed.Next,using a questionnaire (in two dimensions, the degree of influence and uncertainty), 56 experts and professors were asked for their opinions, and by means of descriptive and inferential statistical tests such as T-test, the critical drivers of the scenario were determined.Then, semi-structured interviews were used with six experts, managers, consulting engineers, and academic experts to develop scenarios, examine consequences, and determine strategies. The results of the research showed that three scenarios can be imagined for the redevelopment of the lands of Aabkouh sugar factory in Mashhad. The golden scenario includes two main drivers, providing new sources of income for the permanent transfer of the factory and creating new projects with a mixed approach around the factory based on their capacities and location.The basic scenario is the continuation of the trends in compliance with the prevailing conditions with the continuation of the existing process.

The purpose of this research is designing a researcher-made comprehensive measurement tool to assess the performance of rural production cooperatives in Isfahan province. In this descriptive-analytical study, data were collected by questionnaires. The statistical population of this study was the components of rural production cooperatives of Isfahan province that included general assembly, board of directors and investigators. The required data was completed by 375 members of cooperatives. The content validity and construct validity of the seven-dimensional construct of the comprehensive performance were reviewed and confirmed. In this research, Confirmatory Factor Analysis was used and the obtained indices (RMSEA=0.068, CFI=0.987 and TLI=0.976) showed that the model fit of the study was well. Additionally, the performance of rural production cooperatives in Isfahan province was compared for different towns. Based on the factor loadings calculated by AMOS software, among the seven dimensions of the researcher-made comprehensive performance, the dimensions improvement of livelihood and the promotion of the economic power of members (0.855), modifying production system and improving the productivity of production factors (0.809), service activities (0.805), quantitative and qualitative increase in product production (0.786), educational and promotion activities (0.751), allocation and optimal use of resources (0.689) and environmental protection (0.537) had respectively the most weight in building the comprehensive performance structure of rural production cooperatives. Therefore, according to the obtained results, the dimensions improvement of livelihood and the promotion of the economic power of members had the most significant role in evaluating the performance of cooperatives. Additionally, the measurement tool had the ability to predict the financial performance of the cooperatives. Moreover, the results showed that 63.6% of them had good performance.

Political participation in every society is in relation to its political culture. In democratic societies with modern political culture, participation is a systematic event and affected by formal and inclusive organizations and institutions. In the developing countries, however, participation is an unsystematic foundation, and the political behaviors and actions of people are based on informal and tribal issues. Mamasani voting zone is one of those living places whose people have a nomadic characteristic and therefore, benefit from a tribal ethnic features. Owing to the specific culture, the pattern of political participation in this town has a tribal function. Considering this, the goal of the present research was to explain the relationship between tribalism and political participation. Data was collected through library sources and field studies (interviewing and observation). It seems that there is a meaningful relationship between two variables tribalism and political participation. Moreover, environmental and tribal tendencies play a key role in political participation in Mamasani voting zone. In the first three rounds of parliament election in which tribalism had not took the form of violence and prejudice yet, political participation followed its natural course, but from the fourth and the fifth rounds onwards, we can see social and geographical demarcations which separate the inhabitants and produce the concepts “self” and “others”. This happening resulted in forming an identity-oriented electoral behavior and tribal street rivalry. It also affected the political participation and intensified it so that according to the data, participation has increased course even the eligible population has decreased.

