Nowadays, problems related to the environment, society, and identity of cities derives from their expansion and the increasing penetration of natural space by human-made space. Green spaces are deemed not only as a green patch at the disposal of the masses, but also as a factor for the improvement of citizens’ life. On the other hand, the destruction and removal of homogeneity and continuity of natural infrastructures and green networks threatens the biological diversity and brings about limitations for development. Therefore, continuity of the urban green spaces provides habitats and corridors that help the preservation of biological diversity. To develop green space networks, increase continuity, and revive biological diversity, urban planners have used landscape ecology principles. Adopting a descriptive-analytical method and review of the scientific resources, this study investigated landscape connections and their importance for the preservation of biological diversity. Maragheh city green space network was modeled in GIS according to Graph theory. Then, the ecologic continuity analysis was carried out through Conefor software along with Integral Continuity (IIC) measure and point picking algorithm, and the urban green patches were valuated. At the end, the potential corridors in Maragheh city were identified using the least cost method, which then developed and improved the green space networks. The results of this study reveal that the majority of the built corridors are located around the city like a green belt. The main reason for this is the positioning of the main habitats in the city outskirts. Moreover, the green space network developed based on Graph theory made the complex landscape simpler and more organized, and helped with the identification of green space and the guidance of urban planning for the protection of biological diversity.

The purpose of this study was to investigate and analyze the logistics spatial structure changes and to explain the objective factors affecting it in the Tehran metropolitan region during the period 1986-2011. The research method was descriptive-analytical, and in order to achieve the objectives of the research, three analytical methods – including indicators of number changes, growth rate, as well as the relative rate of changes in population density – employed in the logistics sector of each geographical area were used. On the other hand, analytical methods for measuring the degree of spatial concentration such as Gini coefficient and spatial autocorrelation as well as multiple regression analysis were used to estimate the correlation of effective factors with the spatial distribution of the employees working in the logistics sector (as the independent variable). The results of the analysis show that from 1986 to 2011, the spatial pattern of the logistics geographical distribution in the Tehran metropolitan region was centralized, consisting of the logistics cluster of Tehran metropolis. That is to say, tracking the process of spatial changes showed the decentralization of the population working in the logistics sector of Tehran metropolis and the concentration of this working population in the western and southwestern geographical areas surrounding the metropolis. From 1986 to 1996, among the objective factors affecting the logistics spatial patterns of metropolitan areas, the spatial distribution of the population working in the logistics sector had a higher correlation with the spatial distribution of population and labor force. That is to say, the higher the number and density of population and labor force in the geographical area, the higher the population working in the logistics sector. However, from 2006 to 2011, the spatial distribution of the population working in the logistics sector had a higher correlation with the spatial distribution of the population and the literacy rate.

The rundown urban buildings and old neighborhoods with ancient, valuable constructions are like the beating heart of the cities. Nonetheless, they have lost their social, cultural, and economic functions. Urban regeneration is an approach that intends to revive and modernize these rundown buildings and traditional neighborhoods. The purposeful effort to reinject life into these areas and provide conditions for the public presence and participation in its practical process are among the valuable objectives of this approach. The main question of this study revolves around the way to choose intelligently and purposefully the type of regeneration, the intelligent and purposeful selection of the development-inducing uses and project, and the examination of the purposeful effects of the urban development-inducing projects on the process of urban regeneration in Semnan neighborhoods intended for regeneration. This study adopted a descriptive-analytical research method. In order to rate and prioritize regeneration types, land uses, and development-inducing projects in the process of neighborhood regeneration, COPRAS model was used, while CCDS was used to weigh the criteria. In the document analysis part, the main documents in the urban regeneration and development-inducing arenas were examined. Moreover, in the field study section, three committees – comprised of the experts of urbanism and urban regeneration, urban designing, and social and architectural studies – were formed and tens of meetings with the managers and officials of Semnan districts along with urbanism representatives were held during which the development-inducing regeneration capacities in these neighborhoods were discussed and investigated. The results of COPRAS test showed that the development-inducing regeneration with touristic and recreational uses along with the opportunity- and value-making factors of tourist attraction as well as the increase in the international ranking of the city through the purposeful, development-inducing plan of designing and constructing sidewalks and making the central part of the neighborhood walking-oriented, and the development-inducing project of the walking zone of Imam street with the score of 0.739 from the top factor of the purposeful regeneration of Semnan, which needs a serious resolution and precise planning. The first rank in the purposeful regeneration of Dar al-Marhama neighborhood in Semnan is the development-inducing regeneration with the purposeful touristic and recreational use that will increase the position of the city in the competitive and macro environments of Iran and international space. Attracting Iranian and international tourists, changing the nature of the rundown buildings, and preparing the mental state of the citizen about tourism development, this regeneration plan will increase the international status of the Semnan city at the international level and will create urban opportunities and values.

