Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Associate Professor of Geography and Urban Planning, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran
2
Ph.D candidate in geography and urban planning, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran
Abstract
Introduction
In today’s world, cities are the main places for people to work and live. Urbanization, as one of the major phenomena of the contemporary era, is one of the important factors affecting the individual and social health of citizens and is the manifestation of a network of complex social relations and the shaper of many basic challenges in the lives of citizens. So, most of the big cities are facing problems such as ethnic segregation, deprivation and social and economic inequalities, health, welfare, and inequality in access to health, educational, recreational, etc. services. Today, various approaches such as ecological city, smart growth, livability, new urbanism, and urban prosperity have been proposed and used to face these conditions and solve these problems in the cities of the world. In 2012, the United Nations Human Settlements (UNHCR) proposed a new approach to urban development called urban prosperity, which is a social construct that applies to the realm of human action. Shokofa City is a comprehensive city that provides spaces for social interaction, recreation, economic and social development of vulnerable groups, and social cohesion by providing appropriate spaces and appropriate design. The goal of the United Nations is urban prosperity, access to inclusive and accessible safety, and green and public spaces, especially for women, children, the elderly, and disabled people. Applying the method of foresight in cities and modeling the stages of foresight in the field of urban problems can lead to the spread of the culture of foresight and its application in cities and be useful by encouraging participation in solving urban problems. In fact, the existence of such problems has provided the reasons for turning to the future research approach in urban planning. Therefore, by focusing on the theory of a flourishing city, a new chapter of urban space development is opened for planners, managers, etc. This initiative is a basic approach to realizing the path of sustainability at different hierarchical levels and global, national, regional, and local scales. Therefore, every city undergoes ups and downs in order to achieve prosperity. As a result, in recent years, efforts have been made to measure urban prosperity in different cities of the world. These measurements and comparisons have focused on the cities in relation to the five dimensions of urban prosperity, i.e., economic production and productivity, quality of life, justice, infrastructure, and environmental sustainability.
Behbahan, in the southeast of Khuzestan province, is one of the oldest cities in the province, with a population of 122 thousand people. It is the target community of the research with problems such as the rapid expansion of urbanization, change of unprincipled uses in the field of agricultural lands and gardens, infrastructure, Inadequate urban structures, excessive wear and tear of urban tissues, and incompatibility with other tissues, lack of proper access of citizens to urban services, scattered expansion of the city, air pollution and increase in service costs are faced. Despite these cases, it is necessary to use effective methods to advance innovative and flourishing goals.
Therefore, the present research aims to analyze and evaluate the indicators of urban prosperity in Behbahan City to answer the following questions:
1- What are the factors influencing the prosperity of Behbahan city?
2- Which driving force has the most and the most negligible impact on the prosperity of Behbahan city?
Materials and Methods
According to the research problem, the present research method is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive-analytical in terms of its nature and method. In this research, in order to create the theoretical foundations and obtain the required information in the field of urban prosperity indicators, documentary and library information was used as the method of collection. Data collection tools are interviews and questionnaires. In this research, the statistical population of the research is made up of city managers and academic experts with opinions in the field of urban planning. The selection criteria for managers and experts are theoretical mastery, practical experience, willingness, and ability to participate in research and access. Therefore, with the snowball sampling method, a number of 20 experts, consisting of experts with urban planning and future research expertise who are familiar with the research area In order to answer the impact of each factor on other factors were selected. In this connection, 41 variables obtained from interviews with experts are combined, and a set of variables affecting the future prosperity of Behbahan city in the five dimensions (productivity, infrastructure, quality of life, equality and social participation, and environmental sustainability) were extracted. Then, by applying the method of cross-effects analysis, the variables were analyzed through Mic Mac software, and finally, the key driving factors of urban prosperity were extracted.
