Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

• Roya Moghabeli ¹
• Alireza Mohammadi ²
• Mohammad Hassan Yazdani ³

¹ Department of Geography, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran

² Department of Geography and Urban Planning, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran

³ Department of Geography, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran.

Abstract

The growing prevalence of building violations in urban areas is not merely a matter of ignoring technical and legal regulations; it reflects deeper dysfunctions in land policy systems, inefficiencies in permit issuance processes, weak regulatory institutions, and legal loopholes in urban construction governance. In many Iranian cities, this issue has evolved into a structural challenge, contributing to the expansion of informal settlements, spatial disorganization, decreased urban environmental quality, and disruption of spatial order. Despite the expanding body of research, there is still a notable lack of data-driven and spatio-temporal analyses at the urban scale. This study aims to examine the typology, density, and spatial distribution patterns of building violations by analyzing 23,897 recorded cases submitted to the Article 100 Commission of Ardabil Municipality between 2021 and 2022. The research adopts a descriptive-analytical approach, employing Geographic Information System (GIS) tools for spatial analysis. Spatial clustering and directional trends were analyzed using the Average Nearest Neighbor (ANN) model, Standard Deviational Ellipse, and Kernel Density Estimation (KDE), and thematic maps were generated for each violation type. The results indicate that the three most frequent violation types were: "construction inconsistent with permit" (7,934 cases), "excess built area" (5,957 cases), and "construction without permit" (4,502 cases). Higher densities were observed in Municipal Districts 2 and 3, while District 4—despite its physical deprivation—showed lower reported violations, likely due to underreporting and lack of formal monitoring. Moreover, a reduction of 2,639 cases was observed in 2022 compared to 2021. The findings provide a foundation for rethinking control policies, improving oversight mechanisms, and promoting spatial technologies for ongoing monitoring of urban construction activities. The spatial analytical findings revealed that building violations were clustered and concentrated in the central areas of the city, with approximately one-fourth of the urban area identified as high-high clusters of violations.

Keywords

• Building violations
• Spatial analysis
• Geographic Information System (GIS)
• Article 100 Commission
• Urban management
• Ardabil city

Main Subjects

• Urban Planning