Urbanism in the world has had a great role in the formation of the concept of urban area. A high ratio of urban population resides in metropolitan areas, and the advancement of transportation and HSR network has changed the concept and dimensions of urban areas. As most of the analyses of urban area development through HSR has been limited to economic studies, this study set out to pay attention to the geographical concept of area and the effects of HSR as a strong policymaking tool in use. In this article, the systematic literature review based on keywords was used to extract the related articles from the most authoritative scientific websites, and then based on the evaluation of abstract, methods, and results sections of the articles, 75 papers published between 1938 to 2022 were selected as the sample. Then, attention was paid to the background and process of the evolution of attitudes and conceptualizations of urban area from the beginning till now. The metropolitan area is discussed based on analytical and normative approach at urban, regional, national, and global levels. With the connection of metropolitan centers to high speed access networks, polycentric development occurs. High speed rail (HSR) has the potential to help evolve the urban network, bring about urban area integrity, and develop new centers. The conceptual explanation of the strategy of creating polycentric metropolitan areas through the expansion of HSR can help expand the connect metropolitan areas, enhance integrity, create specialized cities, creatively use space organization plans, and solve part of the developmental issues.

Today, the expansion of urbanism has led to many problems for various countries in the world, especially developing countries. Iran is one of the developing countries that in recent years has faced numerous damages due to population increase, especially in urban areas. In recent years, countries in the world have tried to overcome the problems deriving from unsustainable urbanism via using sustainable urban development. Accordingly, the authors carried out this study to determine the similarities and differences among sustainability evaluation systems existing in developing and developed counties and explain the needs of developing countries, like Iran, to improve management of urban areas. Therefore, in the study at hand, the global urban sustainability indicators such as BREEAM Community، CASBEE-UD، GBI Township، LEED-ND، IGBC Green Townships، GRIHA-LD، Green Star, and IUSAF were examined and were compared with the intended system in Iran (IUSI). In this process, the similarities and differences of selected evaluation systems were compared with each other in terms of type and importance level of indicators. The obtained result showed that the urbanism challenges in various countries in the world are different based on the development level and environmental, social, economic, and geopolitical conditions. In addition, the most important indicators of urban development measurement in developed countries were identified as energy, resources and social welfare, smartening, and environment, while the prioritized indicators in the developing countries were determined to be planning and developing the society, managing infrastructure resources, transportation, local security and economy, employment, and – mostly importantly – access to healthy water. Moreover, the findings of this study indicate that via localization of the systems and indicators related to sustainability evaluation for every country, region, or province, a more precise evaluation can be attained. This can offer great assistance to future planning to advance the sustainable development goals.

Inevitably, inconsideration of the population evacuation of villages can have irreparable consequences for the human settlements. Analysis and identification of the qualities of this issue can greatly help planners and decisionmakers in the spatial planning domain to prevent full evacuation of population from rural settlements. The study at hand was an applied research project done using descriptive-analytical approach. The statistical population comprised of villages with less than 100 residents in Khorasan Razavi province from 1986 to 2016. Moran’s local spatial analysis was used to investigate the spatial dimensions, and arithmetic mean and skewed distribution were used to examine the direction and range of distribution. The results showed that in the 1986, 1996, 2006, and 2016 censuses, 92.2, 90.1, 94.8, and 79.9 percent of the villages evacuated in the previous decade have had lower than 100 residents. The results of Moran’s spatial autocorrelation analysis demonstrated that the distribution pattern of villages on the threshold of evacuation during these three decades is cluster-like. Moreover, the results of arithmetic mean and skewed distribution indicated that 68 percent of the villages that are on the threshold of population evacuation are within the oval domain, and except for the 1986-1996 period – when the distribution direction of villages on the threshold of evacuation has been northwest-southeast, the direct has been northeast-southwest from 1996 to 2016.

Due to the vast changes it brings about in the land use and land cover, the rapid expansion of cities has had many negative effects on the environmental quality at global level. Examples include air quality, increased temperature, changes in perspective, and the alteration of agricultural lands into barren lands that leads to the loss of biodiversity. Since land use changes happen at extensively, remote sensing technology is a necessary, efficient, and valuable means to monitor changes. In this study, the effect of land use changes on the temporal-spatial patterns of land surface temperature in the urban lands of Ilam city in a 30-year period (1990-2020) was examined using Landsat satellite images and simulation of changes using fuzzy ARTMAP neural network model. Landsat satellite sensors (TM, OLI, ETM) were used to investigate the longitudinal and spatial changes (LST) in Ilam city.  To provide the land use map, the pixel-based classification for all periods (1990-1995-2000-2005-2010-2015-2020) was applied using ENVI and Ecognitio software packs and then estimations were made using NDVI and LST models. The results showed that Ilam city ecosystem has moderate levels of NDVI. The average temperature of residential land use level in June is 35.8 degrees centigrade, and the temperatures of three land uses of horticulture, agriculture, and other uses (uncovered lands) were 32.22, 37.25, and 38.46, respectively, with the main lands with the minimum temperature being green highlands. In city, existence of high rise buildings and building shading, use of materials with less heat absorption such as Isogam, urban green space and furniture, and air pollution lead to lesser absorption of energy. On the other hand, the spatial distribution of NDVI was aligned with LSP values. The results regarding land use areas using fuzzy-neural network show that residential land uses has risen from 19.18 percent in 1990 to 39.35 percent in 2020, which shows the city expansion and development. On the other hand, the horticultural land use has declined from 8.64 in 1990 to 3.49 in 2020, which can be attributed to the development of urban space.

