One of the important aspects of development from the spatial perspective is the evaluation of the effective long-term processes on the institutional mechanisms of a land and the determination of share of the respective areas in this regard. For many years, economy has been hurriedly moving toward a knowledge-based stance, and the countries that have neglected this movement have been deprived of fundamental developments. In this applied study, which adopts an analytical approach and a quantitative view, the necessity of the proposition of a strategic attitude to the two-way relationship between higher education and the industry sector of Iran is addressed. To this end, first an overview of the previous studies and theoretical principles are made. Then, following the questions and hypotheses and determining the evaluation and analysis methods, the detailed information on over 11 variables (including panel data of 31 provinces of Iran from 2016 to 2019) are collected. These are then analyzed and tested using Excel, Eviews, and Arc GIS through spatial econometrics, generalized method of moments (GMM), weight matrix and geographic-spatial correlation (λ), and KP-HET diagnostic tests. According to the results, the spatial correlation between higher education and industry in Iran is highly significant, and the shock resulting from the industrial and educational development is completely mutual. That is to say, the shock inflicted upon a given province has spread to other provinces of Iran. The findings of this study confirm the effects of the emphasis on the centralization policy stereotype and the prescriptive – rather than land-use-based – roles given to certain parts of Iran. In fact, the very high spatial correlation demonstrates that the nine less-developed provinces of Iran have experienced trivial industrial growth due to a lack of higher education infrastructure. On the other hand, the results of this study shows how the market demand for labor of the university graduates is aligned with the functions of the knowledge-based industries of Iran.

The increasing population growth along with human activities has led to the booming of waste production.  The selection of inappropriate landfill sites contributes to the increased potential of underground pollutions. The purpose of this study was to zone the underground water vulnerabilities of Karun County in Khuzestan Province to select the optimal landfill site, so that a site with the least vulnerability of aquifer would be selected for waste disposal. Two models were used to zone the aquifer pollution potential, namely GODS and SINTACS. After preparing the vulnerability maps of the two models in GIS software, the appropriateness levels of the sites for waste disposal were prioritized. The results of SINTACS model demonstrated the following vulnerability statistics: 455.22 hectares have no vulnerability potential, 780.84 hectares very low vulnerability, 3281.31 hectares low vulnerability, 12582.4 hectares low to medium vulnerability, 11169.9 hectares medium to high vulnerability, 9449.6 hecaters high vulnerability, 5844.15 hectares very high vulnerability, and 495.72 hectares totally at vulnerability risk. Moreover, in GODS model, nearly 215.576 hectares have negligible vulnerability, 560.544 hectares low vulnerability, 5169.08 hectares medium vulnerability, 37471.9 hectares high vulnerability, and 641.9 hectares very high vulnerability. In both models, the least vulnerable zones comprise a small part of the area (1.03 percent in SINTACS and 0.49 percent in GODS model). This level can be selected as the optimal landfill site (rank 1), while other zones are ranked lower due to their higher aquifer vulnerability levels.

Using a spatial information system to manage real estate data has two advantages: one is the storage of valuable data using a real-world spatial index, and the other is the ability to analyze and visualize this data in a new way by collecting numerous information sources. In this research, using the Survey Analyst extension and the Cadastral Editor tool of ARC GIS software, a property registration map (cadastre) of an area of Kerman city has been prepared as an example. First, the required maps were collected, and then the geo-database of the study parcels of the studied area and their topology were designed. In the next step, the Cadastral Fabric Dataset Layer was created, which is the starting point for working with data related to parcels. By transferring parcels to Cadastral fabric, they can be edited or even drawn as a new parcel. In addition, by entering the descriptive information of each parcel, such as owner’s name, type of use, cadastral ID, number of floors, etc., the specifications of each plot of land (parcel) can be accessed. Then, the Automatic Parcels Division tool was implemented as a tool in GIS for automatic division of land plots. This tool has the ability to automatically separate parcels based on shape, size, and direction. This tool can perform divisions visually and statistically very similar to real-world divisions.

