Geography and Urban Research

Abstract In recent years, the complexities of urbanization, population growth, and uneven spatial expansion have turned urban resilience and resilient governance into one of the major concerns of urban management. Urban resilience goes beyond crisis response and also encompasses systematic capacity for anticipation, preparedness, and response. Passive defense, as a modern approach in urban management, plays a significant role in enhancing governance, resilience, and institutional coordination. This study aims to explain the role of passive defense in strengthening smart governance and integrated urban management in Karaj metropolis and to propose a localized conceptual model for improving institutional, social, and infrastructural resilience. The research is qualitative in nature and follows a meta-synthesis approach, based on systematic analysis of domestic and international studies and conceptual coding. The findings indicate that passive defense in Karaj is not merely a technical or security tool, but a strategic framework for restructuring the city’s managerial and institutional systems. Based on the analysis, four key dimensions were identified: enhancing inter-institutional coordination and unified command, reducing the vulnerability of critical infrastructures, promoting smart and resilient governance, and developing citizen-centered social participation. The innovation of this study lies in presenting a localized conceptual model that integrates passive defense components into the urban governance structure of Karaj. This model explains the interrelationship among institutional, social, infrastructural, and managerial resilience in an integrated manner. The results show that incorporating passive defense principles into the urban governance system not only increases the effectiveness of managerial decisions but also facilitates the transition toward responsive and sustainable governance, offering a transferable framework for other major cities in the country.

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 The study of land use is of great importance, particularly in Shahriar City. This research employed a descriptive–analytical and quantitative survey method using questionnaire tools. The sample size, determined by Cochran’s formula, included 355 participants, and systematic random sampling was applied. Factors such as age, proximity to the city, land area, and uneconomical agricultural practices have contributed to changes in land use. Data were collected through library and field methods and supplemented with a self-designed questionnaire using a Likert scale. Analysis was conducted using SPSS and GIS software. Reliability coefficients were reported as follows: social and cultural (0.71), human (0.77), geological and environmental (0.74), and economic (0.71). Expert opinions were also used to assess validity. The results indicate that Shahriar County, due to its proximity to Tehran, population growth, housing demand, market fluctuations, and the role of land brokers, has experienced extensive construction and agricultural land conversion. Improper soil management, including unsuitable plowing and overexploitation, has reduced soil fertility and productivity. Land use change represents a significant threat to the future of agriculture, which, if unmanaged, could lead to serious problems. Factor analysis revealed that production costs and low agricultural profitability, cultivation challenges, competing agricultural incomes, natural constraints, urban–rural inequalities, land slope, indigenous knowledge, distance to the city, population growth, and profiteering along the corridor are the key factors influencing land use change in the region.

Abstract The present study aims to analyze the legal and executive challenges of the Sustainable Revenue and Expenditure Law of Municipalities, using a critical approach focusing on City of Maragheh. This applied research utilizes a descriptive-analytical and survey methodology, gathering data through structured questionnaires among urban management elites. Quantitative analysis of variables using the one-sample t-test and TOPSIS ranking technique revealed that legislative ambiguities, lack of precise executive guarantees, and institutional jurisdictional overlaps pose serious obstacles to the financial independence of this local organization. The results indicate that restrictive regulations and cultural heritage limitations in the historical fabric and garden-city boundaries of Maragheh, alongside structural dependence on unsustainable revenues such as Article 100 Commission fines, are considered the most significant and meaningful executive challenges. Finally, the necessity of amending legal provisions, delegating local authorities, adjusting regulations governing historical contexts, and developing novel financing tools to achieve economic independence and sustainable urban development was emphasized.
The present study aims to analyze the legal and executive challenges of the Sustainable Revenue and Expenditure Law of Municipalities, using a critical approach focusing on City of Maragheh. This applied research utilizes a descriptive-analytical and survey methodology, gathering data through structured questionnaires among urban management elites. Quantitative analysis of variables using the one-sample t-test and TOPSIS ranking technique revealed that legislative ambiguities, lack of precise executive guarantees, and institutional jurisdictional overlaps pose serious obstacles to the financial independence of this local organization. The results indicate that restrictive regulations and cultural heritage limitations in the historical fabric and garden-city boundaries of Maragheh, alongside structural dependence on unsustainable revenues such as Article 100 Commission fines, are considered the most significant and meaningful executive challenges. Finally, the necessity of amending legal provisions, delegating local authorities, adjusting regulations governing historical contexts, and developing novel financing tools to achieve economic independence and sustainable urban development was emphasized.

Abstract The expansion of informal settlements is one of the most significant consequences of structural inequalities in the cities of developing countries, and its roots can be traced to macroeconomic transformations. The present study was conducted with the aim of explaining the relationship between oil revenues, housing prices, and the expansion of informal settlements in the Mashhad metropolis, employing an approach to test the Dutch Disease hypothesis. This research is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive-analytical in terms of method, carried out with a mixed-methods approach utilizing quantitative and qualitative data over the period 2001 to 2021. The statistical population included the informal settlements of Mashhad, comprising 8 zones and 67 neighborhoods, from which four indicator neighborhoods were selected through purposive sampling. Quantitative data were collected from official national and local sources and analyzed using normality tests, correlation, regression, Granger causality, and Johansen cointegration tests. The results indicated that the real value of the country's oil revenues experienced a significant decline during the study period, while simultaneously, housing prices in Mashhad experienced very sharp growth. Statistical analyses confirmed the existence of a positive and significant relationship between oil revenues and housing prices, as well as between housing prices and population growth in informal settlements. Furthermore, causality and cointegration tests suggested the existence of a long-term relationship between oil revenues and the housing market. Qualitative findings also revealed that high housing costs are the most significant factor driving low-income households towards informal settlements, and a considerable portion of their income is spent on housing expenses. Accordingly,The results indicate that liquidity management during oil boom periods, implementation of counter-cyclical policies in the housing market, targeted financial support for low-income groups, and empowerment programs for informal settlements can play an effective role in mitigating this phenomenon.