Various spatial instances and outcomes can be shown for every social phenomenon in the urban arena, and this indicates the spatial behavior of social phenomena. The examination of suchlike phenomena from the viewpoint of correlation and synergy reveals the existence of an interactional pattern among them. In this article, it is tried to provide a brief description of the spatial distribution of variables related to social harms such as joblessness, addiction, etc., in the form of spatial statistical analysis. The research method is descriptive-analytical, and it can be categorized as an applied study. In terms of data collection method, the study adopted library research. In order to analyze the data, we used spatial statistics tests in ARC GIS. In the light of the spatial structure of the social class and the spatial pattern of the variance of the rich and poor areas of Tehran, it was found that poverty and dispersion are among the main stimuli of the concentration of various social harms in poor neighborhoods.

One of the environmental hazards and ecological crises that our world is facing now is the phenomenon of land use change. The timely and accurate detection of these changes and land features has an essential role in better understanding the relationships and interactions between human and natural phenomena in order to better manage and use natural resources using theoretical-analytical method. The present study examined and analyzed metrics related to a period of over 30 years. Sorkhabad Protected Area was selected as the target area. The TM-ETM_OLI image series of Landsat satellite in two periods were exploited to investigate the trend of changes using Envi software and the maximum probability classification method with 86% accuracy of information. Then, the available metrics in Fragstate software were used to process the data at three levels, namely patch, class, and landscape. Along with analyzing and evaluating these three levels, the changes in vegetation and animal distribution changes map – prepared by the Zanjan Environmental Research Center foresters in order to map the distribution of native animals of the province – was also examined. The results showed that the conversion of pasturelands into agricultural lands has caused the loss of soil and vegetation and has negatively affected the habitat and population of caracal and deer species that are dependent on these environments. Moreover, overgrazing and deforestation have reduced the growth of forestlands; this has led to the destruction of the habitat of leopard and brown bear, and these changes have also contributed to habitat destruction.

The intelligent managers of this era of constant changes and instability try to know opportunities, challenges, and variables effective on the system under their management so as to increase the possibility of their success. The managers of Yazd province – as one of the developed provinces of Iran – always try to step in the direction of sustainable growth and development by means of strategic planning, knowledge about the capacities of this province, and the management of the possible future challenges. The study at hand was carried out to attain this objective and to get a clearer image of the future of this province in order to identify the variables that are affective on the future of Yazd province. Moreover, conducting structural analysis through MICMAC method, it was tried to investigate the mutual effects of these variables on each other and identify the key drivers of what might form the future of this province. The important variables effective on the system were identified using library research, virtual space monitoring, surveying citizens, and future-related workshops. Variables were prioritized using importance and lack of certainty criteria. Then, the most important ones were fed into the direct effects matrix, and after completion with Delphi method, they were fed into MICMAC software. The outcome of the software was compared with the results of Dimtel method, and finally, the variables of the performance of organizations, balanced development, performance of land use plan, various types of tourism, and attention to water and environment were identified as the most effective variables in the formation of the future of the province.

The topic of climate change and the dangers that lie ahead is part of the debate in land management. The dynamics of global change and the sovereign approach of global governments have opened new perspectives on land management issues. One of the hidden challenges in this regard is the increasing risk of the occurrence of floods. The purpose of this study was to undertake metric or measurement model as a spatial basis unit to predict flood occurrence. In the present article, in line with using MikeUrban 2019 software, a wide range of tools and quantitative processing steps were used in accordance with the research objectives. In order to predict floods, the past incident factors were studied, namely a review of the principles and operational indicators related to each parcel using the OLI sensor images of Landsat 8 satellite in the year 2020 through the integrated interpretation method and an examination of the basic map of Ilam city in wet seasons (autumn, winter, and spring). Then, the city coverage map was prepared in two uses, i.e., False Color (Urban) and Land / Water. Next, Google Earth images were used to determine the accuracy and precision of the coverage maps. By combining four selected measures with the highest spatial correlation in 50 random points of the city, hexagonal measures with optimal areas were selected and spatial patterns were analyzed. According to the results, in the actual event (1), eight spatial measures with an area of ​​68 hectares and coverage of 1.5% of the entire city are at risk of flood. In events 0.8 and 0.9, 19 measures with an area of ​​170 hectares, 3.6% of the land use coverage of the area, are at potential risk. While there is a high correlation between flood event and type of measure, amount and direction of slope, as well as density and width of road network on one side and drainage network on the other side, in high events (1-8), 28 measures in the residential uses in the detailed design scale with an area of ​​76.5 hectares, barren and enclosed uses with an area of 70.55 hectares, roads network with an area of 29.75 hectares, and parks and green spaces with 17 hectares were identified as the uses targeted by the flood danger. Among all risky user groups, 29.5% were identified in the newly built group, 44.5% in the maintainable group, and 18% in the decayed urban environment group.

