Urban Economy
Gholamreza Moradi; Enayat Mirzaei
Abstract
In the planning system and urban economic studies, it is very important to identify the distribution, location patterns and configuration of various activities in the context of the city and organize them from the socio-economic, traffic, environmental, etc. perspective. In this context, the present ...
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In the planning system and urban economic studies, it is very important to identify the distribution, location patterns and configuration of various activities in the context of the city and organize them from the socio-economic, traffic, environmental, etc. perspective. In this context, the present study tries to analyze the location selection of clothing retail stores in Kazerun with a qualitative approach. The mentioned stores in Kazerun city have been located in the central market (Bazaar) and shopping centers connected to it for a long time based on agglomeration economies. But in recent years, these stores have chosen the street instead of the central market and using the benefits of agglomeration. Considering the importance and influential dimensions of this behavior change, the purpose of this research is to identify the reasons for clothing stores to stay away from the central market, their distribution pattern and location criteria in the city. In this regard, spatial and non-spatial factors and attractions affecting the establishment of clothing stores in the city of Kazerun on the edge of the street have been analyzed. The method of data collection was interviews with sellers and its analysis was done with the help of MAX QDA software and content analysis method. The results of the research show that street shops due to Bazar activity time limits, easier access, available parking, the impact of social networks, the impact of events such as the Covid-19 virus, the area and size of the shops, the atmosphere and personal reasons, the presence or Lack of empty shops, space for decoration and rent, they have preferred the street instead of the Bazar (Cluster of clothing stores). On the other hand, their location criteria on the strip of street respectively, include the presence of parking spaces for customers, dynamic and active streets, good visibility, proximity to activity attraction centers, size and length of shops, ownership and type of contract, proximity to competitors, proximity to complementary stores and cost which is provided by spatial analysis.
Urban Economy
Bakhtiar Javaheri; Salah ebrahimi
Abstract
Highlights- Iran has been going through one of the fastest-growing urbanization processes in the world, where about 75% of the population lives in urban areas today.- The variation in urbanization rate in the provinces of Iran has fluctuated from about 48% to 95%.- Agriculture and industrialization are ...
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Highlights- Iran has been going through one of the fastest-growing urbanization processes in the world, where about 75% of the population lives in urban areas today.- The variation in urbanization rate in the provinces of Iran has fluctuated from about 48% to 95%.- Agriculture and industrialization are the most important variables explaining urbanization in Iran. IntroductionIn the recent decades, the proportion of the world’s urban population has increased. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, the proportion of the world’s population residing in urban areas has risen from about 14 percent in 1901 to about 50 percent in 2000. The rapid growth of urbanization in the world began after the Industrial Revolution in European countries, and was then observed in developed and developing countries. In Iran, the process of urbanization and urban population growth was faster than in developing countries. During a period of about 50 years (1970-2020), the urban population in Iran grew by about 37%. There are a wide range of factors and reasons for explanation of the rapid urbanization in Iran. A reason for the growth of urbanization in Iran is the migration of rural population to urban areas, which has resulted from industrial policies, agricultural sector growth, wage gap between urban and rural areas, and employment opportunities in services and industry in urban areas.Theoretical FrameworkUrbanization began during the Industrial Revolution, and the term is used to refer to the growing number of people living in urban areas. It is not simply about an increase in the number of urban dwellers, but also about a change in the structure from rural to urban in terms of industry, employment, living conditions, and public social services. On the other hand, urbanization refers to the process of population expansion on urban scale, and includes economic, social, and geographic changes. Rapid urbanization is one of the most prominent features of global development