Geography and Urban Research

Abstract A smart city is a product of the information revolution, designed as a strategy for urban sustainability to tackle the challenges of rapid urbanization. It encompasses six dimensions: smart governance, smart economy, smart citizen, smart mobility, smart environment, and smart living. This research aims to evaluate the characteristics of the smart governance and smart living dimensions in District 9 of the metropolis of Mashhad. This applied research employs a descriptive-analytical methodology. Collected through fieldwork and literature review, the data were analyzed using statistical techniques in SPSS software and the COPRAS model. The statistical population of the study consists of experts and citizens at District 9 of Mashhad. The sample size included 15 experts and 360 citizens, selected using the Cochran formula. The results obtained from the Friedman test, which compared the three districts in terms of the level of enjoyment of the studied indicators, revealed significant differences. Area 1, with an average rank of 4.501, ranked highest among the districts. It is noteworthy that the transparency index was evaluated as weak in all three areas. Furthermore, the findings suggest that citizen participation in decision-making can significantly improve transparency indicators (with a beta coefficient of 0.533) and enhance public and social services (with a beta coefficient of 0.311). The results of the COPRAS model indicate that education is the most critical factor for enhancing smart city standards at the district level.

Abstract On-street parking is a critical component of urban infrastructure, particularly in commercial districts. Effective management of on-street parking seeks to address multiple objectives: ensuring equitable allocation of parking spaces, discouraging prolonged parking in high-demand areas, minimizing unnecessary vehicle trips, reducing parking violations (e.g., double parking or parking in restricted zones), and leveraging generated revenue to enhance parking facilities and support traffic management initiatives. This study seeks to investigate to what extent these objectives have been obtained in two streets—Artesh-e Shomali and Ferdowsi—in Tabriz, Iran, both of which are integrated into the city’s on-street parking management program. Field surveys were conducted to gather empirical data. From 07:30 to 20:00, each on-street parking space, along with instances of double parking, where applicable, was monitored by recording vehicle license plates. Observations were repeated at 30-minute intervals, during which newly parked vehicles were identified by comparing current license plates with those from the previous cycle. When a new vehicle occupied a space, its license plate was recorded, and the parking duration for that space was reset. Findings reveal that except during early morning hours, parking demand consistently exceeds capacity throughout the day. Analysis of parking duration indicates that long-term parking predominates, accounting for 61% of parking events in Artesh-e Shomali and 51.76% in Ferdowsi. Moreover, the start and end times of long-term parking closely correspond to the operating hours of adjacent offices and commercial establishments. Consequently, majority of on-street parking spaces are occupied for extended periods by local employees and shopkeepers.

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 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 Regional foresight, a novel approach within the field of regional development planning, seeks to realize strategies and key development factors often overlooked in the planning, decision-making, and implementation processes. Therefore, this study seeks to identify appropriate strategies and key development factors in Zanjan province using the regional foresight approach. The research method is descriptive-analytical, based on provincial statistical data and employing interaction/structural effects analysis techniques in MICMAC software. The results indicate an unstable system based on the dispersion of variables influencing future development in Zanjan province. From an initial set of 25 factors, analysis of the direct effects matrix identified 13 key factors impacting the development of the province. These were compared to 13 key factors identified through an analysis of the indirect effects matrix. The comparison revealed that the five factors of ‘tourism attractions of the province,’ ‘diversity of economic sectors,’ ‘weakness in social justice,’ ‘economic growth rate,’ and ‘attraction of large capital’ consistently ranked highly in both matrices. These five factors warrant increased attention moving forward. Economic factors have exerted the most significant influence on the development of Zanjan province, while environmental factors have had the least impact. To promote development, it is recommended that planning and future studies adopt new approaches, emphasizing tourism, knowledge-based economic policies, increased investment (attracting national capital), cultural diversity, social justice, and strong management at the provincial level.

Abstract One of the impacts of climate change is the increased risk of flooding and its effects. Environmental disasters are occurring with increasing frequency and intensity around the world, with flooding being a major cause of both material and non-material damage, and its effects continuing long after the flood has occurred. One of the flood-prone areas of Iran, especially in 2018, was Mamulan City, which is located in the Karkheh riverbed that faces floods annually. Therefore, monitoring flood disasters and risk assessment has become an urgent need to increase prevention capacity and reduce flood-related damages in this city. In the present research, an evaluation and zoning of flood in this city was attempted. Nine layers, namely, topographic humidity, slope, elevation classes, distance from the river, drainage density, distance from the road, vegetation cover, precipitation and soil type were chosen as the indicators that affect the flood in the region. In this study, digital elevation model (DEM) data with a spatial resolution of 28 meters extracted from ASTER satellite and monthly precipitation data provided by ECMWF for the years 2014 to 2023- converted into annual data- were used for ANP flood classification and network analysis in Super Decisions software, the weighting of which was done based on experts' opinions. The results show that in Mamulan city the highest percentage of land belongs to the high and medium category in terms of flood risk. The rest of the classes are low and very high respectively, and the very low class has the lowest amount.