The present study uses a structural analysis method to seek out the most likely scenarios for the development of Alborz province on the horizon of 2032. The required data and information for the research have been collected through a territorial development study (Survey Questionnaire) as well as expert interviews within the framework of the Delphi model. The statistical samples of the study were 30 employees of relevant institutions and urban-regional researchers. For data analysis, MICMAC software has been used to analyze the interactions of variables, and Morphol software has been used to compile scenarios. Finally, the results showed that the issue of water resources and drought, and the issue of the destruction of gardens of the province are due to the irregularity of construction. Similarly, the issue of industrial production, environmental pollution increase, and the burnout of factories in the horizon of 2032, with three replications of the catastrophe scenario in the developed scenarios are three serious and major threats for the development of Alborz province up to the horizon of 2032. Nonetheless, the capability of being at the neighborhood of Tehran province and the use of demographic, economic, and other capacities of Tehran province in all three scenarios were identified as the desirable scenarios. Also, in each of the three scenarios, the capabilities of the "big and strategic industries" and "province tourism" were identified as the most intermediate scenarios, which indicates the importance of these three capabilities in the development of the province in the horizon of 2032.

Ports in most parts of the world play a great role in creating integrity between the prosperous of the regions and balancing the supply chain (production, distribution, and consumption). This article is to analyze the spatial interaction between the southern ports of Iran and local-regional hinterlands and explain the role of ports in shaping the spatial structure. For this purpose, a network analysis of commodity flows method is used in 1996, 2006 and 2015. The findings indicate that southern Iran's ports are often the importer of consumer goods in the populated centers, located in regional hinterlands, and, at best, have exported energy sources and raw materials. While urban centers, located in local hinterlands, do not play an effective role in the production and delivery of goods to ports, they are often dependent on the regional center (Shiraz) to meet their consumption needs. It revealed that although the process of spatial inequality has been moving towards greater balance over the past two decades, the development of medium-sized ports and local nodes in the contiguous hinterlands and forelands has led to a balanced monocentric spatial structure in this region.

By predicting land use changes, the extent of the expansion and destruction of resources can be determined, and future policies can be pushed in the right direction. The aim of this study is modeling the land use changes process in Mashhad by using Landsat satellite images related to 1989, 2008, and 2014. Initially, based on the hybrid method (unsupervised and supervised classification combination), land uses were classified into six classes. Then, by using the Markov chain, the transmission matrix between 1989 and 2008 was calculated and by applying it in the Markov-CA model, the land use map for 2014 was predicted. In the following, the predicted land use map for 2014 with the actual 2014 land use map was compared with the Crosstab table, and the total Kappa coefficient was 0.91. Accordingly, the accuracy of the predicted Markov-CA model was confirmed. Finally, this model was used to predict land use in 2030. Therefore, by entering the 2014 reference map as the base map, the 2030 land use map prediction map was extracted. The results showed that from 1998 to 2030 there will be an increasing trend in urban and arid lands and a decreasing trend in agricultural lands and gardens. The results indicate that the Markov-CA model can contribute to the design of a sustainable urban system.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the situation in Qom and its regions in terms of the water poverty index, which identifies the zonal differences and the dimensions and strengths and weaknesses of each. The basis for determining the Water Poverty Index is the Sullivan method, which is a weight linear combination of components (resources, costs, environment, capacity, and access). The required data were collected through related organizations and analyzed in the framework of this method. There is a difference between the five sections of the county in terms of poverty. Weakness in resources is a common feature among zones, which is significant in some zones and moderate in the others. Also, in terms of human capacity, almost all regions have a good status that can be regarded as a strength. Water consumption management, as the most important option, should be at the forefront of planning and considering the inability to expand water resources. Currently, more than twice as much of renewable water resources are being extracted. The best way to manage water poverty is to make optimal use of available resources and capacities and to focus on research principles, rather than the expansion of water resources in a variety of ways, which can increase the territorial imbalances, domestic disturbance, and lack of control on consumption and so on.