today. In general, urbanization can be defined as a process of transition from a dominant world of rural and agricultural activities to a dominant urban world based on non-agricultural activities. Depending on their orientations, social scientists point out different explanations for the existence of cities. Developments in industry, agriculture, and services provide the main explanations for the rate of urbanization in the literature on urban economics. Moreover, wage differences between urban and rural areas, the general rate of prices in urban areas, and educational expenditures have been factors affecting the rate of urbanization in theoretical and experimental studies.MethodologyIn this study, the spatial econometric approach was used for analysis of the model. Spatial econometrics is a subfield of econometrics that deals with the interactions between geographic units. Units can include postal code, city, municipality, district, province, government, judiciary, country, etc., depending on the nature of the study. Spatial econometric models can also be used to explain the behavior of economic agents and other geographic entities, such as individuals, companies, and governments, if they are interconnected through a network. Given the advantages of the spatial econometric method, this study aimed to investigate the effects of factors affecting urbanization in thirty provinces of Iran during the 2006-2017 period using a spatial econometric panel data method.Results and DiscussionIn this study, the Eviews and Stata software was used for analysis of the data. The results of the stationary test indicated that the model variables were stationary. Based on the Moran test results, there was a positive spatial autocorrelation in the study data. Other results also confirmed the the spatial Durbin model compared with other models. The results of the Chow and Hausman test also confirmed the superiority of the panel data to the pool data and of the fixed effects to the random effects. Other results demonstrated that the added value of agriculture, industry, and service had significant positive effects on the rate of urbanization in each province and the neighboring provinces. These results indicated that the development of the agricultural sector and the use of new technologies, and thus the increase in the productivity of the agricultural sector, led to the release of part of the labor force working in the agricultural sector in rural areas and their transfer to urban areas and employment in the service sector. The higher wage rates in the service and industry sectors also functions as a recruitment factor, attracting the liberated labor force from the rural sector to the urban sector, which was also demonstrated in this study. In contrast, the increase in the price index of the urban sector, which increased the costs of migration from rural to urban areas, could function as a repellent factor with adverse effects on migration from urban to rural areas. This was similar to the increase in the area of agricultural land in rural areas, which could hinder or delay the transfer of rural population to urban areas. Another factor that played a key role in urban-to-rural migration was the rural unemployment rate, which could encourage the unemployed to migrate to urban areas.ConclusionThe results of this research demonstrated that the variation in urbanization rate cannot be analyzed in one dimension, and a set of factors effective in the process of urbanization development in Iran need to be considered in the analysis, including a range of economic and geographic factors. In recent years, the focus on cities and regions has been resumed, but this focus on the role of cities and regions does not necessarily resemble the prevailing belief in the early twentieth century that the benefits of aggregation are driving growth in large cities and rich countries. Today, the driving forces of urbanization are different in different countries and even different regions of a country. The results of this study demonstrate that the Iranian economy needs a planned urbanization with a powerful policy for development of the agricultural and industrial sectors for the overall development of urbanization in Iran. Another proposal is to set the government as the main policymaker. In the first place, the government, the most important player in the society, must adhere to the rules in which it plays an important role. Secondly, the government’s policy orientation must be clear to all economic actors.
Urban Economy
Mostafa Hosseinabadi; Mohammad Hossein Sharifzadegan
Abstract
HighlightsApplying the theory of public choice in the discipline of urban planning of Iran.Interdisciplinary analysis of conflicts of interest in state institution as the responsible of urban planning in Tehran metropolitan.Estimating the impact of public choice theory component on decision-maker ...