One of the pillars of spatial planning is determining the role and function of regions based on their competitive advantages. By developing innovative infrastructure that supports production, regional competitiveness improves regional efficiency and forms a network of complementary and reciprocal relations between regions, which ultimately leads to the capital attraction, value creation, and integrated regional development. In this regard, the present study aims at identifying the creative regions of Iran and determining the competitive advantages of those regions. This study is explanatory applied in terms of purpose and descriptive-analytical in terms of methodology. Derived from the document analysis of secondary sources, quantitative data was used to analyze both creativity and competitiveness. The data used to identify creative regions included the number of scientific and research centers and companies, consulting engineers, the industries with high and medium technology, employees in the manufacturing sectors, and the university students of the provinces of Iran. Moreover, the number of employees in major activity groups was used to determine competitiveness. Factor analysis and cluster analysis were performed to identify creative regions, while correspondence analysis was performed to determine competitive advantages in SPSS software. The results show that the provinces of Tehran, East Azerbaijan, Isfahan, Khuzestan, Fars, Kerman, and Mazandaran have the knowledge infrastructure capacity required for creative regions. Isfahan’s share of construction is 11.1 percent, while Tehran’s share of information is 41.2 percent. The interpretation of angles smaller than 0.2 between correspondence analysis vectors reveals that Tehran and Isfahan provinces have competitive advantage in information and communication and manufacturing, respectively. It was also found that most regions of the Iran do not have a specialized role and the competitive advantages of the provinces are not supported by the knowledge infrastructure of the regions.

Distribution of production activities and establishment of industrial units in different regions depend on the decision of firms regarding their location, but there are many important factors that affect the decision-making process. This research main goal is to understand the relationship between industry specialization, diversity of industries, competition between industries, and the concentration of industries over time. The research method is quantitative and follows the method employed by Glaeser et al. (1992). The effect of specialization, relative diversity of industries and competition between industries on industrial concentration have been investigated using geographically weighted regression method. The result of this assessment shows that during the study period with the increasing specialization of industries in the county, in most industrial sectors, increasing industry concentration has occurred. But between the relative diversity of industries and industrial competitiveness and the geographic concentration of industries no significant relationship in the counties was observed.

One of the important strategies that have been taken into consideration in the last half-century to counter regional imbalances, caused by the increasing growth of large cities, is the creation of small cities. Due to the availability of some facilities and services, small cities are considered as one of the important centers for bringing balance to regional development. The method of the present research is a descriptive-analytical one, and the purpose of this research is to study the status of changes in the urban system of the small cities of Alborz province in order to bring balance to the regional sustainable development. In order to find out the status of small cities in the urban system in a 30-year period (1986-2016), rank-size models, as well as entropy and balance sheets models were used, and then their role in bringing balance to the regional development was evaluated. The results of the study show that the Entropy coefficient without counting the small towns, will still have imbalances. The rank-size logarithmic model, by counting small cities with the slope of the line amounting to -1.94 and without counting small cities reduced to -1.21, indicating the undeniable role of small cities in the urban system. Also, the results of the balance sheet model show that component changes are mainly intra-class and are due to the growth of cities. Moreover, concerning the process of changing villages to cities, changes resulted from the formation of new cities can be seen only in 2006.

Relationships between urban network cities are shaped by demographic trends and the factors affecting it. This research, using two concepts of occupation distribution and urban network, seeks to study the effective factors in the occurrence and intensification of inequalities in the Isfahan city spatial network. In the same way, the changes and transformation of the Isfahan network (including 37 cities of Isfahan approved by City-Region Plan) are considered by employment indicators as well as distance between cities, using network mapping in social network analysis software (Gephi) in three periods: 1996, 2006, 2016. The research method is applied in terms of purpose and application. The data were gathered through library studies and review of documents. The data analysis method is also quantitative. For employment at any time, a separate network is mapped and analyzed. The results indicate that in Isfahan city network at the time of research, demographic changes in populated cities and low population centers do not directly correlate with the shift of employment in the urban network, while there is a direct relationship between cities with a moderate population and the flow of employment. In addition, the metropolis of Isfahan, with a significant percentage of facilities, resources, financial flows, political power, and population flows, does not have decent employment flows rank in urban network cities.

