Geography and Urban Research

Abstract In recent years, climate change and environmental crises have emerged as major challenges for rural communities. The border villages of Hirmand, with their specific geographical and social characteristics, face issues such as water scarcity, poverty, and economic instability. Resilience emphasizes the capacity of human societies to cope with disasters. Currently, governments are increasingly adopting a combination of structural and non-structural strategies to enhance settlement resilience, aiming to reduce vulnerability and strengthen the ability of citizens and villagers to manage risks from natural disasters. These challenges affect not only the quality of life of residents but also the long-term resilience of these communities. Accordingly, this study aimed to investigate household resilience in the border villages of Hirmand County. The research employed a descriptive–analytical approach, using library, documentary, and survey methods. The statistical population consisted of heads of households in 23 sample villages, with a sample size of 357 randomly selected individuals based on Cochran’s formula. Data were analyzed using SPSS, ArcGIS, and Expert Choice software, applying the MULTIMOORA model, as well as the Mann–Whitney and Friedman tests. The results indicate significant differences in resilience levels among the studied villages. Gamshad, Qarqari, and Piran exhibited the highest resilience, while Mirja'afarkhan, Sanjrani, and Dehmardeh Siadak showed the lowest levels. Mann–Whitney U test results confirmed that these differences are statistically significant.

Abstract The Administrative Court of Justice is one of the achievements of the Islamic Revolution, which is recognized in Articles 170 and 173 of the Constitution. In this article, we aim to address the role of the Administrative Court of Justice in the realization of citizenship rights using a descriptive-analytical method. One of the results of this research is that the Administrative Court of Justice cannot play a role in the realization of all instances of citizenship rights. Regarding those citizenship rights that the Court of Justice can play a role in, by examining the decisions issued by the Administrative Court of Justice, we concluded that the decisions issued by the Administrative Court of Justice have the ability to play an effective role in protecting citizenship rights. However, despite the strengths and positive aspects of this institution, shortcomings and inadequacies are also observed that pose obstacles to the full realization of citizenship rights. Among these obstacles are the restrictions related to filing lawsuits, the accumulation of cases, the weaknesses in the review process, the lack of a clear decision-making mechanism, and also the laws limiting the powers of the Court.
The definition of citizenship rights states: "Citizenship rights are a set of rights and protections through which comfort, prosperity, and well-being are maximized. Of course, it is worth noting that the examples of citizenship rights are not explicitly mentioned in the laws, and like citizenship rights, a charter that explicitly refers to its examples in a coherent and focused manner has not been formulated.

Abstract In Tabriz metropolis, per capita green space in some urban districts falls below 3 m², while the WHO global standard is 9 m² and Iran's national standard is 7 m². Despite this significant gap, no systematic study has yet identified precisely which districts and which functional levels (neighborhood, local, district) suffer the most severe shortages. This study aims to fill that gap by analyzing the spatial distribution pattern of urban green spaces in Tabriz using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The methodology is based on precise spatial analysis using standard service radii: 300 m for neighborhood parks, 750 m for local parks, and 1,200 m for district parks. Analytical tools employed include distance analysis, overlay mapping, service radius zoning, and Gini coefficient calculation. The findings reveal a deeply unjust distribution of green space across the ten municipal districts. Districts 2, 4, and 8, with less than 3 m² per capita and accessibility coverage below 60%, are in critical condition, while districts 5, 7, and 10 show per capita green space above 7 m². The Gini coefficient in deprived districts reaches 0/43, indicating severe inequality and demonstrating that the existing distribution follows a structural and biased pattern beyond random fluctuations. Practical strategies proposed include developing small-scale green spaces in deteriorated urban fabrics (pocket parks, green roofs, green walls), creating continuous green networks, and prioritizing investment in deprived districts 2, 4, and 8. Overall, it can be concluded that without targeted, spatially-informed intervention based on spatial justice principles, the spatial gap in Tabriz will only widen further.

