فصلنامه تحقیقات جغرافیایی
سال سی و نهم شماره 2 (پیاپی 152، بهار 1403)

The fundamental pillars and structures crucial to any community are the vital arteries or infrastructures, encompassing all essential facilities and utilities. If these are disrupted or damaged, it will have a significant impact on the health, safety, security, and economy of the society. The objective of this study was to evaluate the flood risk and analyze the critical arteries of Bojnurd city.

A research of applied nature was carried out in 2022 within Bojnurd city. The Random Forest algorithm was employed to propose strategies for reducing the susceptibility of city arteries to floods. Through the research, 100 locations prone to flooding and 100 maps free from flooding were identified. Fourteen factors influencing flooding were considered, such as elevation, slope, direction, precipitation, geology, river density, population density, residential density, distance from floodplains, land use, vegetation cover index, topographic land slope index, and moisture index. The significance of each factor was determined by calculating the information gain ratio.

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The variables of elevation, precipitation, and land utilization exerted a notable influence on the occurrence of flooding within the urban area of Bojnurd. Moreover, an analysis encompassing an area of 676 hectares pinpointed the regions characterized by the most elevated susceptibility to floods, while 852 hectares were recognized as exhibiting the least vulnerability. It was observed that a considerable portion of the residential zones face a heightened likelihood of being affected by flood events.

The interconnected nature of street networks, meticulous consideration of street surfacing materials, strategic positioning of buildings, smaller block dimensions, and the implementation of a grid layout featuring regular intersections play a crucial role in mitigating the effects of flooding.

The concept of the right to the city necessitates that the denizens of every urban center regard the city as their own and actively engage in its affairs. By considering the indices related to the right to the city and examining the indices pertaining to the desirability of urban spaces, this study seeks to investigate the influence of the urban space desirability indices on the realization of the right to the city.

The research methodology employed in this study is both applied and descriptive-analytical, with a survey-based nature. The statistical population consisted of individuals over the age of 15 residing in Ahvaz city, with a sample size of 375 people determined using Cochran's formula. To analyze the impact of urban space desirability on the realization of the right to the city, Smart PLS software was utilized.

The results of the structural equations model reveal the importance of the impact of the variables on one another. The t values derived from the research components exhibit a significantly large value exceeding 1.96, which signifies significance at the 0.01 level. The path coefficients of the components surpass 70%, indicating a strong correlation between the components.

There is a positive and significant relationship between the urban space desirability indices and the degree of realization of the right to the city in Ahvaz city. Among the urban space desirability indices, the index of comfort and tranquility has the highest coefficient of influence among other indicators and among the indices of the right to the city, the index of physical share and the index of control and ownership had the highest coefficients of influence.

District 20 of Tehran Municipality is characterized as a less developed region attributable to factors such as insufficient smart infrastructure and the absence of a coherent vision for smart city infrastructure advancement. The primary objective of this research was to develop a comprehensive management framework for spatial data infrastructure integrated with a smart city approach within District 20 of Tehran.

This investigation, carried out between 2023 and 2024, was divided into qualitative and quantitative phases, with a particular focus on District 20 in Tehran. The study's sample size comprised 16 experts, and data collection methods encompassed semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. During the qualitative phase, the components essential for managing spatial data infrastructure in the context of a smart city were identified through an extensive review of existing literature. Subsequently, following adjustments based on expert feedback, a total of 12 components were validated. In the quantitative phase, structural equation modeling was employed to delineate the network of relationships and interactions, culminating in the presentation of the final model.

The formulation of policies for spatial data infrastructure was recognized as the most influential component at the highest echelon. Factors such as the utilization extent of spatial data, the quantity of electronic service centers, data update frequencies, cooperation and synchronization among the authorities of Rey Governorate, Rey Municipality, and Tehran Municipality in the realms of spatial data production, standardization, and distribution, along with the element of collaboration and synchronization with other entities categorized as data users, were positioned as influential components at the lowest tier.

The policies and criteria established within the domain of spatial data infrastructure possess the most significant influence on other elements.

Subsidence is a significant environmental risk in the country's plains. Urban areas located in the plains are at risk of subsidence, posing a hazard to many communities. Hence, this study was conducted to examine the subsidence of Rafsanjan city region in the plain and analyze the potential elements contributing to it.

This was a practical research study conducted in Rafsanjan, utilizing a specific approach. The research employed the technique of coherence pixels as its methodology. The utilized data from Sentinel 1 radar pictures pertain to the time period spanning from 2014 to 2022.