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HighlightsApplying the theory of public choice in the discipline of urban planning of Iran.Interdisciplinary analysis of conflicts of interest in state institution as the responsible of urban planning in Tehran metropolitan.Estimating the impact of public choice theory component on decision-maker and decision-taker in urban planning of Tehran metropolitan.Demonstrating the negative impact of self-interests, rent-seeking, and political interests on choices made by decision-makers. IntroductionUrban space planning is a collective social action concerning decisions on the social use of land; i.e. an action performed by the people’s elected state. Thus, the state is seen as an institution that seeks to realize the public interest and compensate for market failure through legitimate power. However, the fundamental question is whether the state actually functions as a benevolent institution in urban space planning based solely on the public interest of the city. The purpose of this study is to provide an answer to this fundamental question from the perspective of Public Choice Theory, which is focused on the state for analysis and comprehension of the consequences of the interaction between its elements, emphasizing the similarities between people’s choices in market and non-market decisions.The urban planning system in Iran is one of the most complex, comprehensive land use regulation systems with a focus on the government. The conditions of urban development and urban planning in Iranian cities, including the Tehran metropolitan area, well demonstrates urban-planners’ and decision-makers’ lack of concern for the public interests regarding the city in some cases. In an interdisciplinary analysis using components from the theory of positive public choice, this research addresses the decision space in urban planning for the Tehran metropolitan area, and presents solutions to improve the conditions from the normative aspect of the theory. Theoretical FrameworkThe state has tried to provide urban public benefits and services through urban planning, and the public interest is used in fact to justify and advocate urban planning interventions. From an ethical point of view, the biggest problem encountered by planners is to adopt the best approach in response to decision-makers and the best action for the public interest, as they are always pressured by government change on the one hand and social change on the other. The public interest has always been important in urban space planning despite its controversial entity. It can play three major roles in that regard: those of legitimizing planning as a state activity, of a norm for planning and professional ethics, and of a criterion for evaluation of planning and plans.Public choice theory focuses on planning as a political activity by identifying state influence and market failure. According to the theory, the state is not regarded as a single entity, but a group of individuals who pursue their personal and group interests, which makes up an important failure of the state. Stakeholders, political organizations, and social classes impose pressure on the state to pursue their own interests, and this can severely affect the efficiency of the state.The main purpose of this study was to measure the effectiveness of the decision space in spatial planning of the Tehran metropolitan area given the components emphasized in the public choice approach and concern for personal and political interests and rent-seeking in choices made by decision-makers. MethodologyThe methodology of qualitative analysis was first reviewed, and the main indicators concerning each of the relevant components were then obtained based on the data extracted by experts in the field and quantified using the Likert scale. Attempts were made to analyze the impacts of the components of public choice theory on the decision-making carried out for the Tehran metropolitan area planning through application of Structural Equation Modeling using Partial Least Squares in the SmartPLS software. Results and DiscussionSince the value of the t-statistic was greater than 1.96, it can be stated that the factors of personal and political interests and rent-seeking had significant negative effects on decision-making in the spatial planning process in the Tehran metropolitan area. The values concerning the paths in the final research model indicated that concern for personal interest pursued with the cost-benefit approach accounted for 21.5% of the changes made in decision-making in urban planning, rent-seeking explained 36.5%, and political interests explained 31.2%. Therefore, the hypotheses proposed in the research were retained.The results of the research demonstrated that the factors with the severest negative effects on the components under examination and decision-making in the process of urban space planning of the Tehran metropolitan area include urban planners’ lack of concern for the feasibility and functionality of plans, collusion between planners, city managers, and landowners to determine and change land use, special privileges granted beyond personal competence to specific individuals and groups, lack of transparency and information, influence of those in power and wealth in the urban planning structure, and urban managers’ prioritization of attempts to maintain their statuses and protect the established power structure, etc. ConclusionThe findings of this study, conducted among experts aware of the spatial planning system of the Tehran metropolitan area, indicated that the components of public choice theory, including concern for personal and political interests and rent-seeking, have significant negative impacts on decision-making in the spatial planning process. In other words, although it is assumed that the public interest of the city should be considered in the process of urban space planning, other incentives are influential in decision-making, and there is a conflict of interest in practice. Keywords: state, urban space planning, public choice theory, public interest. AcknowledgmentThis article has been extracted from a Ph.D. thesis on urban planning entitled The Role of State and Market in Urban Spatial Development Planning of Iran, defended by the first author under supervision of the second at Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran.
Urban Economy
mehdi Mododi Arkhudi; sajad ferdowsi
Abstract
Planning for development of tourism always requires concern for supply and demand. At the same time, tourism marketing relies particularly on knowledge of the characteristics of supply and demand. The significance of the present study could be explained by the issue of the changing world and its effects ...
