Journal of Urban Studies on Space and Place

Abstract The complex developments of cities and the necessity of evidence-based decision-making have highlighted the role of urban observatories as one of the key tools of urban governance. Despite the conceptual and technical development of urban observatories in Iran, the weakness in formal institutional structures and the lack of coherent organizational, legal, and executive frameworks have challenged the efficiency and sustainability of these institutions. The present study aims to develop a formal institutional model supporting the urban observatory of municipalities, focusing on the municipality of Yazd. This study is applied-developmental in terms of purpose and mixed (qualitative-quantitative) in terms of methodology. In this article, stakeholder analysis methods have been carried out using power-benefit matrix analysis, descriptive statistics analysis, and nonparametric Friedman mean and Spearman correlation tests in the SPSS software environment. The results of the analyses show that the urban observatory can be implemented in the Yazd city municipality, and the most important findings from the analyses show that the development of an institutional model supporting the urban observatory consists of evaluation and reporting measures, sustainability and institutionalization, monitoring and supervision, data collection and management, security, rule of law, design and formulation, implementation and implementation of the program and stakeholders. The success and sustainability of the urban observatory requires formal institutional support, a transparent governance structure, an integrated data system, legal and security requirements, active participation of stakeholders, and continuous organizational learning. The proposed model can be used as an operational framework to promote data-based decision-making, transparency, accountability, and improvement of urban management in municipalities.

Abstract Rapid urbanization and the resulting spatial polarization have become defining features of contemporary metropolitan development, particularly in historic urban cores of developing countries, where the legacy of uneven growth has intensified spatial injustices. In this context, Tehran’s District 12—the city’s historical nucleus and a repository of cultural heritage—presents a critical case of spatial inequality, physical deterioration, and social vulnerability. While this district remains a vital economic and symbolic center of the capital, its neighborhoods exhibit severe disparities in livability, shaped by cumulative deficiencies in infrastructure, public services, and environmental quality. These inequalities challenge the sustainability and equity of urban development and call for analytical frameworks that capture the multidimensional nature of urban livability through the lens of spatial justice. Against this background, the present research seeks to assess and rank neighborhood livability in District 12 of Tehran using a justice-oriented framework that integrates objective and subjective dimensions of urban quality. The central question guiding the study is: to what extent do spatial disparities in livability reflect systemic inequalities in the distribution of opportunities, resources, and social capital across neighborhoods, and how can these disparities inform context-sensitive urban policy?
 
This study adopts a quantitative, positivist, and survey-based approach designed to operationalize the complex construct of livability into empirically measurable dimensions. Quantitative data were collected from 385 residents across 13 neighborhoods using a researcher-designed questionnaire with proven validity and reliability (Cronbach’s alpha > 0.7), complemented by secondary data from official documents and spatial analyses. The analytical framework consisted of two main stages: first, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) were employed to validate the measurement model, derive factor loadings, and determine the relative weights of the five key dimensions of livability—physical quality and infrastructure, economic capability and spatial equity, social and cultural capital, environmental sustainability, and safety and social welfare. Second, a multi-criteria decision-making method (TOPSIS) was applied to integrate the weighted indicators and produce a composite livability score for each neighborhood. The integration of SEM and TOPSIS yielded a robust, data-driven ranking that accounts for both the statistical significance of indicators and their spatial interrelations.
The results reveal a pronounced pattern of spatial heterogeneity and polarization across the district. The neighborhoods of Sangalaj (score: 0.281) and Iran (0.271) achieved the highest overall livability scores, while Shahid Herandi (-0.285) and Ghiyam (-0.202) were identified as critical zones of deprivation. SEM path coefficients indicate that physical quality (β = 0.762) and local social capital (β = 0.751) exert the strongest influence on overall livability, followed by safety and health (β = 0.683), economic capability (β = 0.648), and environmental sustainability (β = 0.617). These findings suggest that livability in Tehran’s historical core is driven less by economic affluence and more by the interplay of physical infrastructure and social cohesion. The spatial distribution pattern, characterized by central and northern neighborhoods outperforming southern and peripheral ones, substantiates the theoretical propositions of spatial justice (Harvey, 1973; Soja, 2010), which hold that the inequitable allocation of urban resources reproduces localized geographies of privilege and exclusion.
Beyond statistical confirmation, the study provides a nuanced spatial interpretation: neighborhoods exhibiting balanced development across all five dimensions (such as Iran and Sangalaj) serve as models of adaptive resilience, whereas those with fragmented profiles—high social cohesion but weak infrastructure (e.g., Ferdowsi), or strong physical assets but social deprivation (e.g., Baharestan)—underscore the multidimensional and context-dependent nature of urban livability. This differentiation underscores the need for localized, cluster-based policy responses rather than uniform citywide interventions. Accordingly, the research proposes a four-tier policy classification—leading, intermediate, deprived, and critical neighborhoods—to prioritize investment and guide integrated urban regeneration strategies. Immediate intervention is deemed essential in critical neighborhoods such as Shahid Herandi and Ghiyam, where cumulative deprivation across all dimensions threatens both social stability and urban identity.
From a theoretical standpoint, the findings advance the integration of spatial justice into empirical livability assessment by demonstrating how unequal spatial distributions of physical and social assets materialize as lived disparities in urban experience. The use of SEM-TOPSIS as a combined analytical framework bridges the gap between statistical rigor and spatial interpretation, offering a replicable model for other historical and socioeconomically diverse urban areas. In practical terms, the results highlight that enhancing neighborhood livability requires concurrent attention to both tangible and intangible assets: investment in public infrastructure and housing quality must be paralleled by efforts to strengthen local networks, civic participation, and trust. This aligns with global discourses emphasizing participatory governance and community-based urban planning as key instruments for equitable urban transformation.
Overall, the study concludes that achieving livability in contexts of entrenched spatial inequality is not merely a technical or infrastructural challenge but a normative and political endeavor grounded in the pursuit of spatial justice. Sustainable improvement in Tehran’s District 12 demands a shift from top-down, growth-oriented planning to neighborhood-centered governance models that acknowledge local identities, empower residents, and redistribute urban opportunities. Such an approach transforms livability from a static index of amenities into a dynamic expression of social equity, resilience, and collective well-being. The conceptual and methodological contributions of this research thus extend beyond the empirical case, offering a framework adaptable to other historic urban cores confronting similar tensions between heritage preservation, social equity, and spatial justice.
 

Abstract Introduction
Analysis of the Green City Knowledge Map using the VOSviewer tool identifies research gaps in this field. The results of these analyses show that while most studies address environmental and land-use issues, the social, cultural, and economic dimensions of the green city have not been adequately addressed. This gap underscores the need for more comprehensive research to establish the necessary balance among the different dimensions of sustainable development. VOSviewer also highlights that most studies in this field have been conducted in Western countries and in English, and studies in developing regions with different cultural and climatic conditions are not sufficiently available. This geographical imbalance in knowledge production can lead to incorrect generalizations and inappropriate policy design in regions with different conditions. Therefore, this is considered a major research gap in the field of green cities. Finally, the results of the green city knowledge maps using VOSviewer show that the connections between different knowledge areas (such as architecture, urban planning, environment, urban economics, etc.) are not yet well established. This points to the need for interdisciplinary, integrated research to address the complex challenges of today's cities with a comprehensive approach. Therefore, identifying these gaps can be a basis for guiding the future of green city research.
Theoretical framework
Green cities are defined as cities that strive to reduce their environmental impact by reducing waste, expanding recycling, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing housing density while expanding open space, and encouraging the development of sustainable local businesses. A green city is one in which all forms of nature – living organisms, their ecosystems, and habitats – are vital components of its green infrastructure. In a green city, these forms of nature are preserved, maintained, and expanded for the benefit of the city’s residents. Urban nature is an ideal provider of services and a key concept for city development. Green cities have clean air and water, and pleasant streets and parks. Green cities are resilient in the face of natural disasters, and the risk of major infectious diseases spreading in such cities is low. Green cities also encourage green behaviors, such as using public transportation, and have a relatively low ecological impact.
Methodology
The present study is a mixed-methods study with an applied purpose and was conducted using a scientometric method based on the analysis of co-authorship and word co-occurrence. The study's statistical population comprises scientific, conference, and book publications by global authors in English on the green city paradigm published between 1979 and 2025. The sources of the statistical population of the present study are indexed in the Scopus scientific database. The reason for using the Scopus database is that it has more comprehensive resources than Web of Science and provides access to a larger number of resources. VOSviewer software was used to visualize the network of co-authorship and co-occurrence of words, as it was developed for the construction and visualization of bibliometric maps, and its graphical displays effectively depict the network. An advanced search for the term 'green city paradigm' in the Scopus database, without restrictions on title, abstract, or keywords, identified 1587 references between 1979 and 2025. The highest frequency of references is from 2024 (236 references). It is worth noting that the basis of the co-authorship network is 4. The basis of the co-occurrence network of terms is 5. In addition, the dimensions, components, and indicators of the green city were extracted through interviews with 15 experts.
Result and discussion
The Green City Paradigm co-authorship network comprises 121 co-authors and researchers, organized into 8 clusters. Based on the co-occurrence network, the most frequent green city words consist of China (248), sustainable development (225), urban planning (172), green space (166), urban area (161), sustainability (140), urban development (94), human (86), climate change (82), ecology (80), urbanization (74), smart city (72), urban growth (72), decision-making (66), green infrastructure (62), innovation (58), biodiversity (56), economic development (54), environmental protection (52), optimization (49), green economy (48), urban design (47), carbon (44), ecosystem services (43), land use (43), accounting Green (43), carbon emissions (42) and energy efficiency (41). The time course of the evolution of green city concepts and terms has been classified into five stages, including 2016-1979; 2016-2018; 2020-2018; 2022-2020; and 2025-2022. As a result, since 2025-2022, more attention has been paid to green attitude, green economy, green purchase intention, carbon emissions, efficiency, building information modeling, water, economic development, urban regeneration, green finance, green innovation, green logistics, green production, green technology, green technology innovation, sustainable development goals, consumption behavior, theory of planned behavior, social responsibility and overall green factor efficiency.
Conclusion
The results of the study indicate that research in this field has gradually moved from traditional urban management approaches to innovative, ecological, and participatory frameworks. The knowledge map drawn with VOSviewer identified commonalities and interactions across scientific disciplines such as geography, environment, urban planning, architecture, and the social sciences, and revealed numerous research networks centered on concepts such as "zero carbon," "resilient cities," and "public green spaces." Also, the analysis of keywords and scientific references showed that the green city paradigm is influenced by global trends, including climate change, sustainable development, and the Millennium Development Goals. In summary, the green city, as a new urban planning paradigm, is not only an innovative response to the environmental and social challenges of today's cities, but also paves the way for the realization of sustainable development at the local and national levels. Awareness of the existing knowledge base in this field can be a key to identifying research gaps, strengthening interdisciplinary collaborations, and informing urban planning policies. Therefore, continuing qualitative and quantitative studies in this field using knowledge extraction tools such as VOSviewer seems essential.
 