The number and population of metropolitan areas have increased significantly during the last century, and in line with the increase in population, improved communications, global trends, and other significant factors, there have been many changes in the spatial development of these areas. These changes are observed in metropolitan areas of Iran during the same period, but there have been a few studies on the changes of these areas in Iran. In this study, the urban land density (U.L.D) function was used to investigate the spatial development trend in Shiraz metropolitan area from 1996-2016. The results show that the Shiraz metropolitan area has experienced a decentralized and scattered spatial form from 1996 to 2016. The pattern of changes in the region's spatial development during the years 1996-2006 and 2006-2016 shows that spatial development has become more decentralized and scattered. According to demographic analysis, the highest population density in 2006, 2011, and 2016 can be seen in the central buffer zone of Shiraz metropolis. Based on directional distribution (standard distance), the population distribution has moved to the northwest of the region. In addition, when analyzing the population distribution pattern, the Moran statistics shows that the region population is distributed in clusters. In general, the decentralized and dispersed spatial form and the formation of population clusters in the region's development process show an imbalance in the region's spatial and demographic development. Some of the significant effects of this phenomenon are urban fragmentation, social segregation, car dependency, and the destruction of agricultural lands and gardens.

The assessment of the ecological potential of the environment is to determine and measure the potential power and the natural use type of the land. Therefore, the environment power assessment is a tool for the management of geographical space and strategic planning for sustainable development and correct use of land sources. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ecological potential of agricultural and rangeland use in Kangavar city with an area of ​​883.9 km2 using Makhdoom ecological model. To this end, the required data and ecological resources were collected and generated. After creating and combining the maps in the ArcGIS system in a multi-hybrid way, the maps of environmental units were constructed and the ecological potential of the area was evaluated using the features of each environmental unit. To do this, the indicators and variables that could be involved in each of these models were examined. To classify the ecological potential of the area for agricultural and rangeland uses and to produce the map of different classes potential, 15 parameters were used as criteria for weighting and measuring the power. The results of Kangavar city ecological potential assessment led to the extraction of 58 environmental units in 7 classes with completely suitable, suitable, weak, and unsuitable power classes for agricultural and rangeland use. An area of about 356.79 Km2 was found to have suitable and completely suitable power for agricultural use. In addition, it was estimated that an area of about 72.23 Km2 would be appropriate for rangeland and rainfed agricultural use with suitable power. An area of about 483.26 Km2 of Kangavar city is currently allocated to agricultural use, while the optimal area for this means is 356.79 Km2. Thus, the land use of an area of about 126.47 Km2 has been converted to agricultural purposes. According to the results, the lands of the region have been exploited more than their potential for agricultural use (irrigated and rainfed) and the lands with rangeland use have been changed to agricultural use.

Hospitals are among the most essential human services whose role in the health of the citizens is very important. One of the important issues related to hospitals in developed cities is determining the optimal location for their construction. In this study, in order to select the optimal hospital location, a combination of expert opinions, GIS, and MCDM was used. For this purpose, 12 criteria were selected for the spatial modeling of the potential areas of hospital establishment, and then the weight of each criterion was calculated using the weighting method of Analytic Network Process (ANP). Then, a map of the potential areas for the hospital establishment was prepared and 11 sites in the potential areas were selected. In the next step, the weight of each criterion was determined again using Criteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation (CRITIC) method. Then, by the integration of two weighting methods, i.e., ANP and CRITIC, with two MCDM methods, i.e., EDAS and VIKOR, these sites were ranked. The results of spatial modeling showed that the western half of the district is more suitable for the construction of a new hospital than the other areas. According to the results of the ANP, the distance from hospitals, and according to the results of the CRITIC, the seismic vulnerability were the most important criterions in determining the optimal hospital location. Based on the ranking results coming from CRITIC-EDAS, CRITIC-VIKOR, and ANP-EDAS, the site No. 1, and according to the ranking results of the ANP-VIKOR, the site No. 8 have been the most suitable places for the construction of a new hospital. In the light of the results of the site evaluations by experts, CRITIC-EDAS and CRITIC-VIKOR methods are more accurate for hospital location selection.