Rafsanjan city has seen a progressive sinking phenomenon, with the rate of subsidence intensifying between 2014 and 2022. The annual subsidence rate has escalated from 11 cm to 13 cm throughout this period. Furthermore, the scope of the affected regions has expanded, resulting in the progression of the development process from the outskirts of the city to the center districts. The subsidence pattern of the city is influenced by the combination of fault maps, changes in subterranean water levels during a 10-year period, and the subsidence map.

The city is experiencing a gradual sinking of the ground, which is spreading towards the inner areas and the center of the city. The uncontrolled extraction of subsurface water sources is a significant factor contributing to the sinking of the city of Rafsanjan. The subsidence of the city is mostly influenced by the Nogh fault.

Floods are one of the natural hazards that cause financial and human losses every year. This research was carried out to determine the flood risk zones in the Friesian watershed with Artificial Neural Network Model and Support Vector Machine to identify the influential factors in the occurrence of floods in the region, necessary measures for control, planning and protective and management measures in to reduce the risk of flooding.

This was an applied, analytical and developmental study carried out in 2023 in Firizi watershed. 14 environmental parameters were used for flood risk zoning. Then, 150 flood points in the basin were extracted using satellite images and randomly divided into 70% for model training and 30% for validation. Then, the layers were weighted, and the flood potential maps were classified into 5 categories: Very high, high, medium, low, and very low, using the natural fracture method. Then, the accuracy of the models used in the research was investigated using the Receiver Operating Characteristic method.

The research assessed the accuracy of the models by employing the Receiver Operating Characteristic approach. The collected findings indicate that the Artificial Neural Network model outperformed the Support Vector Machine model, with an Area Under the Curve value of 0.923 compared to 0.898.

The flooding in the basin primarily affected areas with gentle slopes, rocks that are resistant to water flow and not easily penetrated, lower altitudes, and lands located next to rivers (known as floodplains). The basin contains areas that are classified as high and extremely high-risk, primarily in its central and outflow regions.

The deteriorated areas of cities, caused by their physical, economic, and social characteristics results in decay and separation from other metropolitan areas. The aim of this study was to assess the indicators of urban livability in the historical areas of Kermanshah City.

This is an applied study that was conducted in 2023-2024 in Kermanshah City. After preparing a list of factors, a questionnaire with 38 questions was prepared and evaluated by the expert community. After content validity assessment and the removal of duplicate questions based on expert opinions, the questionnaire items were reduced to 32. The research population in the next stage included all residents of the historical fabric of Kermanshah City (n=378). Statistical analysis was performed using the t-test method and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP).

The social, cultural, economic, and managerial aspects of urban livability in the historical fabric of Kermanshah City were in unfavorable condition, while the environmental condition was desirable, and the physical condition was in an average conditions. The AHP technique provided the highest weight to the economic index and the lowest weight to the managerial index.

Among the indices of urban livability, the economic index had the highest level of importance and priority.

The presence of a notable and conflicting connection between the Shiite-Sunni geopolitics within the Islamic world, as they vie for leadership of the Islamic world, and the geopolitical rivalries among regional nations and global powers in the Middle East, has had an impact on the patterns and aspects of regional security. This influence has been further compounded by the rise and expansion of religious fundamentalist groups, such as ISIS. This article initially elucidates the geopolitical origins behind the establishment of Salafi Islamic extremist factions, with a particular focus on the rise and existence of ISIS in the area. Subsequently, an analysis is conducted on the impact of the aforementioned phenomenon on the regional security of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The primary focus of this study is to examine the geopolitical factors that contribute to the emergence of religious fundamentalist groups and assess their influence on the regional security of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The historical and identity backgrounds in state-building and incomplete modernization in influential geographical areas play a significant role in shaping the formation of religious fundamentalist groups. These findings are based on explanatory and analytical methods that investigate the cause-and-effect relationship between two independent and dependent variables in geopolitics. The geopolitical rivalry among regional entities and global powers is also a significant determinant. These groups have presented problems to the regional security of Iran by establishing their radical ideology in specific territories, affecting Iran's geopolitical, geostrategic, and geocultural spheres.

This essay aims to provide a theoretical explanation of the connection between the notions of ecotourism and agritourism within the framework of urban agricultural legacy. The research focused on the overall urban agricultural history, with a specific emphasis on Iranian garden cities. Urban agricultural heritages refer to specific places within urban environments where agriculture has been practiced historically. These sites possess significant biological, ecological, and economic value. However, they are currently facing the threat of annihilation.