Due to the consequences of globalization, regional development, which has always been highly important in macro planning, requires new approaches that are flexible about regional change. Among these consequences is the emergence of powerful regional economies with high GDP that have drawn the attention of many planners to the concept of competitiveness. Using recently proposed approaches and the important aspects of the global economy, this study set out to explore this concept at the area level. The purpose of this study was to analyze movements and structural-functional relationships in order to develop a local pattern of clusters in Tehran province. This study was a developmental-applied research project in terms of purpose and an analytic-descriptive one in terms of methodology. The data collection was based on document analysis and library studies and the data was collected through note taking, available statistics, and documenting. Data analysis was carried out using cluster analysis and specialized index methods, and the results were used in identifying activity clusters after examining the natural capability of each county. The results of the analysis show that the pattern of activity in Tehran province is the metropolis-dominated cluster pattern, and the counties which are located in the province can be identified in the form of 5 regional-local clusters. The above mentioned clusters of activities can provide the basis for regional development in Tehran province by joint and purposeful planning based on the priorities offered in this article.

Balancing the Spatial structure and determining the future urban network are the fundamental missions of spatial planning. As the main organizing elements of space, cities are organized within the urban network form. Urban network is assessed based on the agreement between form and function dimensions. The effectiveness of various models can be investigated through an analysis of their relationships. Accordingly, the study at hand has been carried out to analyze the urban morphology in order to accord the morphological and functional dimensions of Hormozgan province urban network. The study is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive-analytical in terms of methodology. The analytic indices of the study for Hormozgan province urban network morphology include road network, the distance between settlements, urban population, and types of services. The analytic instrument for the attainment of the purpose of the study is the Inward Distance Weighted (IDW) model within ARC GIS 10-4 software. The obtained results show that Hormozgan province urban network morphology follows four patterns, namely mono-centric, polycentric, linear and isolated. The location of these patterns in the province indicates the relationship between the location and the network morphology. As the large cities of the province are located near the sea, the mono-centric and polycentric patterns have been formed under the influence of the sea factor. However, the isolated and linear patterns are located in both the islands of the province and the mountainous areas or intermountain plateaus. Ultimately, the study shows that the lack of agreement between the form and the function weakens the connection and interaction of the interconnected areas. This lack of agreement reduces the fulfillment of the urban network’s use of neighboring opportunities and decreases the network effectiveness.

Residential and employment attractions urge the population to reside in regions with appropriate potentials for development. The metropolitan regions of Iran have been attractive centers for the population; this attractiveness resulted in some changes in different spatial patterns. The present research examines the effect of spatial-physical, and demographic variables on metropolitan regions of Iran in order to achieve suitable planning for future spatial development of Iran. The objective of the study is to analyze correlation, centralization, and uniformity of distribution and composition of spatial patterns of development in the metropolitan regions. To do this, Shannon entropy, spatial Gini coefficient, spatial density index, and Kriging Estimator were employed. The results showed a trend that dictates on a decrease in concentration in metropolitan regions, which has manifested in different spatial patterns. In Tehran metropolitan region, the trend of development goes into polycentric with sprawl in the peri-urban and rural area. According to the development trend of population centers in Tehran, it can be said that at the same time of concentrated centralization, other settlements have played an effective role in the spatial structure of this metropolitan area, and strong road network has led to the formation of such pattern.  In Isfahan metropolitan region, the spatial structure has changed into concentration. This has happened with an unbalanced distribution to a radial pattern. While Mashhad metropolitan region has a monocentric linear pattern, Shiraz shows a monocentric and sprawl in the periphery. This can be attributed to the small growth of settlements compared to the metropolis.