Abstract Introduction
Smart cities have become a central paradigm in contemporary urban research, transforming how cities are measured, compared, and governed. Yet despite the global diffusion of the concept, the internal structure of “smartness” remains uneven, multidimensional, and strongly dependent on local capacities for data production, governance, and innovation. Europe, unlike many other regions of the world, benefits from a rich statistical ecosystem that enables cities to be evaluated across multiple dimensions using reliable, comparable, and annually updated indicators. This study builds upon these datasets to develop a six-dimensional analytical geometry of smartness across European cities. It aims to move beyond simple rankings and construct a deeper structural understanding of how cities behave across economic, people, governance, mobility, environmental, and living dimensions. The broader motivation of the research is twofold. First, it seeks to reveal the spatial and conceptual diversity of European smart cities, showing that “smartness” is not a uniform path but a set of distinct patterns and typologies. Second, it aims to establish a theoretical–analytical device adaptable to other regions, including data-scarce contexts, where smart-city strategies remain fragmented due to the absence of structured statistical systems.
Theoretical Framework
The study is grounded in the six-dimensional model widely adopted in the European smart-city literature (Six Dimensions), originally articulated by Giffinger and subsequently refined by contemporary scholarship. This framework conceptualizes smartness as a balance between technological infrastructure (hard assets) and human–institutional capacity (soft assets). European Parliament reports, Urban Audit methodology, and recent studies emphasize that the most successful smart cities cultivate harmony among these dimensions rather than privileging any single component. Building on this foundation, the research introduces the concept of Smartness Geometry, which treats each city as a six-coordinate point in a multidimensional space. The geometric shape derived from these coordinates, interpreted through radar profiles, reveals whether a city is balanced, skewed, hard-infrastructure-dominated, soft-capacity-dominated, or structurally weak across multiple fronts. This theoretical lens allows smartness to be operationalized not merely as ranking but as form, pattern, and structural identity.
Methodology
The analysis uses 91 indicators extracted from two major European data repositories: Eurostat’s 2025 smart-city datasets and the 2024 Urban Audit. Each indicator corresponds to one of the six smart-city dimensions, forming an extensive database of urban performance covering economy (12 indicators), people (16), governance (12), mobility (10), environment (13), and living (28). To ensure comparability, all data older than 2015 were excluded. After cleaning and standardization, the Shannon entropy method was applied to compute dimension-specific weights, ensuring that indicators with greater variation across cities exert proportionally stronger influence. Using these weighted scores, six composite values were generated for each city, yielding the coordinates of their smartness geometry. To evaluate relative performance, four multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods were applied independently: AHP, SAW, TOPSIS, and VIKOR. These methods were intentionally selected because they differ in compensability, normalization sensitivity, and aggregation logic. AHP reflects hierarchical expert-based reasoning; SAW is fully compensatory and linear; TOPSIS emphasizes distance from ideal and anti-ideal solutions; VIKOR balances individual and group utility through a compromise model. The Friedman test was employed to assess the statistical agreement among the four methods. Finally, consensus clustering and radar-geometry analysis were used to classify the cities into geometric types of smartness.
Results and Discussion
The integrated ranking produced a clear hierarchy among European cities. The geometry of smartness across European cities can be interpreted through four distinct typological forms, each representing a structural pattern of urban performance. Type T1, the Balanced Smartness Core, reflects cities scoring between 0.70 and 0.96, primarily found in Northern and Western Europe. These cities show strong performance in living standards, mobility, governance, and environmental sustainability, resulting in a symmetrical hexagonal radar chart that signifies equilibrium across all dimensions. Type T2, the Industrial–Economic Hardware Smartness, includes cities in Germany, France, and the United Kingdom, typically scoring 0.55-0.70. Their radar charts appear as elongated pentagons pulled toward economic, innovation, employment, and infrastructure dimensions, indicating strong hard capacities but less balanced soft dimensions. Type T3, the Latent Software-Based Smartness, is characteristic of Eastern European cities, with scores ranging from 0.45 to 0.55. These cities perform better on people-oriented indicators such as education, governance, and civic participation, while lagging in the economy and mobility, resulting in an asymmetric quadrilateral with elevated human/governance axes and depressed economic ones. Finally, Type T4, the Negative Consensus Core, includes structurally weak cities of Southern Europe, positioned between 0.00 and 0.40. Their profiles show severe imbalance across all dimensions, forming collapsed or fragmented polygons with sharp recessions that reflect pervasive deficits and the need for significant policy interventions. This typology demonstrates that Europe does not move toward a uniform smart-city model but toward differentiated regional patterns—each shaped by historical, economic, cultural, and governance trajectories.
Conclusion
The study offers a comprehensive analytical device for understanding smart-city performance through a multi-dimensional, geometric, and consensus-based approach. The Smartness Geometry model reveals that smartness is not simply about technological adoption but about structural harmony across economic, human, institutional, environmental, and infrastructural systems. Europe showcases both excellence and disparity: while northern cities achieve equilibrium, southern and eastern cities face multidimensional fragility. The framework developed here is transferable to other regions, provided that a reliable statistical infrastructure is established. Without consistent, transparent urban data, neither profiling, geometry, nor benchmarking is possible. Strengthening national urban statistics, creating open datasets, and adopting standardized indicators similar to those of the Urban Audit would allow governments to construct their own smartness geometry. Future research should extend this model to comparative regional studies, integrate time-series dynamics, and examine the causal mechanisms behind geometric patterns. The Smartness Geometry framework thus offers a robust, expandable system for measuring, understanding, and improving urban smartness across diverse global contexts.
 

Abstract Extended Abstract
Introduction
The integration of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, augmented/virtual reality (AR/VR), and the Internet of Things (IoT) into entrepreneurship has transformed industries worldwide, particularly tourism. In Iran, the creative tourism sector—encompassing cultural, heritage, and experiential tourism—holds significant potential for economic growth and job creation. Despite Iran's rich cultural heritage and diverse tourism assets, the sector remains underdeveloped due to limited adoption of advanced technologies, inadequate technological infrastructure, restricted access to financial resources, and insufficient entrepreneurial skills among stakeholders. According to the World Economic Forum's Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report (2019), Iran ranks low in information and communication technology (ICT) readiness and innovation capacity. The COVID-19 pandemic further highlighted the need for digital transformation, as Iran lagged in adopting virtual and hybrid tourism models, leading to significant economic losses (UNWTO, 2021). The creative tourism sector in Iran faces the challenge of preserving cultural authenticity while embracing innovation. Technologies like AI, AR/VR, and blockchain offer opportunities to enhance visitor experiences through immersive storytelling and personalized services, but risk commodifying cultural heritage if not managed carefully (Richards & Wilson, 2007). Key barriers include a weak digital infrastructure (Iran ranks 89/193 in ICT development, ITU, 2021), limited startup ecosystems, and insufficient stakeholder collaboration. Addressing these requires investment in digital infrastructure, fostering entrepreneurial ecosystems, and developing policies that balance innovation with cultural integrity. This study aims to develop a technology-driven model for cultural entrepreneurship in Iran's creative tourism sector to bridge theoretical and practical gaps, enhancing value creation and sustainability.
Methodology
The study employs an exploratory-applied design with a sequential mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative and quantitative phases. The qualitative phase used inductive content analysis and grounded theory, involving semi-structured interviews with 18 cultural tourism experts (academics, entrepreneurs, and policy specialists) selected via purposive sampling until theoretical saturation. Participants had at least five years of experience and verifiable contributions in entrepreneurship, cultural studies, or policy development. Interviews followed a "broadening-converging" pattern: eight for exploration, five for category development, and five for confirmation. Data saturation was assessed through code saturation ( 0.62, Cronbach's α > 0.7), analyzed with SPSS 26 and AMOS 24 to test a structural equation model. The mixed-methods approach ensured qualitative insights informed the quantitative instrument, providing a robust framework for model development and validation.
Findings: Qualitative analysis identified 34 categories across four dimensions:
1.         Entrepreneurial Dynamics: Cultural entrepreneurs exhibit traits like creative perseverance, cultural intelligence, and risk acceptance, with performance driven by financial satisfaction and self-actualization. Cultural action involves empathy and adaptation to cultural needs.
2.         Cultural Entrepreneurship Requirements: These include cultural awareness, intercultural competence, networking, and proficiency in technologies like AI, AR/VR, blockchain, and IoT, emphasizing the need for cultural sensitivity and technological skills.
3.         Cultural Entrepreneurship Challenges: Barriers include economic issues (e.g., financial instability), political constraints (e.g., sanctions), technological limitations (e.g., digital divide), socio-cultural risks (e.g., cultural commodification), and technical obstacles (e.g., bureaucracy).
4.         Cultural Entrepreneurship Outcomes: Outcomes include internationalization (e.g., cultural exports), sustainable development, creative tourism (e.g., innovative products), creative entrepreneurship (e.g., business clusters), and social capital (e.g., community trust).
Quantitative analysis validated the model (CFI = 0.93, RMSEA = 0.06), showing significant relationships between requirements (β = 0.18), challenges (β = 0.48), and outcomes (β = 0.86). Technology adoption was a key driver of success, with challenges significantly influencing the entrepreneurial process.
Discussion and Conclusion
The study provides a framework for advancing cultural entrepreneurship in Iran's creative tourism sector, aligning with global digital transformation trends (UNESCO, 2021). By integrating AI, AR/VR, blockchain, and IoT with cultural entrepreneurship principles, the model enhances value creation while addressing systemic barriers. Cultural entrepreneurs, characterized by creative perseverance and cultural intelligence (Hofstede, 2011), can leverage Iran's heritage for global competitiveness, transforming cultural assets into commercial value (Ratten, 2020) while tolerating ambiguity (Begley & Boyd, 1987). Digital platforms like AI-driven recommendation systems and social media are critical for navigating challenges (Gretzel et al., 2015), but cultural authenticity must be preserved to avoid commodification (Towse, 2010). Operational requirements (e.g., networking, intellectual property protection) align with global best practices (Porter, 1998), while cultural requirements like intercultural competence (Byram, 1997) support international engagement. Outcomes—internationalization, sustainable development, creative tourism, creative entrepreneurship, and social capital—offer economic and social benefits. Internationalization through cultural exports (Nye, 2004) creates opportunities, while sustainable development aligns with the triple bottom line (Elkington, 1997). Creative tourism fosters innovative products and creative cities (Richards & Raymond, 2000), and social capital strengthens community resilience (Putnam, 2000). Quantitative validation confirms the model's robustness (Hair et al., 2019), with technology adoption as a key predictor of success (Sigala, 2020). Practical implications include policy interventions for digital infrastructure and cultural-commercial training (Bridgstock, 2013). Limitations include the study's Iran-specific focus, limiting generalizability (Tsui, 2007), and the rapid evolution of technologies, requiring ongoing research (Buhalis, 2020). Future studies should explore blockchain for intellectual property protection (Kaminska & Borzemski, 2020), AR/VR's impact on cultural experiences (Guttentag, 2010), and platform economics (Srnicek, 2017). The framework bridges gaps in cultural entrepreneurship literature, justifying investments in technology-driven innovation for economic growth, cultural preservation, and social innovation in Iran's creative tourism sector.
 