By analyzing the viewpoints of experts, the research made progress towards answering its main question regarding the concept of urban eco-agritourism. However, it also encountered challenges in reconciling the conflicting definitions and components of ecotourism and agritourism with the concept of city and urban mass tourism. This article presents ways to resolve the apparent conflicts by utilizing experimental examples and established theoretical foundations. Consequently, urban eco-agritourism was elucidated as a viable approach to safeguard urban agricultural legacies.

Clarifying resilience against threats involves comprehending how many factors such as social, economic, institutional, political, and executive capacities, as well as urban communities, contribute to enhancing resilience. It also entails defining the diverse dimensions of resilience within cities. The aim of this study was to evaluate the economic and social ability of the city of Ilam to withstand and recover from environmental risks.

This applied study was carried out in the city of Ilam in 2023. The investigation was conducted in two distinct phases. The initial phase was an examination of the research backdrop to identify the factors that influence the resilience of Ilam city from both economic and social viewpoints. Subsequently, a questionnaire consisting of 28 items was developed, utilizing a 5-point Likert scale. The questionnaire was evaluated using expert opinion. The findings of the first phase were evaluated using the single-sample t-test method in SPSS 24 software. A total of 30 urban planners were deliberately chosen. For the subsequent stage, the evaluation of people' viewpoints, four specific regions within Ilam city were designated as the primary clusters. Subsequently, the principal streets and squares inside each of these regions were chosen as the building blocks for the clusters. A sample of sixty persons was chosen at random. The level of resilience in urban areas of Ilam was assessed and graded using the multi-criteria decision-making technique known as Vikor.

Area 4 exhibited the highest level of social resilience among all areas in the city of Ilam, with 75% of the remaining areas also demonstrating a relatively high level of social resilience. Out of these places, only Area 2 had a comparatively low level of social resilience. The sub-component score for damage compensation got a greater weighting than the scores of other components. Among the three areas, Area 3 shown the highest level of economic resilience. However, Area 1, which primarily consisted of rural migrants with low income, exhibited a lack of economic resilience.

Ilam exhibits a higher level of economic resilience in the face of natural threats compared to its social resilience.

This study aimed to develop strategies for branding using the smart city approach based on economic dimensions in the Yusefabad neighborhood located in district 6 of Tehran.

This analytical-applied study was conducted in the Yusefabad neighborhood of Tehran in 2023-2024. The research tool was a questionnaire designed based on the economic dimension with sub-components including service and tourism facilities (5 indices), neighborhood unique features and assets (6 indices), transportation services and accessibility (6 indices), urban services and infrastructure (4 indices), city's international status (4 indices), and investment and trade (3 indices). The content and face validity were assessed using the expert panel method. Then, the questionnaire was distributed among 30 urban planners in district 6 of Tehran. The data were analyzed using the independent t-test and Friedman test in SPSS 23.

The highest mean in the economic dimensions was related to transportation services and accessibility (2.4), while the lowest mean was related to service and tourism facilities with a value of 2.89. The results of component ranking indicated that in the service and tourism facilities index, the components of recreational centers and entertainment venues (0.189) and the status of hotels and hostels (0.189) ranked highest. In the unique features and assets index, unique monuments and buildings (0.062) ranked highest. In the urban services and infrastructure index, the components of urban facility conditions (0.182) and urban equipment status (0.179) ranked highest. In the city's international status index, advertising power (0.210) ranked first. In the investment and trade index, the status of markets and sales centers ranked first.

The economic component with a beta coefficient of 0.438 significantly influences the smart city. The economic status is a significant predictor of the smart city.

Considering the important position of the medical tourism industry in the global economy as well as Iran's capabilities in this industry, the present research has been conducted to investigate the impact of social factors on the development of medical tourism in primary health tourism centers in Iran.

The research employed a descriptive-analytical method, utilizing quantitative data gathered through a questionnaire tool. The statistical population of the research comprises medical tourists from the five primary provinces renowned for offering extensive health tourism services: Tehran, Mashhad, Shiraz, Tabriz, and Ahvaz. A sample of 384 individuals was selected using a combination of cluster sampling and quota sampling technique. SPSS22 software and Lisrel structural equation modeling software were used for data analysis.

The findings underscore a significant correlation between the development of medical tourism and various influential social factors, notably spiritual culture and material culture. Utilizing the structural equations model, spiritual culture exhibited a coefficient of 0.92 and material culture of 0.73. Overall, the combined impact of these social factors was calculated at 0.61.