The study aimed to discover the relationship between the interests of the stakeholders and the weight of different stages of the city development strategy plan for Kashmar, Iran. Taking a cooperative approach, the development strategy program tries to appeal the cooperation of beneficiaries for maximizing the effectiveness of city development programs. The development program of Kashmar has also been planned to provide the ground for filling the gap that can be seen between stakeholders and the citiey’s long-term development regarding the so significant pilgrimage and services dimensions. The cooperation of the stakeholders, however, should follow the realization of their interests and plannings should care the issue. The applied research used a descriptive-analytical method and quality function deployment technique. The technique is used for translating customers or stakeholders’ demands into the features of product. That is, all demands of stakeholders are clearly and remarkabley determined and prioritized for planners. The population of the study are managers of the institutions benefiting from urban development of Kashmar and experts in urban planning. The questionnaires were purposefully distributed among the the population. Validity of the study was confiremd by a group of experts and its reliability was confirmed by parallel method. The findings showed that the most significant benefits from imprtant stakeholders’ perspective are developing rail and air access, preseving water resources, and boosting economic interactions with the influential parts of the city. The results showed that the most significant stages in preparing the development strategy plan of the city which planners should consider in fulfilling important interests of the stakeholders are compliance with the highier-rank plans, connecting the plan with the current structure, and making inter-departmental agreements. Ensuring the most important interests of major stakeholders through urban planners’ endeavors in more effective stages of city development strategy planning would significantly contribute to the fulfimenent of urban development plans.

The challenges of marketing agricultural products are access to buyers and the distance from sales centers.Recent advances in information and communication technology have solved many of these challenges, enabling rural households to improve their sustainable livelihoods with electronic commerce.The aim of this study wasinvestigating the role of electronic marketing on improving the sustainable livelihood of rural households in Gorgan.It is descriptive-analytical in nature and applied in terms of its purpose.In this study, households in 9 villages of Gorgan city totaled 7863, of which 366 households were selected based on Cochran's formula as a sample size.Using a five-option Likert scale, a researcher-made questionnaire was created for this study.Cronbach's alpha rate of 0.725 was used to confirm the content validity of the questionnaire and itsreliability.Data were analyzed using Friedman, Kramer's Phi, two-sided chi-square, and Spearman statistics in SPSS.Preparation of the map was carried out using ArcGIS software.There is a significant relationship between electronic marketing and personal characteristics of people, including age, education, occupation, and skill, as demonstrated by the results. Electronic marketing has been effective in improving the livelihood capital of rural households by increasing interest in learning new skills, reducing middlemen's roles, and enabling the ownership of tools and agricultural equipment as well as livestock.For this reason, it is important to train residents in rural areas with electronic marketing skills continuously, so that by working in this field, more people, especially educated youth in rural areas, wouldbe able to achieve extensive employment, stable incomes, and longevity.

Vulnerability of human settlements is affected by various factors. Damages of different origins have had different effects on human habitat, the extent which has been higher in rural areas. The aim of this study was to investigate the vulnerability of rural settlements in TakabCounty. The method used is qualitatively exploratory type. The statistical population of the present study was experts, all managers, and local people of rural settlements in TakabCounty. Sampling was performed using a purposivemethod. Theoretical saturation was used to determine the sample size, and interviews were continued until saturation was reached.Finally, 30 interviews were conducted. The method of analysis in this research is content analysis. The results of qualitative studies included 179 primary codes, 43 concepts, 16 sub-categories and 3 main categories. The results showed damages in form: environmental damages (water resources limitation, hazards, mining damages, fragmentation of agricultural lands and dispersal),economic damages (raw material sales, employment, product sales problems, low lack of services and infrastructure, mismanagement in the tourism sector and lack of support for carpet weavers) and social harms (migration, low participation of people in rural affairs, low level of literacy, especially women, unpopularity and damage caused bysocial networks).

Climate change has had broad effects on production and human societies in terms of environmental and socio-economic dimensions. In the last two decades, severe damages has been made to citrus production in the north of Iran, due to the incidence of frost, as a climatic phenomenon. However, the effects of this climatic phenomenon on citrus production and farmers’ vulnerability and resilience have not been comprehensively studied. This study aimed to understand citrus production and farmers’ vulnerability and resilience mechanisms to the climatic phenomenon of frost from the perspective of agricultural specialists and extension agents. This research used a mixed method containing a combination of case study and grounded theory. Data were collected through document analysis, focus groups and semi-structured interviews with the specialists and extension agents of the Agriculture-Jahad Organization in the Mazandaran Province working at the provincial, township and sub-county levels, who were selected using the purposive sampling technique and based on the snowball sampling method. The results indicates that extreme low tempretures have occurred much more frequently during the last two decades in the region, which hve caused many citrus orchards that are mainly sensitive to extreme low temperatures. This has increased the vulnerability of cirtrus farmers. Moreover, despite the solutions suggested by experts, the measures taken by citrus farmers to reduce their vulnerability and increase their resilience have been very limited and have not been implemented in a timely manner. The knowledge and financial, credit, institutional supports have also been insufficient and not provided timely.

