Geography and Urban Research

The Impact of Urban Sprawl on the Sustainability of Peri-Urban Area: A Case Study of Kermanshah City, Iran

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

َAeizh Azmi 1
Hawbash Ghafoor saeed 2

1 a. Department of Geography, Faculty of Literature and humanities, University of Razi, Kermanshah, Iran.

2 b. Mastarin Human Geography,ministry of Education,kalar, kurdistan Region, Iraq.

https://doi.org/10.22130/gur.2025.2069556.1031
Abstract
Urban sprawl in metropolitan cities is a phenomenon that has affected the surrounding rural areas. Therefore, studying the effects of this event is of great importance. In this article, the city of Kermanshah has been studied and the effects of urban sprawl in this city on three villages of Deh Pahan, Nokan and Cheshme Sefid have been studied.The research method was descriptive-analytic. The sample size was 60 individuals. The reliability of the research was confirmed through Cronbach's alpha and the validity of the research was also confirmed through a panel of rural and urban geography experts. The results of the research prove that in the environmental dimension, the effects of urban sprawl have been negative. However, in the economic, social and physical dimensions, there have been both positive and negative effects. The results also show that all four economic, social, physical and environmental dimensions of urban sprawl have a significant relationship with each other at the 0.05 level, which indicates the influence of these dimensions on each other and urban sprawl in general. In the physical dimension, urbanization leads to the reconstruction of old housing, but in return it has led to the change in agricultural land use. In the agricultural dimension, it has led to the development of small industries, but in return local products have decreased. In the social dimension, it has caused conflicts and increased migration, but has increased the level of education. In the environmental dimension, it has only led to an increase in pollution. Finally, there is a significant relationship between economic, social, environmental and physical dimensions with urban sprawl.