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Planning for development of tourism always requires concern for supply and demand. At the same time, tourism marketing relies particularly on knowledge of the characteristics of supply and demand. The significance of the present study could be explained by the issue of the changing world and its effects on tourism, where important changes have long been observed in tourism form the aspects of supply and demand, which accounts for the need to review the parallel management and marketing practices. Unlike studies that have been conducted so far, this research considered the results of the developments made in capitalism to assess the supply and demand behavior in tourism. This provided a useful theoretical framework for establishment of marketing activities for tourism development. For that purpose, the supply and demand behavior patterns in tourism were assessed based on the changes made in capitalism in the city of Karaj, Iran and the surrounding villages. The tourism demand dimension was defined using three components: planning, products, and characteristics. The dimension of tourism supply was defined as a combination of four economic components: planning, products, structure, and function. In addition, criteria were considered for each of the components of tourism supply and demand. The population of this quantitative research included experts in the field, also including the local community, who were surveyed as two categories: that of residents of Karaj and surrounding villages, as travel demanders, and that of travel companies in Karaj, as travel suppliers. The experts were sampled using the targeted and convenience sampling methods, the residents were sampled using the simple random sampling method, and the travel companies were sampled using the complete enumeration method. The findings of the study were presented in two broad phases. In the first phase, the method of analytic hierarchy process was used to specify the importance and priority of the factors based on the expert opinions. In the second phase, the scale of measurement and the formulation of the items were introduced for assessment of the criteria identified in tourism destinations, and two proposed maps were then used for description and analysis of the coefficients obtained from the assessment of the criteria. The results demonstrated that the behavior patterns of travel demanders were different from the residents of Karaj to those of the surrounding villages. Accordingly, the behavior of the latter group of residents was inclined to the characteristics of Fordism- post-Fordism tourism, with a weighted mean of 0.521, while the behavior pattern of the residents of Karaj exhibited inclination to the characteristics of post-Fordism tourism, with a weighted mean of 0.711. On the other hand, the behavior pattern of travel companies in Karaj was inclined to the characteristics of post-Fordism tourism, with a weighted mean of 0.751. Overall, the behavior pattern of tourism supply and demand in Karaj was assessed as post-Fordism. According to the above findings, marketing activities can be more effective, and tourism development planning can be directed as desired through identification and analysis of the characteristics of tourism supply and demand in the study areas.
Urban Economy
Sana mostafazadeh; Fateh Habibi; ahmad Mohammadi
Abstract
At micro level, valuation studies provide access to information concerning the structures and functions of ecosystems and their diverse, complex role in support of human convenience. At macro level, ecosystem valuation can contribute to development and modification of human convenience factors and sustainable ...
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At micro level, valuation studies provide access to information concerning the structures and functions of ecosystems and their diverse, complex role in support of human convenience. At macro level, ecosystem valuation can contribute to development and modification of human convenience factors and sustainable development. Expressing the quantitative values of the functions, products, and services of an ecosystem, economic valuation, helps executive, social, and economic planners and administrators to plan the protection and sustainable exploitation of natural resources. The main purpose of economic environment valuation is to enable comparison of environmental protection and socio-economic development for optimal utilization of exceptional resources. Since environmental resources belong to all generations, long-term interests should be preferred to short-term ones. The economic approach to evaluation of environmental changes is based on people’s preference for modifications in their environmental conditions. The term value has a precise definition in economics: the price that individuals are willing to pay for goods or services. The basic economic notions of supply and demand are employed to estimate willingness to pay. In environmental economics, different methods are used to measure environmental values. There are two groups of methods for monetary evaluation of goods: methods that lead to estimation of the demand curve, used to obtain the values of non-market goods and natural resources and those leading to goods prices without estimating the demand curve. Zrebar Lake is a unique tourist attraction of the type, situated three kilometers to the west of Mariwan in Iran’s Kurdistan Province. The purpose of this study was to investigate the visitors’ willingness to pay for the entrance fee to Zrebar Lake. Simple random sampling was used in the research, along with a questionnaire for data collection. The size of a sample needs to be large enough to make it statistically representative. A total of 350 respondents participated in the study, only 307 of whom answered the questionnaire completely. A Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.86 was obtained for the questionnaire, which indicated its proper reliability. The results concerning the probability of willingness to pay indicated that 217 participants (70.68%) would not accept the first offer, being unwilling to pay 5000 Rials of their monthly income to visit Zrebar Lake, while 90 respondents (29.32%) would accept the offer. When a lower fee (1000 Rials) was offered, 36 participants (11.72%) would not accept it, while 181 respondents (58.96%) would. Those who would accept the first offer (5000 Rials) were offered a higher fee of 15000 Rials, 37 of whom (12.06%) would not accept it, while 53 (17.26%) would. A total of 88% of the respondents were willing to pay for a visit. The results obtained from the estimation of the model using logistic regression demonstrated that the variables age, travel expenses, academic degree, family size, income, and level of satisfaction had significant effects on the willingness to pay, whereas the variable payment experience exhibited no significant effect. Another finding of the study was that the entertainment value of Zrebar Lake, represented by the average expected value (WTP), was 5712 Rials per visitor.