Cultural factors, particularly spiritual and material culture, emerge as pivotal determinants in shaping the landscape of medical tourism in Iran's primary health tourism centers. Understanding and strategically addressing these factors can foster the nation's competitiveness and prominence within the global medical tourism arena, thereby propelling its economic growth and healthcare sector advancement.

Effective governance is a fundamental requirement for the sustainable development of tourism destinations. This study aimed to design a conceptual model to enhance the tourism industry based on good governance in District 22 of Tehran.

This research was conducted in District 22 of Tehran in 2023-2024. A 48-item questionnaire was designed using a list of criteria affecting tourism governance. The samples were selected by purposive sampling (n=31). Out of the 48 questions, 32 were approved, and the rest were excluded. The reliability of the questionnaire was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha method. In the second phase, the opinions of residents in District 22 were used to respond to the questionnaire. The sample size was determined to be 383 people using Cochran's formula. The samples were selected using a simple random sampling method. The Shannon entropy method was used for data analysis.

The effectiveness of tourism governance indicators in District 22 of Tehran is expected to be high. Ranking results indicated that the components such as optimal communication between officials and stakeholders, establishing virtual communication channels with the public, transparency in operations and public awareness of results and feedback, financial transparency, and informing the public about the preparation and approval of budgets, and transportation safety, were ranked as the top five priorities for improving tourism in District 22. The lowest scores were related to economic and financial security, equal access to related infrastructure, and food and health security components. The priority of each tourism governance indicator in District 22 of Tehran, using the Shannon entropy method, indicated the superiority of criteria like transparency, decentralization, and strategic vision over other criteria.

The effective indicators of good tourism governance include justice, accountability, transparency, decentralization, efficiency, responsibility, justice, participation, and strategic vision, in which transparency, decentralization, and strategic vision were the most important.

The reason for the lack of scientific researches in the field of positioning of natural areas and of course the necessity of combining these two areas to improve the level of positioning of natural areas is the need for a scientific method that can reanalyze and then compare and criticize and then evaluated the best results from the combination of fields in the studies. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the characteristics of the accumulated knowledge in the field of placemaking in terms of form, methodology and content.

Meta-analysis method was one of the tools needed to combine the tools needed to inform scientific decisions and policy-making, and on the other hand, it was a research study that systematically combined or integrated single-case results. It was used independently, using statistical methods to calculate a scientific work. The articles reviewed in this research were identified from the scientific database of Semantic Scholar in the period from 2018 to 2022. After reviewing and considering the quality of the output from the content point of view, 31 articles were reviewed and evaluated

There were more articles in the field of physical and human. The concept of placemaking based on the continuation of the value of natural areas referred to the preservation and sustainable exploitation of natural resources, biodiversity, and balance in ecosystems. Maintaining environmental balance, the economic value of these resources for income generation and employment, the social value of these areas for recreation and rest, and improving the quality of urban life and its environmental value were very valuable for preserving the environment of other creatures and protecting the natural environment.

There was a strong significant relationship between subject classification and theoretical approach. Place-making in nature has also a significant focus on the human-centered field, natural areas, sustainability and social health.

The spatial arrangement of housing, pertaining to the interconnection of spatial components, exhibits an intricate relationship with all architectural challenges and concerns. Consequently, the objective of this research endeavor is to scrutinize and explore the arrangement of modern structures in Mashhad, aiming to identify discernible patterns.

The current investigation adopted a practical approach and was carried out within the confines of Mashhad city in 2021, employing a mixed qualitative-quantitative methodology. A comparative-descriptive analysis was performed on the residential layouts of Mashhad city. The sampling technique utilized was random, leading to the selection of a cluster comprising 61 samples from 17 districts of Mashhad.

A total of 44 distinct graphs were observed, with the predominant layouts in Mashhad being those consisting of six or seven nodes. These nodes typically encompass areas such as the entrance space, reception area, parents' bedroom, child's bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom. Analysis of the connection parameter revealed that the minimum maximum value among the depicted graphs was 2, whereas the maximum peak value stood at 4. In terms of the selection parameter, the highest rating reached 2 due to the limited number of internal spaces, while the lowest rating was 1.

The primary structure common to all graphs entails an entrance space leading to a reception area. Spatial organization has been prominently upheld in the majority of designs, with particular emphasis on the kitchen and service areas as pivotal zones within the layouts.