Keywords

Urban sprawl
Swallowed villages
Kermanshah city
Pollution
1.       Bayat, N., Pourgholami Sarvandani, M. R., Fadaei, H., & Osanloo, A. (2021). Investigation of citizens' perceptions about urban sprawl effects Case study: Tehran/Damavand. Journal of human geography research quarterly, 53(2), 673-695. 10.22059/jhgr.2020.285523.1007975 [In Persian]
2.       Ebrahimi, M. A. (2018). Study of the physical role of Urmia city on the housing of the surrounding villages. Fourth National Conference on Urban Planning, Architecture, Civil Engineering and Environment, Tehran. [In Persian]
3.       Esmaeilpour, M., & Karimi, S. (2025). Site selection for physical development of Maragheh city using fuzzy logic and natural variables. Journal of Geography and Urban Research, 2(1), 48-65. 10.22130/gur.2025.2053087.1017 [In Persian]
4.       Ghaneifard, M., Estelaji, A., & Karimpour reyhan, M. (2023). Investigating the effects of urban creep on settlements in the metropolitan of Tehran (Case study: Islamshahr city). Journal of Research and Urban Planning, 13(51), 31-44. 10.30495/jupm.2021.26737.3730 [In Persian]
5.       Ghorbani, R., Rostaei, S., & Karbasi, P. (2021). Creep of Maragheh city and land use changes of Peripheral. Journal of Preipheral Urban Spaces Development, 3(1), 1-18. dor.isc.ac/dor/20.1001.1.26764164.1400.3.1.1.5 [In Persian]
6.       Jozak, A., Lotfi, S., & Nikpour, A. (2021). Analysis of the effects and consequences of annexing a village to a city (case: annexed villages to the city of Amol). Journal of Peri-Urban Space Development, 4(1), 25-46. 20.1001.1.26764164.1401.4.1.2.3 [In Persian]
7.       Klapka, P., Halás, M., Netrdová, P., & Nosek, M. (2016). The Efficiency of Areal Units in Spatial Analysis: Assessing the Performance of Functional and Administrative Regions. Journal of Moravian Geographical Reports, 24(2), 47-59. 10.1515/mgr-2016-0010
8.       Lopez, R., & Hynes, P.(2018). Sprawl in the 1990s: Measurement, distribution and trends. Journal of Urban Affairs Review, 8(5), 355-325. 10.1177/1078087402238805
9.       Malekpour hashjin, S., Amar, T., Molaeihashjin, N., & Ghorayshy, M. B. (2021). A Comparative Analysis of the Effects and Consequences of Physical Policies of the Fifth Development Plan (2011-2016) Plain and Mountain Villages of Western Guilan (Case: Rural Guide Plan). Journal of Geographical Engineering of Territory, 5(1), 105-124. JGET-2010-1205 [In Persian]
10.    Mark, E.T., & Amasey, C.(2023). Urban spawl: impact on sustainability and goverance. Journal of Urban planning and development, 149(1), 45-62.
11.    Mohammadi, ِM., Shafiei Sabet, N., & Shakiba, A. (2019). Effects of urban sprawl on land use change in the peripheral villages of Tehran metropolis (case study: Tehran-Damavand axis). Journal of Advanced Environmental Sciences, 17(4), 1-26. 10.29252/envs.17.4.1 [In Persian]
12.    Mohammadi, S., Moradi, A., & Hosaini, S. (2020). Identifying and Analyzing the Effects of Urban Creep on the Situation Development of Rural Areas around (Case Study: Villages around of Marivan City). Journal of Applied Researches in Geographical Sciences, 20(56), 55-74. 10.29252/jgs.20.56.55 [In Persian]
13.    Piorr, A., Ravetz J., & Tosics, I. (2019). Pere-urbanization in Europe: Towards a European policy to sustain urban-rural future; A synthesis report of the PLUREL project. Plurel Consortium, Copenhagen, Denmark.
14.    Pouri, S., & Saadatjoo, P. (2025). Assessing the impact of urban form on outdoor thermal comfort: Case Study of Tabriz City. Journal of Geography and Urban Research, 2(1), 34-47. 10.22130/gur.2025.2051761.1011 [In Persian]
15.    Rao, J. (2020). Comprehensive land consolidation as a development policy for rural vitalisation: Rural In Situ Urbanisation through semi socio-economic restructuring in Huai Town. Journal of Rural Studies, 93(12), 386-397.10.1016/j.jrurstud.2020.09.009
16.    Shafieisabetm, N. (2014).Tehran metropolitan sprawl and unsustainable agriculture in the peripherial villages:case study: Ronat Karim. MSv thesis, Shahid Beheshti university.
17.    Shijin, Q., Shougeng, H., Weidong, L., Hui, W., Chuanrong, Z., & Quanfeng, L. (2020). Interaction between urban land expansion and land use policy: An analysis using the DPSIR framework. Journal of Land Use Policy, 99(5), 1-12. 10.1016/j.landusepol.2020.104856
18.    Suzuki, H., Dastur, A., Moffatt, S., Yabuki, N., & Maruyama, H. (2010). Eco2 cities: Ecological cities as economic cities. Washington, D.C., World Bank Publications.
19.    Tahvildari, M., Molaeihashjin, N., & Amar, T. (2023). Urban sprawl and changes in the Rizvanshahr suburbs. Journal of Preipheral Urban Spaces Development, 5(1), 129-148. 10.22034/jpusd.2023.360527.1229 [In Persian]
20.    Tayebnia, S. H., Akbarpour, M., & Barmiani, S. (2023). Analysis of the Vonsequences of Urban Creep and Annexation of Villages to the City (Case Study: Suburban Villages of Kerman). Journal of Geography and Territorial Spatial Arrangement, 13(47), 147-182. 10.22111/gaij.2023.44812.3095 [In Persian]
21.    Yang, J., Li, J., Xu, F., Li, S., Zheng, M., & Gong, J. (2022). Urban development wave: Understanding physical spatial processes of urban expansion from density gradient of new urban land,Computers. Journal of Environment and Urban Systems, 97(20), 150-163. 10.1016/j.compenvurbsys.2022.101867
Geography and Urban Research
Volume 2, Issue 4
Winter 2026
Pages 27-40

Home

Guide for Authors

Submit Manuscript

Reviewers

Contact Us