Abstract Note 3 of Article 101 of Iran’s Municipal Law, amended in 2011, authorizes municipalities to receive a portion of land (or its monetary equivalent) from owners of plots larger than 500 square meters during land subdivision processes, for public services and infrastructure. Despite its intended public benefit, the practical application of this provision has raised serious legal and equity concerns. These include the collection of shares from plots smaller than 500 square meters, reliance on informal and illegal subdivisions, disregard for previously allocated public spaces, and the imposition of forced agreements on landowners. This study, through a descriptive-analytical method and a comparative legal analysis with Turkey’s urban planning system (İmar Kanunu), critically evaluates the legality and fairness of current municipal practices in Iran. The findings reveal that the Iranian implementation often exceeds the legal limits, infringes upon private property rights, and lacks transparency and judicial oversight. In contrast, Turkey’s legal framework offers a clearer, more regulated, and equitable approach to urban land readjustment. The article concludes by emphasizing the need for regulatory reform in Iran to align its practices with legal standards and the principles of public trust and justice.

Abstract One of the fundamental functions of governance is to provide security and social peace for its citizens. In this context, crime and, particularly, the fear it generates in contemporary cities are considered among the primary obstacles to achieving sustainable security and a desirable quality of life. The paradigm of penal governance regards crime prevention as a key strategy for confronting this phenomenon. Among preventive approaches, Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) has gained significant prominence in recent decades by emphasizing the physical and spatial design of urban environments to reduce opportunities for crime. However, the emergence of the novel "smart city" paradigm and transformations in urban governance methods have revealed the necessity to revise and evolve traditional CPTED principles. This article, employing a descriptive-analytical method and based on library resources, seeks to elucidate the theoretical framework of "Smart CPTED" within the context of smart urban governance. This framework expands the traditional concept by leveraging functions such as natural surveillance, access control, territoriality, and maintenance, elevating it from a merely reactive state to a predictive and proactive level. The research findings indicate that smart urban governance, through the integration of advanced analytical technologies like artificial intelligence and data networks within the city's cyber-physical infrastructure, opens a new chapter in crime prevention. This novel approach is not solely focused on the hardware and physical dimensions of the city but emphasizes social dynamics, enhancing the quality of life, and strengthening citizen participation in digital environments as fundamental pillars for ensuring sustainable security.

Abstract Currently, 50 percent of the world's population lives in cities, and statistics indicate an increasing trend of urbanization in the world. In order to prevent damage to the environment, the settlement of the population in urban areas should be carried out in accordance with prior planning. On the other hand, understanding the processes related to the physical development of the city is essential for planners to adopt sustainable urban development strategies. In order to examine the suitability of land for the physical development of Maragheh city, nine variables were examined, including slope, elevation, distance to the city, distance to communication network, distance to the river, soil, geology, vegetation, and land use. The thematic layers of the variables were transformed into fuzzy sets using various types of linear functions, either decreasing or increasing, and user-defined. In this way, the values ​​of all the prepared maps were defined between 0 and 1 and then combined using the fuzzy gamma operator. Finally, the final map of land suitability for the physical development of Maragheh was prepared. The results show that over 23% of the study area is in the very low-proportion class for spatial development of the city. In comparison, 18% of the study area in the east and southwest of Maragheh city and continuously connected to the city have very favorable conditions for physical development of Maragheh city. These areas are located far from the river and the bed of the Sufi-Chai valley, and as a result, environmental and ecological problems will be avoided.

Abstract Over the past decade, the development of theories surrounding sustainable cities, ecological cities, ecosystems, smart cities, and green cities has seen a growing emphasis from urban designers and planners on fostering harmony between urban design and nature. Increasingly, these professionals have prioritized environmental sustainability, addressing pressing climate challenges, and integrating ecological principles into urban planning practices. This focus reflects a broader commitment to creating resilient urban environments that not only adapt to but also mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change while promoting sustainable living. This study examines the urban microclimate characteristics that influence typical urban residential neighborhoods through urban planning and design. Different urban block forms provide different microclimates with varied comfort levels for citizens. In this study, outdoor thermal comfort is compared during the winter season (December 20) for three common residential blocks (courtyard, linear and single) in Tabriz city. For this purpose, ENVI-met software is used to simulate air temperature, predicted mean vote (PMV), wind speed, and relative humidity to determine which of these common blocks are suitable for Tabriz's cold climate. The main objective of the study is to clarify the impact of block form on the outdoor thermal comfort of dwellings in Tabriz. In this study, a constant building density is used to investigate the effects of different urban shapes on thermal comfort. The results demonstrate that in winter, the courtyard and singular models have a more substantial impact on people's outdoor thermal comfort. The simulation of the linear model shows that it is unsuitable for this region and cannot provide thermal comfort for dwellings in the cold seasons.