Abstract  
Extended Abstract
Introduction
The trend of apartment living, as one of the consequences of contemporary urban development, while responding to the quantitative demand for housing, has led to challenges in the spatial, social, environmental, and spiritual dimensions of residential life in Iranian cities. Trends are patterns of change in things important to the observer that occur over time. In today's macro society, trends such as urbanization, cyberspace and the Internet, economic vulnerability, war, generational gaps, changing beliefs and convictions, environmental issues, etc., have affected the development of contemporary cities and are pushing the city towards an uncertain future. A trend is a phenomenon that repeats itself over a short period of time with a tendency and logic; in other words, it is a change or development towards something new and different. In other words, a trend shows that a social issue or a specific concept tends toward a position, and this tendency has persisted at a given point in time. This issue has become so worrying that it requires examination, foresight, and preparation to address.
Methodology
This article examines the dimensions and consequences of apartment living in contemporary Iranian cities through the lens of "Islamic Realism." The research's conceptual framework is based on four dimensions of rights—divine rights, rights of the self, rights of other human beings, and rights of environmental creation—derived from Islamic teachings on humanity, dignity, and habitation. The research methodology is founded on a descriptive, analytical, and comparative approach. Data were collected through document analysis, a review of Islamic texts and academic sources, and a comparative evaluation between traditional houses and contemporary apartment units.
Research Findings
In this study, alongside a review of theoretical literature and clarification of the features of the Islamic-Iranian housing model, the apartment-living trend in Iran has been analyzed. Using assessment tables, the differences and deficiencies of apartment buildings compared to traditional houses and Islamic values have been examined. The findings indicate that contemporary apartment living in Iran generally lacks compatibility with Islamic principles of living and suffers from significant weaknesses in privacy, neighborhood interactions, spatial justice, and the physical–spiritual integrity of the dwelling.
The trend of apartment living in Iran, especially in recent decades, although it has been a response to population needs and land limitations in cities, from the perspective of Islamic realism, it faces serious challenges in the field of observing the four rights (divine right, right of self, right of other human beings, and right to create the environment). An examination of the physical, functional, socio-cultural, and environmental dimensions of this phenomenon shows that many of the values ​​and principles inherent in the Islamic-Iranian residential model have been ignored during the construction and development of apartments. From the perspective of divine rights, the elimination of worship spaces, the deprivation of presence in spiritual spaces, and the inability to observe some religious rituals in many apartment complexes are evidence of the distance of today's residential model from Islamic values. On the other hand, examining the rights of the self and other human beings indicates that the closed, inefficient, and inflexible structure of apartment spaces is a serious obstacle to the protection of privacy, psychological security, comfort, and healthy human interactions.
Conclusion
Furthermore, from an environmental perspective, the trend of apartment living in Iran has challenged many aspects of the rights of creation by creating disproportionate densities, reducing green space per capita, excessive energy consumption, and threatening natural resources. A comparison between the characteristics of traditional houses and current apartments shows that traditional houses have been more successful in providing these rights, despite technological limitations. Finally, a review of urban policy and planning approaches focusing on the principles of Islamic realism seems necessary. Reviving indigenous patterns of residence, attending to the diversity of human needs, strengthening social bonds, and redesigning residential spaces grounded in spatial justice and human dignity can pave the way for sustainable urban development rooted in Islamic-Iranian values. In conclusion, recommendations are presented to reform the path of residential development in Iranian cities, based on revisions to design regulations, strengthening local institutions, and promoting the Islamic-Iranian culture of habitation. This approach can lay the groundwork for a human-centered, justice-oriented, and environmentally balanced urban model within the framework of Islamic Realism.

Abstract Introduction
The global population aging, particularly in developing countries, has emerged as a significant urban and social challenge, described as a "global urgency." Projections indicate that by 2050, over 2.1 billion people, representing 10% of the world's population, will be aged 60 years or older. In response, the World Health Organization (WHO) has introduced the "Age-Friendly City" framework, providing a model to enhance the quality of life for older adults in urban settings. However, the mere existence of age-friendly city indicators does not guarantee justice for all elderly residents. The key concept in this regard is "spatial justice," which emphasizes the equitable distribution of resources, facilities, and urban services across all geographical areas of a city and for all social groups. This study aims to conduct a comparative assessment of spatial justice in Mashhad, Iran, as an age-friendly city, by analyzing the gap between the subjective perceptions of the elderly and the objective realities of urban service provision.
Theoretical Framework
This research is grounded in the integration of two key concepts: the "Age-Friendly City" and "Spatial Justice." The theoretical framework is built on the WHO's age-friendly cities model, which includes nine key domains: housing, social participation, respect and social inclusion, civic participation and employment, communication and information, community support and health services, outdoor spaces and buildings, transportation, and financial security. Spatial justice theory, rooted in social justice principles, focuses on the fair distribution of resources and services across urban spaces. The study posits that a truly age-friendly city must not only possess these indicators but also ensure their equitable distribution. The assessment of this justice requires integrating both objective indicators, measured through tools such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and subjective indicators, captured through standardized questionnaires that reflect the lived experiences and perceptions of the elderly.
Methodology
This applied research employs a mixed-methods approach, combining survey techniques and spatial analysis. The statistical population comprises all elderly residents (60 years and older) in Mashhad's 17 municipal districts, totaling 252,975 individuals, according to 2015 census data. Using Cochran's formula and proportional stratified sampling, a sample of 405 individuals was selected. The main instrument for collecting subjective data was a researcher-developed questionnaire based on the WHO's age-friendly cities framework, comprising 48 items across the nine domains. The questionnaire's validity was confirmed through content validity (expert opinions) and construct validity (KMO=0.84, Bartlett's test, p=0.001). Its reliability was verified using Cronbach's alpha, which was 0.79 for the entire questionnaire and 0.70 or higher for all domains. Objective data were collected from municipal databases and analyzed in ArcGIS using fuzzy overlay analysis of 11 urban land uses related to age-friendly indicators. Data analysis involved both descriptive and inferential statistics (one-way ANOVA) in SPSS, alongside spatial analysis in GIS. The core of the methodology was the systematic integration of objective and subjective data through a comparative matrix.
Results and Discussion
The findings reveal a complex, multi-layered picture of spatial justice in Mashhad. Spatial analysis clearly shows an unfair distribution of services along a core-periphery model, with a high concentration in central and northwestern districts (Districts 1, 8, 9, 11) and increasing deprivation in peripheral areas, especially in the east and southeast (Districts 14-17). Objective analysis (Fuzzy Overlay in GIS) classified only 3 districts as "highly endowed" and 5 districts as "very low endowed," indicating a deep structural spatial gap. Subjectively, the highest satisfaction was with "open and green spaces" (mean=3.84), while the lowest was with "respect and social inclusion" (mean=2.41). One-Way ANOVA results confirmed a statistically significant difference in satisfaction levels between districts for six key domains (p<0.05). The integration of objective and subjective data identified four distinct spatial patterns: 1. Harmonious Endowed (Districts 8 & 12): High objective services and high subjective satisfaction. 2. Harmonious Deprived (Districts 5, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17): Low objective services and low subjective satisfaction. 3. Negative Gap (Districts 1, 2, 9, 11): High objective services but low subjective satisfaction, indicating a paradox where physical availability does not guarantee perceived quality (e.g., low satisfaction with transportation and health services despite good physical access). 4. Positive Gap (Districts 3, 4, 6, 7, 13): Low objective services but relatively high subjective satisfaction, potentially explained by strong social capital, community ties, and adjusted expectations, demonstrating social resilience. A notable finding was the lack of a statistically significant difference between districts in indicators such as financial situation and civic participation/employment, suggesting uniformity in the perception of these issues among the elderly across the city, likely due to shared generational experiences and intra-group comparisons.
Conclusion
This study demonstrates that assessing an age-friendly city without integrating objective and subjective data simultaneously provides an incomplete and potentially misleading picture. Spatial justice is realized only when, alongside the fair distribution of services, their quality, suitability, and end-user perspectives are considered. Mashhad faces fundamental challenges in achieving spatial justice for its elderly population. The deep gap between central and peripheral areas, along with the identified paradoxes (negative/positive gaps), reveals a multidimensional injustice. The four-fold typology of districts provides an operational roadmap for policymakers and urban planners, advocating for targeted, area-specific strategies rather than one-size-fits-all policies. Ultimately, realizing a truly age-friendly and just Mashhad requires a fundamental shift in urban planning perspective—from a quantitative focus to a qualitative, human-centered approach that simultaneously addresses distributive justice, service quality, and social participation for the elderly.
 