Urban Economy
E S; M P; M R
Volume 3, Issue 12 , November 2014, , Pages 87-101
Abstract
The Holy Shrine of Imam Reza (the eighth Shia Imam), located in the historical and foremost central part of Mashhad, has been the main factor in Mashhad’s developments, physical spread, economic and population growth. The large public investments and the greater tendency for investors in the peripheral ...
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The Holy Shrine of Imam Reza (the eighth Shia Imam), located in the historical and foremost central part of Mashhad, has been the main factor in Mashhad’s developments, physical spread, economic and population growth. The large public investments and the greater tendency for investors in the peripheral region surrounding Imam Reza’s holy shrine, called Samen region, lead the shrine complex to be one of the most superb and glorious tomb complexes in the world. In fact, the specific characteristics of the region cause it to attract many tourists and pilgrims and as a result attract many investors, generating high income. The consequences of large private and public developments and many investment opportunities can be seen in the shape and form of the region and even the whole of the city. To study the form and shape of a city or a city region, various factors including social, physical, environmental, economic factors should be considered. Because of the religious and spiritual nature of Samen region, the religious forces have had important roles in its directions of development. In addition, having high value investment opportunities for public and private investors, economic forces have also greatly interfered in the urban development of the area. Thus, amongst the factors describing urban shape and form, the two factors of religion (spirituality) and economy (materialism) have had the largest impact on the Samen region of Mashhad. This paper aims to find the role of spiritual and materialistic values in the shape and form of Samen region since 1920 (the first Pahlavi era). In fact, it is supposed that the convergence of spiritual and materialistic forces in Samen region have considerably influenced Samen’s physical structure. These forces which appear to be naturally in conflict have made the final shape of Samen region a contrast to the identity and needs of local and former residents. Therefore, it tries to find the religious and economic values in Samen region and assess how the values interact with each other. First, the effect of spiritual and sacred values as well as economic and materialistic values on the form and shapes of cities, in particular holy cities, were investigated. Second, urban changes (changes in city shape and form) in Samen region were analysed according to spiritual and materialistic factors. The research methodology used was qualitative descriptive analysis in order to obtain answers to the research questions. In addition, to prove the claims, it used existing documents concerning Astan Ghods and various trustees of Imam Reza holy shrine in the current century. Moreover, the new urban development plan, related publications, historical maps and pictures were used to describe the changes in urban form and shape. The results show that these two factors as conflicting forces have had enormous influence on the urban physical and land use changes in Samen region. Thus, the final urban shape and form of Samen region is the result of these two continual opposing forces. Finally, the competition square used for shows, exponential growth of magnificent courtyards and glorious buildings of the holy shrine complex, splendid commercial and high-rise residential buildings surrounding the complex have led to the retreat and exclusion of former tradespeople, residents and entrepreneurs of the region, in particular low-income and medium-income groups of citizens.