Abstract Safety as a basic human need has a considerable effect on citizens' life quality and urban spaces livability. Golestan neighborhood, as a minority group settlement located in central historical and old part of Sabzevar, have for several years been seeking ways to overcome their segregation. While according to studies securing a sense of safety is a main part of this endeavor, based on CPTED approach, due to its physical and functional deterioration, the mentioned neighborhood faces numerous challenges in terms of spatial-physical dimensions of unsafety. Therefore, through an analytical hierarchical process (AHP), this study aims to identify and prioritize the most important physical-spatial criteria and indices of the neighborhood causing its unsafety and undefendability,. This can provide a proper basis for any effective policy-making and decision-taking in the future planning for the area. Hence, after an in-depth literature review on CPTED theory, and deriving physical-spatial criteria and indices of urban spaces affecting their safety, a field study with 30 experts familiar with Golestan has been conducted. In the field study, the criteria and indices of the research AHP model have been weighed by expert panel via pairwise comparison matrix. The results of the present study showed that 6 main criteria and 19 sub-criteria were recognized affecting the safety of Golestan neighborhood. Furthermore, among the given criteria, physical permeability, liveliness, and legibility of Golestan neighborhood are the three most important environmental design features which negatively affect its safety. Also, Street geometry, paths width, and urban block system are the most important indices among the tested indices.

Abstract Security, as a multidimensional concept, encompasses physical, psychological, social, and economic dimensions. In this regard, the present study investigates the perceptions of female students at the University of Tabriz regarding security in the public spaces of the metropolitan area of Tabriz. The research methodology is based on semi-structured interviews and deconstructive analysis, conducted using NVivo software. This approach facilitates the identification of meanings, contradictions, and ambiguities embedded in the interviews and enables the recognition of various factors influencing security perception. The deconstructive analysis entails identifying and examining key terms and binary oppositions, such as security/insecurity, psychological/physical, light/darkness, surveillance/disorder, and open/closed spaces. This analytical approach enhances the comprehension of the implicit meanings and the underlying concepts within the students' responses. The examination of these binary structures underscores the significant role of such dichotomies in shaping security perceptions. The lexical and thematic analysis reveals that terms such as security, lighting, surveillance, public spaces, and population density frequently appear in the interviews. These concepts are identified as pivotal factors contributing to either the enhancement or diminishment of the sense of security. Additionally, the presence of other individuals, social diversity, antisocial behaviors, a sense of belonging to the community, and cultural and structural disparities among cities are recognized as influential determinants. Furthermore, urban design attributes to security perception, and the economic characteristics of the region also impact this perception. Personal experiences, risk perception, the presence of security forces, and surveillance systems are likewise identified as critical factors affecting perceived security.

Abstract Vulnerable urban spaces are among the spaces that endanger citizens' psychological and social security by creating conditions for the formation and occurrence of criminal behaviors due to inappropriate physical and social characteristics. While dealing with related concepts and definitions, this research seeks to evaluate and zone defenseless urban spaces in region 1 of Tabriz. The type of exploration of this mixed method research is functional, fundamental, and in terms of purpose, the research uses exploratory and applied methods, and is based on documentary and field data.The statistical population of the study includes the physical space of neighborhoods in region 1 of Tabriz. The data obtained by the effective components in creating defenseless spaces are analyzed using of GIS software and weighting methods; the final overlap of layers is used to zoning neighborhoods in terms of defenseless spaces. The findings show that Valiasr and Golkar neighborhoods have the least defenseless spaces, and Mallazeinal, Seylab Qoshkhaneh, Baghmishe Ghadim, Polsangi, Yousefabad, and Idelou neighborhoods have the least defenseless areas in the study area, respectively. In addition, as we move from the eastern areas to the western borders of the region, defenseless spaces increase, their quality decreases, and socio-physical vulnerabilities and social security of citizens are more affected. Inadequate lighting , barren and ruined landscapes, vegetation and dense green spaces, dead-end passages, narrow passages, and L-shaped U-shaped passages are the most important variables that affect the creation of defenseless urban spaces.The effects of these variables include poor monitoring and visibility, loneliness and darkness, poor quality of spaces and confusion, and burnout of tissues, resulting in reduced social security