Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Master’s student, Department of Urban Planning, Faculty of Architecture, Urban Planning and Art, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran
2
Assistant Professor, Department of Urban Planning, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran
3
Master’s student, Department of Regional Planning, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Introduction
In the past few decades, the increase in population in cities, especially in Iranian cities, due to migration into cities has caused challenges such as poverty, inequality, and environmental problems. One of the proposed approaches is urban prosperity, which deals with these problems and improves citizens’ quality of life. Urban prosperity is a concept that focuses on improving the economic, social, environmental, and physical conditions of cities and helps cities enhance the well-being and quality of life of citizens by providing balanced services and creating sustainable infrastructure. The city of Urmia faces many challenges with the continuous increase in population and problems such as increasing service costs, neglecting old structures for improvement and renovation, lack of vitality in some areas, and inappropriate distribution of facilities in the city. If these problems are ignored and not dealt with, social, economic, and environmental issues will intensify, and an unfavorable situation will dominate the city. Region 4 of Urmia City is also one of the areas involved with these challenges due to its dilapidated fabric. Hence, the urban prosperity model as a new approach can assess the degree of realization of urban prosperity indicators in the localities of this region. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the degree of realization of urban prosperity indicators in Region 4 of Urmia City neighborhoods and evaluate their status in terms of the degree of urban prosperity.
Materials and Methods
This research is applied in terms of type and descriptiveـanalytical in terms of its method. The data has been collected using library studies, articles, and the field method through questionnaires collected from the residents of District 4. Using Cochran’s formula and an error level of 0/057, 300 questionnaires were distributed separately for 12 neighborhoods. The MEREC method (method based on the effects of removing criteria) was used to weigh the criteria, and data analysis was done using one of the new multiـcriteria decision-making methods called MARCOS. GIS software was also used to prepare maps. After conducting comprehensive studies on urban prosperity, 18 general indicators of prosperity were extracted, and based on these indicators, the neighborhoods of Region 4 of Urmia City were prioritized.
Findings
The findings of this research show that the state of urban prosperity in the neighborhoods of Urmia Region 4 is diverse. Based on the MEREC and MARCOS methods, some localities are significantly better off than others, while others need to improve. The results of the analysis show that neighborhood (A5), located between Ataei, Vahdat, and Madani streets, has the highest level of urban prosperity, and neighborhood (A1) between Sheikh Shaltut and Shahrokhabad streets shows the lowest level of urban prosperity. Also, the neighborhoods do not have the same conditions in terms of urban prosperity indicators. Hence, 37.14% of the neighborhoods are in favorable condition, 34.64% are in semi-favorable condition, and 28.22% are in unfavorable condition. This distribution shows that some neighborhoods have reached good condition, but many regions still face significant problems regarding prosperity indicators. The main achievement of this research is prioritizing neighborhoods based on the level of prosperity and providing suggestions for improving neighborhoods with the lowest level of urban prosperity, starting this process from the level of weaker neighborhoods as a central approach.
Conclusion
The results of MEREC’s weighting method and MARCOS ranking show that neighborhood 1-2-4 (A5) with the highest score and neighborhood 1-1-4 (A1) with the lowest score have the highest and lowest prosperity, respectively. Also, according to the ranking of localities, the eastern localities (A1, A7, and A8) of Region 4 of Urmia have been selected as the worst. The localities located in the northwest of this region (A5, A6, and A11) have been chosen as the best in terms of matching with urban prosperity indicators. In other words, the localities of the eastern part of the studied area have an unfavorable condition, and the northwestern localities have a favorable condition. In other words, some neighborhoods have achieved high levels of prosperity, but others still need special attention and careful planning. Based on this, suggestions such as creating green spaces and parks in different parts of the region, promoting sustainable vehicles such as bicycles, lighting projects, and creating painted walls and urban signs to promote the prosperity of Region 4 have been presented.
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