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.

Land use in Shahre Rey has experienced unprecedented growth in urban areas in recent decades. Land use changes affect social, economic, and environmental conditions. Gathering information about these changes is essential for better planning and management of urban areas in sustainable development. Consequently, the object of this paper is to better examine the Shahre Rey land use changes affected by urban development and to investigate urban landscape integrity using the 1988-2018 "Fragmentation" index. Moreover, it was intended to provide solutions for the determination of hot spots based on appropriate criteria. With the help of Landsat satellite images, four land uses – including urban landscapes, agricultural lands, green spaces, and barren lands – were extracted and the extent of land use changes was determined. In order to investigate the fragmentation of Shahre Rey landscape, the metrics of the number of patches, patch density, and the largest patch were used. Cross-Tab was also used in a part of the study. The results showed that the land use areas of ​​urban lands and urban green space had increased by 369.7 and 55.6 hectares, respectively, while agricultural lands and barren lands had decreased by 213.8 and 211.5 hectares, respectively. In urban land use, integration had increased. In the green space and agriculture land uses, fragmentation has increased due to the creation and construction of roads. Based on the criteria of  "position relative to borders and roads as well as the area and size of patches,'' solutions were made to determine the "hot spots" of vegetation and residential areas to help making plans for the improvement of their conditions. The reason is that land use change, especially the loss of vegetation, has a negative impact on the landscape.

The goals of the present study were to analyze changes in land cover and to estimate a future scenario for 2028 using an artificial neural network in the Karaj Metropolis. To this end, the effects of land use changes in response to urban expansion on landscape patterns were investigated in three baseline, current, and future scenarios using landscape metrics and gradient analysis. The results showed that during a 22-year period, the agricultural and Garden lands have been severely damaged due to urban expansion. The results of the evaluation of changes in landscape also indicate that urban expansion in in development in the north-south transect to the margins (especially northward) and the east-west transect with a gentle slope to the west of the region. It is also anticipated that in the future scenario, if the current trend continues, the northern margin of Karaj metropolis will be changed from natural environment to a completely human-made one. Therefore, considering the results of the Pd and Ed metrics in both transects over the three examined years, it can be said that the area has expanded to the margin and there has not been much changes in the landscape of downtown. In addition, the decrease in the Pd and NP in all three scenarios indicates the consistency of urban landscape. In general, population growth and urban development have made the landscape pattern in Karaj metropolis to be a more regular and less varied one. The results indicate that spatial heterogeneity has altered the landscape patterns. Therefore, the growth of construction land in some areas should be restricted, and balanced development should be adopted to prevent the fragmentation of the landscape.

The habitat development and establishment are directly related to the natural bedrock and geomorphologic complications. Due to topographical and geological conditions, the area under study has certain limitations in locating and developing human settlements. In order to reduce the hazards in the southeast of Khorasan Razavi province and modify plans for the development and establishment of human settlements, the feasibility of the area under study for residential development was investigated. After conducting library and field studies and selecting appropriate criteria, the fuzzy logic model was applied using the GIS software to identify areas for habitat development and establishment. In this study, to identify the potential areas for habitat development and establishment based on geomorphologic landforms, eleven parameters – including slope, slope direction, elevation, soil, land use, elevation, distance from fault, distance from river, distance from road, distance from settlement, and geomorphology – were used as independent variables in identifying geomorphological abilities and bottlenecks in the area. The results of zoning based on the fuzzy model showed that about 61% of the study area is located in very inappropriate and inappropriate classes, which means that geomorphological conditions in this part of the study area are unfavorable for the development and establishment of human settlements. About 14.58% of the study area has moderate conditions and about 24% of the study area shows favorable geomorphological conditions for construction activities and creation of new habitat areas. Alluvial fan units and alluvial plains are the most suitable sites for habitat development and establishment.

Investigating the changes in groundwater aquifers in planning the sustainable management of water resources in each region is of particular importance. Therefore, reducing the level of groundwater aquifer changes requires proper management and planning to exploit water resources. In this study, the level of groundwater aquifer changes in Urmia Lake basin was examined for the period from 2002 to 2017 using GRACE satellite data (JPL, GFZ, CSR triple bands, CRI Filtered model, time and space filter, and Lew-Thiknth uncertainty dry product) in the Google Earth Engine. The results of the triple bands showed that the JPL band estimated the average level of groundwater aquifer changes on May 1, 2004 as 14.947 cm, while the GFZ band on estimated this as -30.558 cm on September 1, 2015 and the CSR band estimated this amount as -28.206 cm. Therefore, CRI Filtered model can very accurately identify the boundary between land and water zones. The results showed that this model estimated the maximum thickness of liquid water in the groundwater aquifer at March 31, 2002 as about 11.599 cm and its uncertainty at about 9.767 cm. It can be said that the least amount of thickness of liquid water is estimated on 13 August 2015 as 12.309 cm with an uncertainty level of 10.759 cm. According to the results, the level of groundwater change in aquifers in terms of liquid water thickness parameter (Lew-Thiknth) in the northern parts of the Urmia Lake basin and in terms of uncertainty in the northeastern part of the Urmia Lake basin is experiencing a strong decline in the aquifer water levels.