Findings
General analysis of the system environment: Table No. (2) the result of the mutual effects of 41 drivers affecting the future state of prosperity of Behbahan City is based on the formation of a 41x41 matrix. The results of this table show the number of repetitions of 4 times and the filling degree of 91.07%, which indicates the great effect of the engines on each other. Out of the total of 1681 relationships that can be evaluated in the matrix, 150 relationships have a value of zero, 465 relationships with a value of 1 have a weak influence on each other, and 692 relationships with a value of 2 have relatively strong influencing relationships. In addition, 374 relationships have the number 3, and this means that the relationships of the key drivers are very large and have great influence. Due to the rapid expansion of urbanization, the city of Behbahan has problems such as changing unprincipled uses in the field of agricultural lands and gardens, inappropriate urban infrastructures, excessive wear and tear of urban textures, and lack of compatibility with other textures. Citizens are facing city services, scattered expansion of the city, air pollution, and increase in service costs. Also, the lack of proper and logical planning will turn this city into a city in the not-too-distant future where livability will be difficult. Among the 41 driving forces, nine driving forces are marketing and creating investment platforms, employment status, social equality, economic conditions, employment, and women’s participation, satisfaction with public security, economic equality, economic power, and housing quality, which have a key effect on the state of the prosperity of the city. These drivers are related to the dimensions of productivity, justice, and social participation, so they are considered the most effective and key drivers. Paying attention to these indicators is of particular importance to raising the level of urban prosperity in the city.
Conclusion
This research has been conducted with the aim of analyzing and evaluating the indicators of urban development in Behbahan. The findings of this research have shown that the general pattern of the distribution of flourishing drivers, in terms of the analysis of mutual effects, indicates the state of an almost stable environmental system. Among the 41 driving forces, nine drivers of investment platforms, employment status, social equality, economic conditions, employment and participation of women, satisfaction with public security, economic equality, economic power, and housing quality are among the key drivers affecting the future of the city’s prosperity, Behbahan. The analysis of these drivers has shown that the indicators of the employment situation, the creation of investment platforms, economic conditions, and economic strength are related to the productivity dimension and show the importance of this dimension of prosperity. Also, indicators of social equality, women’s employment and participation, and economic equality are related to the dimension of justice and social participation, and indicators of housing quality and satisfaction with public security are related to the dimension of the quality of life of the city.The findings of this research show that among the five dimensions of urban prosperity in Behbahan City, the dimensions of productivity, justice, social participation, and quality of life are of great importance, and the city’s trustees should pay special and more attention to these dimensions. The results obtained from this research, in accordance with the results of the research of Mohammadkhani et al. (1400), Barzegar et al. (1401), and Pitman et al. (2019), show the importance of urban prosperity as a transparent policy, balanced and coordinated development. In an environment, it indicates fairness and justice. In addition, the results of this research are in line with the research of Abbasi (1401) and Khazainejad (1400), which show that the issue of urban prosperity is a holistic and comprehensive approach to improve the level of collective happiness and guides cities towards a bright horizon from an economic point of view. It is considered social, political, and environmental indicators of urban prosperity, such as creating investment platforms in cities, economic and social equality, employment and social participation, and the quality of basic infrastructures, which are necessary for a city to achieve prosperity. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to all sectors and sub-sectors and their structure and to use effective methods to advance innovative and flourishing goals. Therefore, in order to achieve a logical process to achieve optimal and ideal conditions in the form of the concept of urban prosperity, it is necessary to pay attention to all Blooming dimensions are essential. The solutions to improve the prosperity indicators of Behbahan City according to the results obtained from the research are:
1- The attention of the trustees and city officials to the optimal distribution of uses, the improvement of the state of infrastructures, and the reduction of inequality in different levels of urban spaces.
2- Creating initiatives to increase the quality of urban services
3- Paying attention to the inefficient structures of the city in order to promote and improve the quality of life in them
4- Enhancing citizens’ participation in urban affairs for the creation of urban plans
5- Paying attention to the geographical situation of the city in carrying out urban development projects and plans
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