Urban Planning
zohreh Fanni; jamshid moludi; kh. faraji rad
Volume 2, Issue 6 , June 2013, , Pages 17-30
Urban Planning
Volume 1, Issue 3 , August 2012, , Pages 34-43
Abstract
Supply of suitable housing depends on market conditions, demand rate for it and government policies for allocation of space and facilities. In the worldwide, housing is an important determinant of quality of life. This paper has studied different ways of housing supply by governments in the world such ...
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Supply of suitable housing depends on market conditions, demand rate for it and government policies for allocation of space and facilities. In the worldwide, housing is an important determinant of quality of life. This paper has studied different ways of housing supply by governments in the world such as rent control, selective and subsidy housing, public housing, site and services approach, demolition and renovation, and enabling. This article is an applied research and its methodology is descriptive – analytical. We used the national socioeconomic and cultural development plans and the statistical data of the related organizations and analyzed housing sector of Iran considering the quantitative and qualitative goals and macro strategies. Based on our results and findings, First Plan has considered density of household in housing unit but has not cared about the organizing of informal settlements, worn tissues and increasing of building density. The Second Plan was concerned with worn tissues, increase of density and its main problem was increasing the individual housing. The Third plan has given special attention to low-income groups and its main challenge was paying not enough attention to the relationship between public and private purposes. The Fourth Plan has considered organizing of worn tissues and low-income housing (Mehr housing) that was an effective step towards social justice and supply of housing for low-income households. Finally, the Fifth Plan was prepared with emphasis on the goals of the Fourth Plan, patterns of Iranian- Islamic, Mehr housing, organizing of worn tissues and informal settlements and sustainable development.
Urban Planning
Volume 1, Issue 3 , August 2012, , Pages 44-49
Abstract
The paper tries to describe the role of municipal toll on house price in Mashhad City. The methodology adopted was analytical-descriptive to study the impact of municipality toll with emphasis on the effect of excess density franchising toll on house price. The study area is district 11 of Mashhad municipality ...
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The paper tries to describe the role of municipal toll on house price in Mashhad City. The methodology adopted was analytical-descriptive to study the impact of municipality toll with emphasis on the effect of excess density franchising toll on house price. The study area is district 11 of Mashhad municipality zones. The data required were gathered through literature survey, obtaining information from the district municipality, referring to websites and real estate centers, Mashhad City Urban Integrated System website, field works, and sampling. 250 samples were selected and analyzed using linear regression model through SPSS (Version 18). Our findings indicated that surplus density tax increases the price of new houses through increasing the cost of housing by 10 percent. Pearson correlation coefficient (r = 0.882) confirms that there is a positive and significant relation between price of new houses and surplus density tax. Therefore, it is proposed that the revenue system of municipality be based on stable financial resources. Moreover, it is necessary to reduce the tax on house construction and mutually the tax on house taking should be raised.
Urban Planning
Volume 1, Issue 3 , August 2012, , Pages 58-67
Abstract
According to the world tourism organization, tourism industry is one of the most important economic activities around the world. Although world tourism industry has grown considerably compared with other industries, but nowadays it is faced different touristic region competition. The objective of this ...
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According to the world tourism organization, tourism industry is one of the most important economic activities around the world. Although world tourism industry has grown considerably compared with other industries, but nowadays it is faced different touristic region competition. The objective of this study was to evaluate the attractiveness and competitiveness of Mashhad Koohsangi Touristic Park using Tourism Destination Competitiveness and Attractiveness (TDCA) model. This park has many historical and cultural heritages, where many recreational facilities have been established recently. Data required were collected by means of filling questionnaire based on TDCA model. 241 tourists were randomly selected suring September 2009 as the sample population. Validity of data was confirmed by Chronbakh alpha value, which was 0.88. Data collected were analyzed based on the model using linear regression. Our findings shows that the area has suitable conditions from the viewpoint of attractiveness but it is faced with lack of competitiveness, which is the result of low attention to this issue in tourism planning in the area. It is obvious that authorities are not so free providing more attractive services to increase the competitiveness of site. They are faced to some limitations due to urban and residential situation of site. Therefore, at the moment in addition to the protection of existing attractiveness, applying incentive factors to increase competitiveness of area is the central requirement of tourism development planning in the area.