Abstract Introduction
 Informal settlements represent some of the most vulnerable urban areas, often characterized by weak infrastructure, limited access to public services, and heightened exposure to social insecurity. Women, as a particularly sensitive group, experience these vulnerabilities more intensely, making their perception of safety and sense of belonging especially critical. This study examines the sociological role of place attachment in enhancing social security among residents of the informal settlement of Khizr neighborhood in Hamedan, Iran, with a specific emphasis on women. The research aims to highlight how psychological and social ties to place can serve as effective tools in addressing security challenges in marginalized communities.
Theoretical Framework
 Place attachment is conceptualized as the emotional and cognitive bond individuals form with their living environment (Giuliani, 2003). Prior studies demonstrate its multidimensional role in shaping social cohesion, neighborhood stability, and collective efficacy (Sampson et al., 1997; Vidal et al., 2010). Hidalgo and Hernandez (2001) stress that attachment is not merely psychological but deeply embedded in social and cultural interactions, which can mitigate perceptions of insecurity. Within informal urban contexts, where structural deficiencies often amplify insecurity, place attachment may operate as a social mechanism to enhance collective trust and resilience.
For this study, place attachment was measured through four dimensions: emotional dependence, social participation, responsibility toward the neighborhood, and place identity. Social security was defined through perceptions of personal safety, family well-being, social order, and environmental safety. These constructs provide the theoretical basis for exploring how emotional and social investment in place can influence perceptions of security.
 Methodology
 This research employed an applied, survey-based design. The statistical population consisted of all residents of the Khizr informal settlement in Hamedan. Based on Cochran’s formula and proportional stratified random sampling, 392 valid questionnaires were collected.
The instrument was a researcher-designed questionnaire composed of three sections:

Demographics (age, marital status, education, length of residence).
Eight items on place attachment, covering emotional, participatory, responsible, and identity-related aspects.
Ten items on social security, addressing personal, familial, social, and environmental safety.

Content validity was confirmed by five experts, and reliability was supported by Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of 0.84 for place attachment and 0.88 for social security. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation, ANOVA, and multivariate regression in SPSS (v.26).
 Results and Discussion
 Descriptive findings indicated that the average levels of place attachment (M = 3.64) and social security (M = 3.42) were both above the midpoint of the scale, suggesting relatively positive attitudes among residents.
The correlation analysis revealed a strong, positive relationship between place attachment and social security (r = 0.65, p < 0.001). Among the sub-dimensions of place attachment, emotional dependence exhibited the strongest correlation (r = 0.68), underscoring the pivotal role of emotional ties in fostering security perceptions. Responsibility (r = 0.62), place identity (r = 0.59), and participation (r = 0.57) also showed significant but relatively weaker associations.
The ANOVA results indicated statistically significant differences in perceived security across groups with varying levels of place attachment (F = 14.67, p < 0.001). Residents with higher attachment consistently reported stronger feelings of security.
The regression model demonstrated that place attachment explained 45% of the variance in social security (R² = 0.45), with a beta coefficient of 0.673 (p < 0.001). This highlights place attachment as a powerful predictor of perceived security in informal settlements.
These findings align with prior studies (Hidalgo & Hernandez, 2001; Sampson et al., 1997) that emphasize the role of neighborhood cohesion in reducing insecurity and social disorder. Locally, the results resonate with Iranian studies (Bazargan et al., 2011; Farahani & Jalali, 2020) that identify women’s participation and community responsibility as key factors in urban safety.
From a practical standpoint, the study shows that security in informal settlements is not solely dependent on policing or physical interventions but can be significantly enhanced through social and emotional integration. Investments in public spaces, community participation programs, and opportunities for neighborhood dialogue can strengthen attachment, leading to more resilient and secure urban communities.
 Conclusion
This study demonstrates that place attachment is a crucial sociological factor influencing perceptions of social security in informal urban contexts, particularly for women. Emotional bonds, social responsibility, and neighborhood identity emerged as central drivers of security perception. With 45% of variance explained, place attachment functions as a strategic predictor of security outcomes.
Theoretically, the study extends urban sociology by framing attachment as a socio-cultural mechanism rather than merely a psychological construct. Practically, it suggests that urban planners and policymakers should prioritize soft, community-based strategies—such as enhancing public spaces, encouraging participation, and fostering collective responsibility—over purely physical or policing measures.
However, limitations include the focus on a single settlement and the use of cross-sectional data, which restrict generalizability and causal inference. Future research should employ longitudinal and mixed-method approaches, incorporating comparative studies across formal and informal neighborhoods.
Ultimately, the findings highlight that strengthening place attachment can serve as a low-cost and sustainable strategy for promoting social security and resilience in marginalized urban settings, particularly empowering women who are most vulnerable to insecurity.

Abstract Introduction
Cities are dynamic institutions continuously undergoing complex and unpredictable changes influenced by social, economic, environmental, and technological factors. Facing challenges such as climate change, pandemics, energy crises, and natural hazards, the need to reassess urban responsiveness capacities is more urgent than ever. These conditions have revealed the inefficiencies of traditional planning approaches and strengthened the trend toward innovative models like the "Agile City." An Agile City emphasizes smart governance, flexible infrastructures, efficient social services, and advanced technologies, pursuing goals beyond mere resilience to threats by intelligently redefining urban development pathways. This model integrates dynamism, resilience, data-driven decision-making, and civic participation, prioritizing environmental impact reduction, energy efficiency enhancement, and optimal resource management. Its realization requires a deep understanding of the interaction between space, citizens, and technology—a relationship where individual decisions across living, working, and recreational environments are intertwined with the city’s spatial and functional structures and evolve over time. Technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and augmented reality enable real-time environmental data analysis, rapid decision-making, and improved efficiency in resource management, transportation, energy distribution, and pollution control. However, the gap between theoretical discourse and practical guidelines, alongside a shortage of operational research, poses significant barriers to actualizing the Agile City. Urban foresight with this approach is an indispensable necessity for achieving long-term resilience and sustainability. Within this framework, Tehran—a metropolis characterized by heterogeneous urban morphology, rapid population growth, and weak local governance—is highly vulnerable to environmental threats and requires an agile model more than ever; a model that identifies key indicators, develops developmental scenarios, and employs a qualitative-futures approach to enhance the city’s dynamism and resilience.
 
Materials and Methods
This research adopts a futures studies approach and is applied in purpose and descriptive-analytical in type. Data collection was conducted through library research, document analysis, and surveys utilizing the Delphi method. The Delphi panel was selected through purposive sampling based on criteria including theoretical mastery, practical experience, willingness and ability to participate, and accessibility. The expert population comprised university professors, urban planning managers from the municipality, IT experts, urban resilience researchers, and urban regeneration consultants. Due to the absence of a comprehensive database, snowball sampling was employed, resulting in a sample size of 70. Initially, nine components and 48 indicators were identified as drivers, then reviewed by experts, narrowing down to 30 final indicators for analysis. A semi-structured questionnaire was distributed among experts who evaluated variables’ influence and dependence using a cross-impact matrix with scores of 0 (no effect), 1 (weak), 2 (moderate), 3 (strong), and P (potential effect). Cross-impact analysis was performed using MICMAC software, and final scenarios were developed with Scenario Wizard to extract key indicators influencing the system’s future.
Results
Analysis of the direct impact matrix showed that out of 900 cells, 826 (91.78%) had non-zero values, with the highest frequency pertaining to strong and moderate influences, reflecting extensive and robust relationships among indicators. Among influential and dependent indicators, reliance on clean energy sources and energy consumption optimization had the highest direct influence, whereas climate impact assessment and mitigation had the lowest. Participatory planning showed the highest direct dependence, while digital business and platform expansion had the least. Regarding indirect effects, data-driven decisions had the greatest influence, and reliance on clean energy had the least. Direct and indirect impact diagrams illustrated complex interrelations of varying intensities among indicators, identifying key metrics for smart policymaking in Tehran’s urban governance. Indicators were categorized into five zones: Zone 1 (bilateral with high influence and dependence, e.g., material recycling and new technologies), Zone 2 (influential with high influence and low dependence, e.g., data-driven decisions and climate resilience), Zone 3 (dependent with low influence and high dependence), Zone 4 (independent with low influence and dependence), and Zone 5 (regulatory with balanced influence and dependence). Ranking showed reliance on clean energy and energy optimization leading in influence and dependence, and climate impact assessment ranking lowest. Scenario analysis via Scenario Wizard assessed these five zones under strong, plausible, and weak scenarios depicting various futures for Tehran’s technology, digital economy, infrastructure, and education, ultimately enhancing intelligent decision-making and effective urban governance policies.
 
Discussion and Conclusion
In today’s complex and high-risk world, futures studies have become essential tools for designing and managing resilient and agile cities. Tehran faces challenges including unbalanced urban expansion, infrastructure strain, air pollution, and climate change, requiring scenario-based and agile approaches in planning and governance. This study identified key drivers for Tehran’s agile city development, with data-driven decision-making as paramount. Without up-to-date data governance, anticipating and responding swiftly to urban threats is hindered, consistent with recent studies on smart city data reliance. Circular economy and resource recycling were highlighted as critical drivers, emphasizing that agile city development extends beyond technology to energy efficiency and resource recirculation. Reliance on clean energy also emerged as a vital driver reinforcing ecological resilience. Conversely, indicators such as participatory planning and institutional interaction showed highest dependence, underscoring social cohesion’s role in achieving urban agility. Intelligent traffic management and smart transportation function as regulatory indicators supporting system performance in crises. Analysis of three potential scenarios—strong, plausible, and weak—revealed Tehran’s future could range from sustainable to chaotic depending on institutional integration, technology, and data-driven governance. Ultimately, the research offers a practical model for enhancing Tehran’s resilience but faces limitations like incomplete stakeholder participation and weak dynamic data, necessitating further studies. Advanced analytical methods and local engagement are recommended to design more precise scenarios.