Tourism industry, as the most diverse and largest industry in the world, is the most important source of income and creation of job opportunities for many countries of the world, which is considered as the engine of development. Undoubtedly, such an industry is very vulnerable to all kinds of natural, human, and biological crises. The outbreak of Covid-19 crisis around the world has posed serious challenges to the industry. The purpose of this study wasto present a neural network model that has been developed by modeling the experiences of different countries in dealing with crises and their policies. Relying on its generalizability, the proposed neural network model is able to model the dynamics between the “policies/factors and conditions” governing ecosystems and the “effectiveness of the adopted policies” to determine the effectiveness of the forthcoming policies for the Corona Pandemic Crisis. Using the proposed neural network model and providing information about the policies/factors and conditions governing the Iranian tourism industry, the outputs of the model indicate that the best policy adopted to return to pre-crisis climate conditions in Iran is using the “combined” policy. "Economic and financial preparedness to deal with the crisis" in the first place and with a slight difference in policy "combined focus on domestic tourism with preparedness to deal with the crisis" is the next, which according to the criteria of sustainable tourism development and economic sanctions in Iran, the second policy is much more practical. Therefore, solutions are suggested forthese conditions, such as traditional tourism planning for domestic tourists and virtual tourism planning for foreign tourists, development of rural tourism and emphasis on creative and safe tourism.

Protected areas are considered the most sensitive natural environments, and human actions, especially tourism activities, if not managed, can cause irreparable damage to these areas. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the impacts of tourism on the protected area of ​​Shaskooh. The general approach of this research was quantitative and the data collection was based on library resources and survey method. The statistical population of the study was the residents of the surrounding villages and within the protected area of ​​Shaskooh. In order to analyze the data, descriptive statistical methods including frequency and percentage, as well as inferential statistical methods including Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and Chi-square test were used. The results indicate that based on the calculated significance level (sig=0.000), it can be concluded with 99% confidence level that the plant species are facing positive and negative consequences of tourism at a high level. Moreover, regarding the animal species and the environment of the villages, the findings show that tourism has had positive effects on a high level; however, the negative effects of tourism at a medium to low level are also visible on animal species and villages. Therefore, the development of tourism in the protected area of Shaskooh, has led to positive consequences in the protection of plant and animal species in the area and improved the environment of the surrounding villages. On the other hand, the biodiversity of the region and the environment of the surrounding villages are also facing threats from tourism activities. In this regard, it is necessary to define a suitable management system in the field of tourism to reduce and control the negative effects of tourism as much as possible, and to strengthen the positive consequences of tourism.

Never before has mankind faced such an accumulation of multiple crises in cities. Therefore, special attention to cities in general and urban prosperity in particular in the world and Iran seems necessary. The present study was done to identify the driving forces affecting urban prosperity. For this purpose, Bojnord city, the capital of North Khorasan province, was selected as sample. This research is applied in terms of purpose and combined in terms of method. Library and field methods (expert questionnaire) were used to collect information. Regarding the identification of effective driving forces, 20 experts in urban flourishing were selected as participants. The indicators were examined according to the UN CPI program in six areas (productivity, infrastructure development, quality of life, justice and social participation, environmental sustainability, and urban governance and legislation) forming 25 variables. Data analysis was performed using the interaction analysis method in Micmac Software. The results showed that the variable of information and communication technology have most impact and the least dependence. Furthermore, economic power, economic status, employment status, housing infrastructure, social infrastructure, health and health infrastructure, public space, safety and security, economic equality, social status, waste management technology, sustainable energy technology, status and ability to manage the city and the geographical location of the city have the most impact.