Urban Planning
Volume 1, Issue 2 , June 2012, , Pages 41-56
Abstract
Dealing with major challenges that many of the regions in Iran are faced with that, it is necessary to analyze the capacity of regional institutions and enforce their abilities. This article, therefore, tries to assess institutional capacity in the studied regions to demonstrate their institutional capacity. ...
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Dealing with major challenges that many of the regions in Iran are faced with that, it is necessary to analyze the capacity of regional institutions and enforce their abilities. This article, therefore, tries to assess institutional capacity in the studied regions to demonstrate their institutional capacity. The article, also, aims to respond to this fundamental question: what are the appropriate strategies to enforce institutional capacity in Boukan and Orumiyeh counties? In order to reach the above aim and also answer the posed question, the surveying method is used. The paper also applies the strategic planning framework to determine appropriate strategies to enforce institutional capacity in the studied regions. The results demonstrate low institutional capacity in Boukan (by the average 2.46 out of 5). The results also demonstrate medium institutional capacity in Orumiyeh (by the average 3.04 out of 5). The appropriate strategies also include creating legal mechanisms to improve the relationship between institutions, improving the circumstance and necessary and appropriate legal arrangements to improve the performance of institutions, providing the necessary circumstance to enhance the accordance of the national and provincial regulations with their regional counterparts, enhancing the role of technical committees, devolution of the local affairs to local institutions, creating a legal context for cooperation of existing institutions in regional governing process, improving institutions’ access to knowledge and learning resources, paying attention to viewpoints and wills of local people, and enhancing the institutional abilities.
Urban Planning
Volume 1, Issue 2 , June 2012, , Pages 7-21
Urban Planning
Volume 1, Issue 4 , March 2012, , Pages 13-22
Abstract
Considering tourists’ viewpoints and motives for traveling to a given tourism destination is very important in terms of its significance on tourism developmental planning and marketing. Influenced by their motives, tourists have different expectations of travel products; so their motives are very ...
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Considering tourists’ viewpoints and motives for traveling to a given tourism destination is very important in terms of its significance on tourism developmental planning and marketing. Influenced by their motives, tourists have different expectations of travel products; so their motives are very significant in determining developmental strategies and also in making the planners and policy makers aware of the major tourism destinations and their characteristics. Accordingly, the present study aimed to identify the tourists’ motives in order to attain a suitable pattern for marketing and providing developmental strategies for the products in Mahallat, Iran. With respect to the importance of effective factors in tourists’ motives, the impact of gender and income were considered. To test the hypothesis, the results of 185 questionnaires were analyzed through factor analysis, t-test, and ANOVA. The results of the analyses indicated that tourists’ motives can be classified into four categories - that accounted for 58.1% of the total variance. Examining the presumed concepts of the first factor (tranquility-recreation) by 15.8% of the total variance suggested tourists’ inclination for spiritual peace, being away from the worries of work and life, visiting the family and friends, enjoying the hobbies and exciting entertainments and the weather in Mahallat. Therefore, with these factors in mind, planning tourism activities must be based on the development of entertainment facilities. The second factor is the "ecotourism" accounted for 15.54% of the total variance. In this case, the tourists’ inclination to use the recreational space of Sarcheshmeh Park was to see and enjoy the natural scenery, visiting the flowers and plants, and having fun. In brief, these two factors represent a perspective of the attitudes of the respondents that is the most common one among them. In other words, most tourists visit Mahallat with recreation and ecotourism motives. In this regard, the infrastructure and facilities planning activities should focus more on these two motives. The third and fourth factors presumed as "historic - investigatory" and "pilgrimage - culture" respectively, accounted for 13.86% and 12.88% of the total variance. The mean of tourists’ viewpoints in response to the items related to the above mentioned factors revealed the importance of more consideration and planning in relevant areas with these motives. Among these, peace-recreation factor won the highest percentage of variance. Hypothesis test results also indicated significant difference between income and tourist motivation. Regarding to the fact that Mahallat has numerous ancient historical works and arts related to various historical periods, it needs the development of required tourism infrastructure.