Abstract Introduction
Spatial justice has a great impact on the realization of social and economic justice. The appropriate distribution of different spaces and uses in the city, by providing services of equal quality and quantity in different areas, leads to the formation of spatial justice. Urban services and resources are considered to be the most important urban elements for meeting the needs and increasing the quality of life of citizens. With population growth and the expansion of urbanization, developing countries faced an unbalanced distribution of the population. This instability caused citizens to be deprived of urban services and the class gap to increase. Spatial justice, as a main approach in analyzing the distribution of urban services, shows the intersection point of space and social justice and emphasizes the fair distribution of valuable resources and opportunities. The change in population structure and distribution, the development of modern cities, and the increase in the elderly population have made it impossible to meet needs through traditional methods. Optimal use of urban spaces, appropriate distribution of services, and the creation of spatial justice are among the key factors in urban planning; for this reason, creating appropriate conditions for equitable access to urban services will result in better location of urban uses. Sustainable urban planning seeks to provide conditions that enable fair distribution of environmental, social, and economic resources in urban communities. In this regard, spatial justice, as a key tool for achieving justice at the urban level, has become the ultimate goal of many spatial planning policies. Access to urban facilities and services is one of the key issues that affects various aspects of the urban economy. In other words, inappropriate distribution of service uses can lead to waste of time for citizens and create major environmental, economic and social problems. Cities face challenges such as irregular distribution of services and lack of service centers, which lead to unfair distribution of facilities and reduced quality of life. Therefore, planning and distribution of services should be based on spatial and social justice. Accordingly, urban management can reduce spatial inequalities and prevent these problems by conscious action. This article analyzes the impact of spatial justice on the quality of life of citizens and improves access to quality resources and services in different urban areas. It also identifies effective methods for achieving spatial justice with an emphasis on the distribution of urban services and resources.
Methodology
 In this study, in order to comprehensively examine and analyze the quality of spatial justice, the scoping review method has been used, which is used to identify and elaborate on various aspects of this issue by collecting, evaluating, and analyzing sources and previous studies. The scoping review method is a research approach that helps the researcher to first identify research questions and then summarize and combine them through searching, selecting, evaluating, and analyzing existing evidence to achieve precise answers to the questions raised.
Discussion and result
The framework of Arksey and O'Malley (2005) has been used in this study. The reason for choosing this framework is that it has simple instructions. The study of spatial justice, with an emphasis on the distribution pattern of urban services and resources, shows that the inappropriate distribution of urban services is one of the key challenges in achieving social justice and improving the quality of urban life. The findings of the study indicate that the concentration of services in specific urban areas, especially central cores, has created inequality in access to urban resources and services. These inequalities have not only exacerbated social and economic gaps, but have also had negative environmental and physical consequences. The present study showed that planning based on spatial justice and redistributing services based on the real needs of each region can help reduce these inequalities. Among the main suggestions are the decentralization of services, prioritizing underserved areas, and strengthening urban infrastructure. Also, citizen participation in decision-making processes and the use of modern analytical tools are considered key strategies for promoting spatial justice.
Coclusion
Finally, spatial justice, as a key tool in sustainable urban planning, plays an important role in improving the quality of life of citizens, reducing class gaps, and increasing public satisfaction. Accordingly, the development of comprehensive and operational policies for the equitable distribution of urban services and resources is an undeniable necessity.

Abstract Introduction
Processes of social polarization have increasingly reshaped urban public spaces through systemic inequalities, restrictive policies, and uncontrolled development. Mechanisms such as hostile architecture, unequal spatial distribution of amenities, technological dominance, and reductionist planning have profoundly altered the meaning and function of public space, intensifying spatial alienation. The legacy of these tactics is a diminished public sphere, fading symbolic value, and erosion of the collective urban spirit—conditions that perpetuate a self-reinforcing cycle of exclusion and detachment. A genealogical reading of this history reveals how successive intellectual and structural currents have chipped away at social capital and undermined the activist role of public spaces. Ignoring the escalating dynamics of spatial inequality is no longer possible; understanding them is essential for reclaiming inclusive urban commons.
Methodology
To trace and contextualize the genealogy of spatial alienation, this study employs a systematic literature review aligned with the PRISMA  protocol and a scientometric analysis using VOSviewer. Three authoritative databases—Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar—were queried for the period 1867 – 2025 with Boolean search strings that paired ‘spatial alienation’ with terms such as ‘urban exclusion,’ ‘public space commodification,’ and ‘right to the city.’ After duplicate removal and abstract screening, full-text eligibility was assessed against peer-review status and thematic relevance. Bibliometric indicators (co-authorship networks, citation counts, and keyword co-occurrences) were then visualized to reveal prevailing research clusters and conceptual lineages. Complementary qualitative coding captured theoretical inflections—from early structuralist explanations through critical and post-modern turns—allowing a layered interpretation of how discourses on power, space, and inequality have evolved.
Result and discussion
‏The findings demonstrate that spatial alienation emerges as a complex and multidimensional phenomenon deeply embedded in macroeconomic, social, and spatial mechanisms. It reflects entrenched power relations, uneven resource distribution, and exclusionary spatial production processes within urban contexts. The systematic literature review and scientometric analysis reveal that dominant theoretical frameworks—primarily rooted in Western structuralist and critical theories, as developed by Lefebvre, Harvey, Foucault, and Bourdieu—have shaped much of the discourse on spatial alienation. These frameworks effectively expose power dynamics, spatial inequality, and social exclusion yet often marginalize local lived experiences and contextual specificities.
Moreover, the scientometric analysis highlights a concentration of knowledge production within a limited network of institutions and scholars, which narrows the diversity of perspectives and overlooks critical local narratives. This centralization of research limits the inclusion of varied geographic and cultural contexts, especially those from the Global South, where the manifestations of spatial alienation may differ significantly due to unique socio-economic and cultural factors.
The results emphasize expanding analytical approaches by integrating interdisciplinary and cross-cultural perspectives. Incorporating diverse epistemologies and acknowledging local experiences can enhance spatial alienation studies' theoretical robustness and practical relevance.
From a policy and planning perspective, the study underlines the imperative for equity-focused urban strategies that systematically address spatial alienation's economic, social, cultural, and physical dimensions. Such methods require revisiting spatial organization, promoting equitable resource redistribution, and fostering social cohesion through participatory and culturally sensitive governance. Effective interventions must simultaneously interrogate urban form, power relations, and dominant discourses to disrupt cycles of alienation and revive the social vitality of public spaces.
In conclusion, confronting spatial alienation demands a comprehensive, multi-level approach capable of intervening at individual, institutional, and structural scales. Beyond physical infrastructure, policies must address social, cultural, and psychological dimensions to facilitate meaningful social interaction, identity formation, and inclusivity in urban environments. Continuous reflexivity and adaptability in urban policy are essential to respond to ongoing economic and spatial transformations, ensuring resilient and just urban futures.
Conclusion
 ‏Spatial alienation is neither an inevitable by-product of urban growth nor a purely technological challenge; it is the cumulative outcome of structural inequalities, disciplinary practices, and the commodification of space. Reversing this trajectory demands a paradigm shift toward justice-centered, community-led planning that treats public space as a collective right rather than a market commodity. Only through such integrated, multi-scalar interventions can cities break the cycle of alienation, restore the social vitality of public realms, and realize the inclusive promise of the "right to the city.

Abstract Introduction
Empowering women in the decision-making environment of the Isfahan metropolis is regarded as a socio-cultural necessity that plays a key role in enhancing transparency, justice, and efficiency in urban management. This process allows for more accurate attention to women's needs and challenges in urban policymaking. Women's active participation in urban decision-making processes not only increases the diversity of perspectives but also contributes to sustainable development and the fair distribution of urban resources and services, ultimately helping to reduce gender inequalities.
Theoretical Framework
‏The insufficient participation of women in urban decision-making structures may result in the neglect of crucial issues such as urban safety, access to public services, and work-life balance—all of which have a direct impact on citizens' quality of life. This study draws on theories of social justice, participatory governance, and gender equality to explore the consequences of empowering women, positioning this empowerment as a vital element in improving urban management outcomes.
Methodology
This study is qualitative, applied in its objective, and exploratory in its methodological approach. The statistical population includes the legal boundaries of the Isfahan metropolis in the year 2024 (1403 Hijri-Shamsi). Data collection tools include interviews and questionnaires. A one-sample t-test was used for data analysis. The sample size for the questionnaire includes 400 employed women in governmental, semi-governmental, and private organizations, selected randomly. Additionally, the interview sample consists of 20 experts chosen through purposive sampling.
Result and discussion
‏The research findings indicate that out of 84 basic themes related to the consequences of women's empowerment in the Isfahan metropolis, only 20 are above the average level. The overall average score for these themes is 2.7922, which reflects an undesirable situation. Among the themes, only "eliminating discrimination" and "life and health" scored above average. The negative values of the t-statistics for most themes further emphasize the overall weak and unsatisfactory state of women's empowerment outcomes in this context.
Conclusion
 ‏The results suggest that the consequences of women's empowerment in the decision-making environment of the Isfahan metropolis are generally at a weak and undesirable level. The low average scores and negative t-statistic values underscore the need for a comprehensive policy review and the implementation of proactive strategies to enhance women's participation in urban governance. Strengthening women's roles in decision-making structures is essential for achieving more equitable, effective, and accountable urban management.