This study aimed to formulate rural development strategies in rural areas of Chegeni town. Chegeni city with special features and conditions was studied as a case. This research is an applied one with exploratory purpose. Research data gathering was conducted in an interview method and the sampling method was purposeful. The theoretical population of this study includes 32 stakeholders (specialists, local experts, and relevant officials) of Chegeni town who were purposefully identified and selected by the facilitators. Due to the role of multiple stakeholders and the need to take advantage of the opinions of these stakeholders, as well as to deal with the tendency to criticize and express only negative points, it was necessary to use a technique that would achieve more appropriate results; therefore, SOAR framework was used to formulate rural development strategy, which is more suitable for this research due to its positive and participatory perspective. Results showed that water resources, livestock and livestock production capacities, suitable climate and fertile land are among the most important strengths. Moreover, sufficient pastures for livestock, poultry and bee development, suitable market for rural products, participation of villagers, government support, increase the desire for tourism and educated young people were the most important opportunities of Chegeni city from the the stakeholders’ perspectives. Based on these and taking into account the values, perspectives and missions of the city, maximum productivity of range land, reputation as a tourist destination, attractive areas for investment, youth employment and livestock production center of the province were identified as the most important aspirations. The development strategies of rural areas of Chegeni city were such issues as developing conversion industries, prioritizing tourism, and developing the capacity of exploitation of mines.

Nitrogen dioxide is one of the standard pollutants that in addition to adverse health effects, is also a prerequisite for the formation of hazardous atmospheric compounds. Based on 84 monthly maps, which are drawn from the maximum number of air quality stations and the longest possible statistical period, four seasonal maps of NO2 distribution were prepared for Mashhad city. Then, using Getis–Ord-Gi index, the hot spots of this pollutant were identified on seasonal maps. Using hierarchical cluster analysis, homogeneous NO2 areas of Mashhad were identified. According to the results, the spatial pattern of the formation of hotspots is similar in all seasons and covers most of the eastern and northeastern regions of Mashhad. Moreover, in terms of the concentration of pollutants, Mashhad can be divided into three homogeneous zones or areas. Region 1 with moderate concentration covers 24% of the city area in the southern and southwestern of the city. Zone 2 with the lowest concentration that covers 50% of the city area corresponds to the western half of Mashhad and is located in this zone, and finally Zone 3 with high concentration, mainly includes the eastern and northeastern parts of Mashhad.High population density compared to other regions, lack of infrastructure, urban transport network, old motor vehicles and proximity to the suburbs of production and industrial units may be reasons for high concentration of NO2 formation in this region. The results of this study can be used as a source of specialized information for developing programs for monitoring, reducing and controling NO2 pollutants in Mashhad.

A resilient society is one that can have structures, processes, and identity when a sudden or gradual change and pressure occurs in it, which can transform into a new and better organization and continue its life on a better level. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the role of public participation in increasing the social resilience of informal settlements against the epidemic of Covid-19 in Zanjan city. This applied research used aqualitative-quantitative method. Data collection was based on a specialized and documentary survey method, and the sample size included 15 experts from universities and research centers.The purposeful sampling method was used. Moreover, structural equation analysis model and path analysis method in PLS software were used for data processing. The findings show that among the indicators of social interaction, the tendency to communicate through virtual space is the most important variable, and the coefficient of determination of the variable “role of public participation” on the variable “social resilience against the diseases of Covid-19” is 0.853, which means that 85% of the changes in the dependent variable (resilience) are investigated with 4 independent variables(social trust, social cohesion, social bond and social interaction).Therefore,all four independent research variables have been able to simultaneously examine more than70% of dependent variables and influence resilience through17criteria defined in relation to each other. The remaining15% is obtained from other factors that indirectly affect resilience and the dependent variable of the research. Finally, it can be said that the vulnerable neighborhoods of Zanjan moderate the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic with the use of participation and as a result of promoting social resilience.