Urban Planning
Alireza Mohammadi; Mozafar Sarafi; Jamileh Tavakoli Nia
Volume 1, Issue 1 , March 2012, , Pages 23-39
Abstract
This paper begins with definition and classification of Advanced producer services (APS), continuing from a geographical point of view, emphasizes on spatial behavior of APS within Tehran Municipality regions. To determine the meta-national placement of Tehran metropolis within the world cities network, ...
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This paper begins with definition and classification of Advanced producer services (APS), continuing from a geographical point of view, emphasizes on spatial behavior of APS within Tehran Municipality regions. To determine the meta-national placement of Tehran metropolis within the world cities network, the corporate geography of APS analyzes Tehran consisted of 22 municipal areas. The analysis of data collected from 200 firms out of 2000, including questionnaire, interviews and published documents reveal the following findings: First, Tehran is a national command and control center of APS sector in Iran. Second; Tehran has a very weak status in connection with World Cities Network by means of APS functions and it is not a world city yet. Finally, from the spatial organization point of view, APS has formed a new geography of corporate economy-based during the last two decadesin Tehran (i.e., 'Tehran Corporate Services District'), which is different from the conventional CBD of the city.
Urban Economy
Volume 1, Issue 4 , March 2012, , Pages 41-54
Abstract
The functionality and efficiency of urban development plans in Iran is not satisfying for urban authorities, experts, and people. Confronting the issue of property rights is one of the major reasons for the inefficiency of these plans in a society, where the right is recognized officially by regulations. ...
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The functionality and efficiency of urban development plans in Iran is not satisfying for urban authorities, experts, and people. Confronting the issue of property rights is one of the major reasons for the inefficiency of these plans in a society, where the right is recognized officially by regulations. These plans are restrictive and passive and are not capable of interaction with their production values, and they seem like a tool for violating the people’s rights in action. Market-Oriented Planning (MOP) is one of the latest approaches dealing with urban issues, which relies on the entrepreneurial values of urban spaces and achieving the development objectives by establishing a link among production values of plan and the two old enemies; Market and Planning. The concept of introducing “Transfer of Development Rights (TDR)” in urban development plans' frameworks is a new method, which can contribute to more successful implementation of these plans in Iran. This happens through establishing an internal connection between tools and development objectives, as origins and purposes of transfer of development rights. It is crucial to have an exact accuracy in designing and improvement in urban management and in ongoing monitoring of the results. If the concept of TDR be integrated in urban development plans framework, such as comprehensive and detailed plans, the implementation of urban development plans' objectives could be more reachable and that is because this technique establishes a connection between property rights and land use plan, and creates an interaction between development and value preservation. Considering the results of the proposed transfer of development rights plan in Kashan city, development rights are transferred from sending areas, where conservation objectives and developments origins are required, to receiving areas as our development purposes. The sending areas in Kashan city are divided into two major categories; the first category includes special valuable lands, which are agricultural, historical and architectural values, precious natural resources, or having a perfect landscape respectively. The second category is related to propose lands for public services in land use plan. Receiving areas in this city are lands, where there is a good demand of developing from the market, and additionally considering the high potential of development, existence of essential infrastructure and enough interests for investment of developers, which are proposed for the future development of Kashan City from the urban planners. Based on the mentioned criteria these areas are located in three regions of Naji-Abad, Fin, and Shahed. Accordingly, in addition to considering the social justice and preserving the valuable lands and buildings of the city, the future development of the city will also be planned and directed. The ratio between development right and overall ownership right is 35 to 65 percent and the baseline development right density is 120 percent in Kashan City.