Abstract Introduction
In recent years, despite the rapid trend of women's presence in urban public spaces, these places are designed without considering the needs of women, and men have more facilities to use urban spaces (Azimi, 2015: 122). In other words, although public spaces are created for the use of the general public, regardless of gender, ethnicity, etc., women have more limited access to such spaces than men. Even in some cases they are completely excluded from spaces that are generally free for men and their presence. Limiting factors such as danger and fear are among the most important elements in women's experience in the urban space and make their use unsafe, as a result, women limit their access to public space due to the existence of such issues (Rush, 2012: 9).
The city of Shahrekord, as one of the middle cities and the center of Chaharmahal Bakhtiari province, like most cities in Iran, has a male-oriented structure in terms of public and physical spaces; Today, this has created problems for the presence of women in the public spaces of this city, which account for almost half of the population; Therefore, in this research, it has been tried to measure and evaluate the variables and criteria that have a role in the presence of women in the public spaces of Shahrekord. For this purpose and according to the material raised, the main question of the research is whether the urban spaces of Shahrekord are compatible with the needs of women and are responsive to their needs? What is the desirability of these spaces? And how effective are these spaces in the activity and presence of women?
Theoretical Framework
Urban space is an area that is formed through the performance of different human groups, their activities and behaviors, and social and cultural interactions of citizens take place in this space (Beebeejaun, 2017: 326). From the mid-twentieth century to the present, the concept of urban space, with reference to the ideas of Patrick Geddes, Lewis Mumford, Jane Jacobs, Kevin Lynch and other thinkers of the humanist and culturalist school, relies on the principle that urban space is part of the city structure, which has a continuous and harmonious whole and is physically enclosed. (Parsi, 2002: 44). Until the end of the 20th century, the concept of urban space was summarized in spatial and physical issues. But since 1990, other concepts such as economic, cultural and social concepts in connection with the urban space were taken into consideration (ibid.). Based on this; The urban space is a part of the construction of the city, and its concept is not only a physical identity, but also a functional space that provides opportunities for citizens to communicate and interact. Desirable urban spaces enable the presence of more citizens in the environment and have human and physical dimensions. The characteristics of urban spaces are strongly influenced by the activity and behavioral patterns of their users (Farhadian and Nafti, 2012: 2).
In these urban spaces, women, as half of the human society, need laws and regulations as well as supporting factors and components in order to perform their activities optimally and play their role; (Sadeghi and Pourgholami, 2019: 427). This is despite the fact that feminist thinkers agree that the city is man-made because women have contributed to its planning and construction, and they benefit from being surrounded by a man-made environment. The built environment is a reflection of men's activities, men's values and men's tendencies towards residential space (Gottdiener & Hutchison, 2011: 148).
Since the conditions governing urban spaces are different, the level of satisfaction with these spaces also varies. In order to check the desirability of urban spaces, there must be specific criteria and indicators. Therefore, in the current research, the basis of the study is the concept of women's use of urban spaces and indicators to meet the needs of women, which will lead to an increase in their presence and activity in urban spaces. These indicators and concepts include physical conditions, socio-cultural conditions, the issue of security and also the issue of access, which themselves have sub-criteria.
Methodology
This research is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive and analytical in terms of nature and method. In the first step, the current situation was identified through exploring various documents related to the subject. Also, the method of collecting information and the indicators required for developing the questionnaire were determined. In the next step, in order to check the validity of the research tool, the questionnaire prepared by several professors and experts related to the subject was studied, and with their approval, its validity was confirmed. The reliability of the tool was checked through pilot testing and Cronbach's alpha test. The value of Cronbach's alpha for different indicators varied between 0.752 and 0.840, and considering that it is above 0.70, its reliability was confirmed. The statistical population of the research is women and girls aged 15 to 55 years of Shahrekord city, and using Cochran's formula, 384 questionnaires were distributed among the sample people who were selected by multi-stage cluster sampling method. This questionnaire contains 42 questions with general and specialized questions, which are valued and designed as a Likert scale from completely disagree to completely agree. The results of the questionnaire have been analyzed and evaluated using SPSS software and single-sample T-tests and step-by-step regression.
Result and discussion
The study of descriptive statistics shows that among the people of the research sample, approximately 35% of the sample is in the age group of 25-35 years. Also, in terms of marital status, 57.5% are married. 37% of the respondents have bachelor's education and 38.3% of the women of the statistical population declared their occupation as housewives, which has the highest frequency in this statistical sample. The findings from the one-sample t-test indicate that, in relation to the general indicators of the study, none of the indicators of women's presence in urban spaces of Shahrekord have an average higher than the desirable level. Among the four main indicators studied, the socio-cultural activities have a higher score than the other indicators.
In order to examine the impact of urban space indicators (including physical conditions, security, accessibility, and socio-cultural activities) as independent research variables on the presence of women in urban spaces as the dependent variable, a multivariate stepwise regression method was used. The findings of the regression analysis show that the dimensions of security, access, and physical conditions were able to predict the presence of women in urban spaces in three stages. More precisely, in the first stage, only the security dimension with a standard beta coefficient of 0.446 explained 20 percent of the variance in women's presence. In the second stage, access conditions were added to the security dimension with a standard beta coefficient of 0.2, and the ability to explain women's activity and presence reached 23/0. In the third stage, physical dimensions with a standard beta coefficient of 0.134 were added to the security and accessibility dimensions, and the explanatory power of efficiency reached 25/0.
An examination of the results obtained from the sample T-Tech test shows that none of the indicators of women's presence in urban spaces of Shahrekord had an average higher than the desirable level. Also, among the four main indicators examined, the cultural-social activities index was far better than other indicators in the studied area. In general, according to the results of this section, it can be said that the urban spaces of Shahrekord do not meet the needs of women. The results of the study are in line with the research of Pourmohammadi et al. (2014). Cities are designed by men who have little or limited information about the needs of women. The specific physiology of women in many cases keeps them away from urban spaces. The inappropriateness of urban design, streets, sidewalks, etc. causes women to be deprived of access in many cases for reasons that they themselves are not exactly aware of.
Also, the results of the step-by-step regression analysis to investigate the effect of the quality of urban spaces on the activity and presence of women show that the "security" variable has the greatest effect on the criterion variable. The findings of the research are in line with the findings of Beizaei et al.'s research (2017), which showed that the security index is very important in relation to the presence of women in urban spaces. This means that the women of our society still face a sense of insecurity in urban spaces, and this factor is one of the main factors in deterring and limiting the use of urban spaces.
Conclusion
The analysis of the research results shows that women in the studied area have long realized the difficulties and issues they face in urban spaces. The urban life of women is full of experiencing situations and conditions that make them face different issues than men. Planners should put aside their old approaches to the development of the space and understand the existential nature of women and their practical methods of urban space. Misunderstanding of women's urban needs is the first reason for the inequality between men and women's urban space and ultimately results in less presence of women in urban spaces.

Abstract Introduction
Empowerment in women's development is a way to define challenge and overcome the obstacles in their lives,  Through which they increase their ability to shape their lives. The empowerment process can not only improve their skills and access to productive resources, but will also be successful in improving the quality, status and place of work in society. women's empowerment creates a powerful influence on the norms, values and ultimately the laws that govern these societies. In this regard, the aim of this study is to integrate and synthesize the results of studies on the  feasibility of urban women empowerment.
Theoretical framework
The idea of ​​empowerment is often linked to the concept of power relations, which specifically refers to gaining more or less power among actors.However, women's empowerment differs from the empowerment of other disadvantaged groups due to intra-household dynamics.
Women's empowerment and gender equality are often considered two sides of the same coin: progress towards gender equality requires women's empowerment, while women's empowerment helps to increase gender equality. In the case of gender inequality or discrimination, it is generally believed that women are disadvantaged or excluded in terms of decision-making and access to economic and social resources.
All definitions of women's empowerment refer to women's ability in certain areas, particularly in controlling their lives, having freedom to make decisions, and having input into changing life choices. Women's empowerment is usually combined with the position that women hold, which is often demonstrated by their acquisition and control of resources, which include not only material and financial resources, but also social and human resources; Resources that can enhance women's ability to exercise their choices. Examples of these resources include age, education, employment, social capital, networks, and asset ownership. Women's empowerment is a multidimensional concept, and women who are powerful and empowered in one dimension are not necessarily powerful in another. It has also been proven that women need resources and a sense of agency to achieve their life outcomes. The multidimensional concept of agency encompasses various domains, including decision-making authority, control over finances, and freedom of movement. Having decision-making authority and excessive use of money is a more accurate and accurate description of women's power.
Methodology
The present research is based on a qualitative approach and in terms of the purpose of a applied research. In this study, a systematic review of 43 studies in the period from 2007 to 2024 was conducted using the meta-synthesis method.  The statistical population consisted of books, articles, theses, dissertations, and scientific documents related to the  urban women, empowerment ,and the research resources were selected by convenience sampling.
Result and discussion
The results indicate that the empowerment of urban women depends on the realization of 24 sub-categories and 166 codes. Based on the results of integrating research data in the meta-synthesis process, the main development discourse category accounted for 33.73 percent of the total extracted codes. The category of the type of knowledge required for development accounted for 32.54 percent, the category of empowerment stages accounted for 6.03 percent, the category of capacity building accounted for 18.67 percent, and the category of institution building accounted for 9.03 percent of the total extracted codes. Therefore, the majority of extracted codes belong to the main development discourse category. The Kappa-Cohen coefficient of the present study is equal to 0.774 with a significance of 0.000, which indicates a valid agreement and the appropriateness of reliability (higher than 0.6). 
Conclusion
The present study, by combining and synthesizing the results of previous studies, has been able to present a model of the conceptual framework of women's empowerment and has provided the ground for its application in urban places.

Abstract  
Introduction
The spatial development model is of particular importance for guiding and controlling the development of cities in the future and creates intervention agendas of urban management system in the spatial structure of the city. Strategic planning is a systematic approach to deciding and implementing activities related to forming and managing a system and its functions. Urban strategic spatial planning emphasizes selectivity, choice of strategic issues, and identification of the planning environment with an analytical-critical perspective. Needs have been introduced as important motivations of individual and collective behavior, so behaviors are reflections of the needs, and sustainability and continuity of human life depend on their satisfaction. Satisfaction can be defined as the level of actual performance of an organization to respond to the expectations of its clients. The lack of needs and satisfaction' assessment processes in urban planning and management system will lead to shortcomings such as: the absence of complete knowledge about citizens’ requests and needs, the lack of mutual relationship between decision-makers and the community, and the absence of applicable theoretical foundations in urban planning and governance.
Theoretical Framework
In this article, by applying the problem-oriented strategic urban space planning approach, based on needs and satisfaction' assessment processes of residents in the city of Dehsorkh (a small city in transition from a village to a city), the urban spatial planning model has been produced at the strategic level and its distinctive features have been traced and introduced.
Urban strategic spatial planning was employed due to the emphasis on the principle of uncertainty in planning, the probability of the planning process, the need to expand the scope of planning in broader political, social, economic, and environmental fields; emphasis on paying attention to the role of various actors (stakeholders); and the ability to support urban planning models based on dual or multiple integrated basic concepts.
Focusing on the study area's main and strategic problems allows for guiding the issue and promoting the phenomenon's values. Program priorities are considered by identifying and analyzing problems, and indicators to measure and evaluate program status can be identified.
Methodology
The research method used in this study, in order to analyses related to needs and satisfaction assessment, quantitative (by analyzing descriptive statistical and Friedman test) and qualitative (by analyzing texts and documents by focus group of key stakeholders) techniques and methods have been used based on a descriptive analysis and a prescriptive-analytical study, based on an inductive, applied research strategy.
Results and Discussion
The achievement of this research suggest that the importance of intervention based on fundamental concepts such as sustainability, social unity, and public participation, which prevent social disintegration and physical rupture in urban spatial structure and to guide and control the development process of the city in the direction of improving and improving residents' access to services and facilities supporting housing.
Conclusion
Finally, according to the obtained results, need for intervention based on fundamental concepts such as sustainability, social solidarity, and public participation that prevent social and physical disintegration in the spatial structure of the city and guide controlling the development process of the city in the direction of improving and promoting residents' access to services and facilities supporting housing. Improving the level of satisfaction of residents (especially at the neighborhood level) is directly related to providing fair and balanced access to urban facilities and infrastructure.

