Journal of Urban Studies on Space and Place

Abstract iability in its original and general meaning is as the concept of achieving viability that focuses on quality of life at the local level and it has evolved over the years and often reflects the ideal relationship between the living environment and social life. According to this issue, the formation of settlements, especially in hot arid rigen and their livability, is a clear symbol of human-nature interaction in the desert environment, despite of the exsisting the water supply problems and limited water resources. One of the innovative measures of Iranians adaptation to arid climate is Qanat, which has directly affected the way of life and viability of these areas, as the sustainable water supply system. For this purpose, in this study, the importance and role of qanats on the urban and rural settlements viability has been recognized; and finally by using synthetic method, 27 articles in a codified and principled manner were filtered among 58 selected articles and then they coded. By reviewing these articles, finally 5 dimensions as the main categories including physical, environmental, managerial, economic and socio-cultural dimensions and a total of 164 open codes, is identified, extracted and classified that they are mentioned in domestic and foreign research as the role of qanats on the viability of human settlements The results of this study show that the qanat is a tool of sustainable life that has affected all aspects of environmental, physical, economic, socio-cultural and managerial human settlements and their livability.