Abstract Introduction
 Humans, as social beings, cannot live independently and without the need for society. A solitary human always feels incomplete. Loneliness is a form of social separation and a discomforting feeling arising from our unmet need for perceived social connection. Thus, it can be described as a type of social pain. In other words, it is a painful feeling of being cut off and separated from others, an unpleasant experience that emerges in response to quantitative and qualitative deficiencies in social relationships. Loneliness, described as the "hidden epidemic of the 21st century," has become a fundamental challenge in urban societies. Despite its multifaceted consequences, there is a research gap in the systematic analysis of the role of urban planning in exacerbating loneliness. 
Methodology
This study, with an interdisciplinary approach, comprehensively analyzes the effective indicators in this context. The study is applied in terms of its objective and descriptive-analytical with a mixed method approach in terms of its method. The statistical population of the research consists of experts in psychology, sociology, social sciences, architecture, urban planning, and social psychology. The sample size was determined to be 100 people using the G*Power software, and the questionnaire was distributed among the experts using the snowball sampling method. The validity of the tool was confirmed by expert judgment. Data collection was carried out in the literature review, background, and research indicators sections using the library method, and in the measurement and evaluation of indicators section using the field method and questionnaire. The data were analyzed using the Friedman test, one-sample t-test, and correlation in the SPSS software.
Result and discussion 
The Friedman test results indicated that inadequate access to green spaces (rank 1), social places (rank 2), and low social participation (rank 3) were the most important factors in creating and exacerbating urban loneliness. Additionally, factors such as limited access to recreational spaces, lack of natural elements in the urban environment, and frequent changes in the urban fabric that weaken place identity were recognized as other influencing indicators in exacerbating the loneliness crisis. The one-sample t-test results showed that access to public (2.27) and social (2.11) spaces had the most significant impact on the feeling of loneliness in urban environments. This finding highlights the importance of interactive spaces in reducing the feeling of loneliness. Furthermore, low social participation (2.02) and inadequate access to recreational spaces (1.56) were identified as other influential factors. A significant relationship between environmental-natural factors and loneliness was also observed; the lack of natural sounds (1.46), absence of nature views from windows (1.15), and shortage of green spaces (1.03) were associated with increased feelings of loneliness. Cultural-identity factors, such as the loss of memory due to continuous changes in the urban environment (1.28) and socio-economic classifications (1.06), also play a role in this phenomenon. In contrast, purely physical indicators like population density (0.03), facade quality (0.08), and building height proportion (0.05) had little impact on the feeling of loneliness. The comparison of Friedman and one-sample t-test results shows significant alignment. A strong positive correlation confirms that the results of both tests are closely related, with almost 91% of changes in the ranking of indicators in one test explainable by changes in the other. This strong correlation indicates that both statistical methods provide similar results in evaluating the relative importance of indicators. The findings of this study show that the indicators influencing the creation or exacerbation of loneliness in urban planning are divided into eight main clusters. These clusters include access to and quality of public and social spaces, social participation and interactions, human-nature connection, urban culture and identity, built environment quality and visual aspects, housing physical characteristics, residential environment features, and access to daily services and amenities. Each of these clusters plays a significant role in reducing or exacerbating the feeling of loneliness in urban spaces, and emphasizing the improvement of these factors can enhance urban life quality and reduce loneliness. Comparing this research's results with other studies shows that most studies have examined loneliness from individual and emotional aspects, while a comprehensive study on the impact of urban planning indicators on loneliness does not exist. The findings on nature indicators, access to services, and social places are aligned with studies like those by Lowell Sachs et al., Moore et al., and Ji Hee Lee and Tak Hon Tan. Loneliness in contemporary cities forms from the interaction of physical, social, cultural, and environmental factors. This phenomenon is influenced by three main layers: physical-spatial (including public spaces and housing quality), socio-cultural (citizen participation and collective activities), and environmental-ecological (connection with nature and natural elements). The combination of these factors can lead to an increase or decrease in the feeling of loneliness in citizens.
Conclusion 
Urban planning requires an integrated and multi-level approach that simultaneously considers physical, social, and environmental dimensions and is based on nature-oriented and human-oriented principles. This approach should include strategies such as creating an integrated network of public spaces, strengthening social infrastructure, integrating natural elements into urban design, and preserving cultural heritage.

Abstract Introduction
Future cities are based on maximum physical activity and mobility, social interaction, vitality and environmentally friendly modes of transportation. In this regard, it emphasizes safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable modes of transportation. In fact, they encourage a healthier and more active lifestyle that encourages aspects of social communication and reduces environmental issues. At the same time, they impose maximum restrictions on the expansion of cars, fossil fuel consumption and air pollution in cities. Future cities give the main priority to pedestrianization in the field of transportation and, in fact, have introduced pedestrianization as an alternative mode of transportation. In fact, the city of the future encourages walking or is a driver of walking. Hence, the model of walkable cities can respond well to these goals. Because this mode of transport helps to reduce the number of personal vehicles, it helps to reduce traffic congestion and reduces pollutant emissions, and consequently, promotes sustainability by reducing environmental degradation. Walking is the most democratic mode of urban transport, as it ensures access to basic services for pedestrians and a higher quality of use of these services. In addition, pedestrian-friendly public spaces promote physical activity, social interactions, and recreational activities. On this basis, the present study focuses on developing a conceptual framework for the feasibility of a walkable city as a model of the future city.
 
Theoretical framework
The term walkability refers to an urban space that is conducive to walking behavior. By this definition, a walkable place is a place where you can walk safely, comfortably, and pleasantly. Walkability measures the quality of walking conditions, including the presence of walking facilities and the degree of safety, comfort, and convenience of walking. Several factors influence the walkability of a street, neighborhood, or city, from the physical functionality of a place to the perception of the individual walking. In other words, the factors that define a space as walkable are not limited to the physical dimensions of a place, but also include perception. This requires a multidimensional approach to analyzing walkability.
Methodology
The present study is classified as a developmental research in terms of its purpose. In terms of its method, it is classified as a qualitative research based on the meta-synthesis method. The reason for using the meta-synthesis method in the present study is that there is no precise and clear explanation of the conceptual model of the feasibility of the walkable city. The statistical population includes all the resources published in the period from 2015 to 2024 regarding the walkable city. The research resources were selected using purposive sampling. The meta-synthesis method based on the seven-step method of Sandelowski and Barso (2007) was used to extract and analyze the research data. The statistical population consists of 210 sources related to the walkable city, which were screened based on purposive sampling. Initially, 210 sources on the topic of walkable cities were identified from reputable scientific databases, of which 86 were excluded in the initial evaluation and review. Therefore, in the next step, 124 sources were screened. After reviewing and evaluating them, 61 sources were excluded from the research process in terms of the relevance of the title to the research objective, accessibility, relevance of their abstract and content, and also evaluating their methodology. As a result, 63 sources were deemed eligible for the full-text study. Of these, 42 sources were ultimately selected for the final analysis of the research. The aforementioned sources were extracted from reputable scientific databases such as Sage, ResearchGate, Elsevier, MDPA, Emerald, and Taylor & Francis.
Result and discussion
The results of the study indicate that the walkable city has 6 selective codes and 34 core codes consisting of environmental, social, health conditions, macro, medium, micro scale, comfort components, security, connectivity and accessibility, simplicity, directness, traffic safety, attractiveness, aesthetics, transportation integration, physical environment, visibility, comfort, pleasantness, diversity; vehicle restrictions, shops and services, social activity, area, edges and facades, street beauty, green space; planning scale, street scale, detailed scale; health and recreation, energy and environment, economic development, social development. The extracted coefficient of the Kappa index is 0.86 with a significance coefficient of 0.000, confirming the reliability and quality control of the results of the present study. As a result, the conceptual framework for the realization of a walkable city consists of contextual conditions, scale, key components, walkable environment design, strategies, and consequences.
Conclusion
The concept of pedestrianization has developed in three distinct phases, consisting of the pre-industrial era, the era of the advent of automobiles and the subsequent subordination of the urban environment to mechanization and the neglect of pedestrians, and the era of correcting the disadvantages of mechanization in cities. Studies related to the walkable city are divided into two main groups: macroscale and microscale. Pedestrianization at the macroscale focuses on the physical environment at the city or neighborhood scale and its impact on pedestrian behavior. In this regard, concepts such as density, diversity, design, connected environment, pleasant, visible, comfort, convenient, coexistence, and committed are emphasized. Macroscale studies mainly focus on environmental factors, topography, residential density and land use diversity, street connectivity, and how these macroelements affect walking in cities. On the other hand, pedestrian studies at the microlevel have paid more attention to the microelements of the physical environment, such as the continuity and width of sidewalks, the presence of green elements, pedestrian crossings, etc. at the street scale. Micro-level studies include environmental and physical design features that sometimes require qualitative measurements. In addition, urban pedestrian studies have experienced three major developments: the first period focused on the physical conditions of walkable places, which aimed to define a walkable city and its main components. The second period focused on pedestrians’ perceptions and thoughts about their surroundings. The third period focused on the physical and perceptual dimensions of walkable cities.

Abstract The use of fossil fuels as the main source of energy and the resulting environmental concerns are the most challenging issues of the 21st century. In the meantime, buildings consume about 40% of the total energy produced worldwide. In most cities of Iran, especially in desert areas with rich architecture, such as Qaenat city, unstable forms of newly built structures have caused serious damage to the stable appearance of these cities. In this research, the role of the factors affecting urban planning based on sustainable buildings in the Qaenat city has been investigated using the dynamic system method in order to identify the factors affecting sustainable urban development and the type of their impact on each of them. In this regard, after studying the background of the research and extracting some components of the model, from interviews with 17 active members of architecture companies and university professors in the fields of architecture and renewable energy production, to investigate the role of factors affecting urban planning. Then these identified factors were analyzed using a quantitative method and using a dynamic system. The modeling method used in this research includes four stages, which are: qualitative modeling, quantitative modeling, model testing, and testing. In this research, Vensim PLE 7.3.5 software is used to simulate the dynamic model. The findings indicate that urban planning factors in the city are divided into five categories, including transportation, social, cultural, economic and energy sustainability and urban environment. The results have shown that sustainable buildings have direct effects on the components of a sustainable city. These buildings are very effective in reducing pollution, producing clean energy and improving the urban landscape.

Abstract This article is part of a larger study that examines urbanization in non-English speaking countries. Due to the lack of sources in Farsi or English, the experiences of these countries (which in many cases have common issues with Iran) are less accessible to Iranian readers. In this regard, this article, focusing on the neighboring country of Turkey, has tried to identify the characteristics of urban planning in this country and introduce its shortcomings and problems. This article can provide a possibility for a comparative study in addition to the mentioned goal. To create the possibility of evaluation and adaptation, Friedman's quadruple framework is used to categorize urban planning methods. The review of sources is done in a narrative format and by the contemporary history of late Ottoman and Turkey. In the framework of this narrative, urban planning methods are expressed from specialized (and limited and scattered) sources in English and sometimes using evidence and media news and reviewing them, and at the end, they are analyzed using the introduced theoretical framework. Based on this, the important shortcomings of Turkey's urban planning and suggestions to solve them are discussed, the most important of which is the weakness in learning from the society and unilateral insistence on state-led reforms without paying enough attention to the background culture. 

Abstract Citizen participation, a process of public decision that affects individual and collective interests, is a part of democracy within the relationship between empowering citizens and the government, and nowadays, the capability of retaliating in urban planning has been considered in developed societies. Realizing this process, which forms in the context of communication, depends on the empowerment communities process, in which people and communities can affect their environment, leading to decentralization in power. Therefore, this article aims to study and analyze how to promote citizen participation in urban planning through the empowerment of local cohesive communities in the communication platform of virtual space.Therefore by considering three concepts of communication, community empowerment, and citizen participation via three below ways, we tried to find the participation of the three above concepts over time 1- content analyses, 2- historical research, 3-comparative research. The analysis results in this paper express the gradual improvement of citizen participation in urban designing over time and to make more democratized communication; in addition, the possibility of relationship development and network communication in virtual communities and increasing the empowerment of communities are very useful in this process.

Abstract One of the main problems of urban development is scattered growth and horizontal expansion, which causes problems such as the central areas of cities being deprived of the flow of development, vast lands remaining unused within the city limits, and the formation of unstable urban development. Therefore, it is important to control this development and direct it towards the lands inside the cities by using the intermediate development model in this field. In the city of Naein, the recent developments in the form of horizontal distribution have caused urban instability and the survival of parts of the inner city, including its historical context, from development. In addition, this city has obstacles for horizontal expansion in its surroundings and has many potential areas for internal development of the city. This research is an applied research in terms of its purpose and a descriptive-analytical research in terms of its method, and documentary and field methods were used to collect information. In this research, after identifying and determining the criteria and indicators of mixed-use development and localizing it with the conditions of Naein city, the TOPSIS multi-indicator decision-making technique was used using Excel software and the areas prone to mixed-use development were determined. Then, using the AHP hierarchical analysis process, using the Expert choice software, the areas prone to development were prioritized by determining and using the relevant criteria, and the results were overlapped and drawn using the geographic information system (GIS). In the end, the proposed patterns of intermediate development intervention in this city and the corresponding solutions have been formulated and presented. The obtained results show that the intermediate development model can be a favorable and efficient model for the future development process of Naein city as an intermediate and historical city. Also, the most suitable areas for intermediate development in the city are the buffer zone between Naein and Mohammadieh, the old Naein and Mohammadieh areas, the new area and finally the northwest lands of this city.

Abstract Urban land use is the central core of urban planning and the axis of sustainable urban development. Evaluating and analyzing urban land uses based on optimal ecological patterns and standards in urban communities is an undeniable necessity. This research aims to quantitatively assess and analyze the level of land use development in the current situation within Region 15 of Isfahan City from the perspective of a healthy city. Region 15 of Isfahan was annexed to the city of Isfahan in the year 2013 and differs in terms of land use development compared to other areas of the city.
In line with the objective, this research is both applied and descriptive-case study and analytical. Data collection utilized document analysis and questionnaires, while data analysis employed the standards of a healthy city, the Location Quotient (LQ) coefficient model, and a one-sample t-test. The research findings indicate that the development status of land uses in services such as commercial, educational, health, parks and green spaces, sports, cultural, and religious sectors within Region 15 of Isfahan, in comparison to the per capita benchmarks of healthy cities, the provincial standards of the Supreme Council of Urban Planning and Architecture, the proposed benchmarks of the Isfahan detailed plan revision, and the current overall benchmarks of Isfahan city is undesirable and inappropriate. Additionally, the t-test analysis reveals that the accessibility status concerning the indicators of a healthy city from the citizens' perspective is also unfavorable. These results suggest that Region 15 of Isfahan requires enhancement in development indicators concerning the basic urban life needs in land use.

Abstract With the increase in population and the number of cities in this century, especially in developing countries, the quality of life in cities has become an important issue in urban planning. The master plan of the city is one of the most important documents of urban development, which is approved in a costly process by local and national authorities. The current research seeks to identify the components of quality of life in the process of approving the third comprehensive plan for Mashhad City The process of approving this plan started in 2018 and finally it was announced in 2018. In order to study the plan approval documents, the content analysis method has been used. The data collection tool was documentary and the data analysis tool was in the form of inductive content analysis in MaxQda software. Based on the literature review, the quality of life components in the planning process has been classified into substantive and procedural dimensions. The Substantive dimension includes health, recreational, educational, technological infrastructures, natural environment, social environment, and economic environment are considered, and the procedural dimension includes qualitative considerations in planning approach, qualitative considerations in planning documents, qualitative considerations in plan implementation, planning organization, and urban plans hierarchy. As a result of the analysis of the project minutes, 1034 codes were identified and classified according to the conceptual model. According to the research findings, 81.23% of the identified codes were procedural and 18.76% were substantive. In the approval documents, the most attention was paid to the planning organization, but the technological infrastructure and quality of implementation were not addressed. At the local scale, the ratio of paying attention to the quality of life in urban planning has been almost double that of the national scale. Based on the findings of the research, it is suggested that the substantive aspects of the quality of life in the process of approving urban development plans, especially on a national scale, should be given special attention by the authorities.

Abstract Cities as living places create the most desirability on the quality of life of their residents when they meet their demands. These demands are in the form of realizing values such as landscape beauty, tranquility, diversity, etc. It finds meaning. If each of these values is not desirable in a person’s living environment, it will affect his perception and feeling of place and consequently on the level of satisfaction with the living environment. The present study analyzes the role of urban landscape components on the quality of urban environment and environmental behavior of karaj citizens in the form of indicators of identity and sense of belonging to place and balance and visual quality, somehow investigating the relationship between human behavioral reactions in relation to urban landscapes after engaging human senses in the environment. The required data were collected through library studies, field visits and checklist completion, and data analysis was performed using Pearson’s co-orum method, single-sample T-test and regression analysis. In regression analysis of three indices, urban landscape index was considered as dependent variable and other indicators were considered as independent variables. In regression analysis of three indices, urban landscape index was considered as dependent variable and other indicators were considered as independent variables. Based on the results of balance and visual quality and place belonging with impact coefficients of 0.453 and 0.192, respectively, balance and visual quality had the most effect on urban landscape. In the meantime, due to the high impact factor of balance index and visual quality on urban landscape and the fact that the authors of balance index and visual quality are mainly aesthetic features of city and neighborhood landscape It can play a significant role in improving the urban landscape of Karaj. In fact, urban environments that have a good quality in terms of the mentioned indicators, people’s interest in presence in urban space, sense of belonging in their place of residence and work, and action on environmental behaviors will be greater.

Abstract The rapid rate of development of cities has caused extensive changes in the land use pattern around cities, and these effects of city development and urbanization can be seen in developing countries as well as developed countries. In Iran, as a developing country, the growth rate has been very high, and following that, there have been extensive changes in the field of land changes. Change of users is inevitable but it can be managed. The process of land use changes and the recognition of the effective factors and its results can help to identify obstacles, problems, analyze and understand urban issues as best as possible and become a tool for managers and urban planners to predict the future growth and development of cities and be able to manage effectively and Look for opportunities for cities. One of the biggest and most challenging issues in recent years in Iran is the change of urban land use, which has many effects in cities, and if these changes are carried out in an uncontrolled and unsupervised manner, they will have irreparable effects. . The purpose of this research is to investigate the effects of land use change on land use planning. Due to the spread of these changes, urban design and urban planning, using error tests and investigations, should always seek to adapt to the conditions that have arisen and are ahead, and they need changes and modernity of opinions in the previous standards. Therefore, he must always adapt to new conditions. It is for this reason that the discussion of flexible planning has been brought up and paid attention to in order to achieve better results than in the past. The most change of land use in cities is related to the change of use of agricultural lands and their conversion to urban uses, which causes more instability in cities, which is caused by the added value of the change of use in urban spaces. By having control tools, municipalities play a very effective role in preserving and maintaining existing natural lands, and by using their control tools, they can prevent land trading and changes in the use of natural lands to other uses.