Many years have passed since the initiation and implementation of sustainable rural development projects in the country of Iran, however, rural communities in many regions of the country still face numerous challenges. In this regard, government planners and administrators have made efforts to address the issues and problems of rural areas by presenting new approaches. Accordingly, the current research aims to provide a different approach to rural development by critically and comparatively analyzing traditional approaches in rural development planning. Therefore, the present research is of a developmental type, and the research method is analytical-interpretive, with data collection primarily based on library and documentary research. The findings of the study indicate that the top-down approach based on the endogenous approach and sectoral planning still dominates the rural development system in Iran, and as a result, the desired development of rural communities nationwide has not been achieved. The results show that sustainable rural development can be facilitated at the national level by incorporating the characteristics of a territorial approach. This suggests that a proposal beyond agriculture should be based on the participation of all stakeholders, emphasizing the importance of social factors and rural institutions, and incorporating both agricultural and non-agricultural occupations, considering the interrelationships between agricultural, industrial, and service sectors, and most importantly, it should be inconsistent with a spatial perspective on urban-rural relations. Therefore, the process of rural development in the country would be economically rational, socially equitable, and environmentally responsible.

Spatial justice of uses, or in other words, fair, wise, and balanced distribution of urban uses is one of the most important issues of urban planning. The present study is research in terms of purpose and analytical in nature. The library information of this research is collected from books and articles. For the analysis, the per capita index of service users was used, which was calculated and obtained in the GIS software. The statistical population of the research is the eight districts of Qom City. This research has tried to analyze the Spatial justice of service uses in the eight districts of Qom City with the ORESTE technique, based on indicators that are service uses per capita. For this purpose, the indicators were first weighted using Shannon's entropy method, the highest weight was assigned to tourism, and the lowest weight was assigned to the park. After weighing, the ORESTE technique was performed, and Region 7 had the highest and Region 6 had the lowest amount per capita. Then, with the dispersion coefficient, the two-by-two distribution per capita of the service uses of the regions was calculated, and the results showed that regions 2 and 8 have the highest and regions 5 and 7 have the lowest spatial distribution of service uses. Also, with the Spearman correlation coefficient, the correlation between the population of each region and the per capita service users was calculated, which showed a negative correlation, which means that as the population increases, the service users per capita decreases.

The most obvious example of human activities on the land due to the increase in population and the need for development is land use changes, which lead to changes in the provision of ecosystem services. To that end, the present study was done with the aim of quantitatively evaluating the carbon storage capacity and habitat quality and showing their spatial distribution to achieve social-ecological stability, sustainable use of land resources, and develop appropriate plans and policies in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province. The modeling of selected ecosystem services was calculated using InVEST software models and the capacity to provide them in land use classes using Zonal Statistics analysis in a GIS software environment. The results indicated that high-value carbon storage areas are focused in areas with forest cover, which have strong carbon storage capacity and are the largest carbon sinks in ecosystems. Likewise, the highest habitat quality was also observed in these areas, and in places where the vegetation is fragmented and the surrounding environment is occupied by human threat sources, the quality of the habitat has decreased. Spatially, carbon storage and habitat quality Indicated a low-high-medium spatial distribution pattern from north to south. The maps of ecosystem service created in this study can be useful in identifying potential areas of carbon storage supply and habitat quality, and provide a scientific basis for further discussion by policymakers about future land use planning, from the perspective of minimizing climate change and increasing biodiversity.

The present study is a combination of documentary and survey methods in terms of applied purpose. Documentary and field methods have been used to collect the required information and data. Also, according to the purpose of the research, among the households of selected villages, 352 households have been determined as a sample using Cochran's formula. In particular, in this study, using Gephi and GIS spatial analysis software and network analysis methods, the flows and relationships mentioned in the study area have been analyzed in order to form a regional network based on links. And to integrate integrated rural-urban development. The results show that there is a direct correlation between flows and the level of development of rural settlements to form a regional channel. Spatial flows, especially economic flow, and population, have provided the background for urban-rural interactions in the study area, and in the first level network hierarchy, all cities and rural centers are subordinated to the Hanza urban center with the highest score in providing services. In fact, the lack of spatial development planning to regulate the relations and connections, and consequently the lack of attention to the role of the surrounding villages of Hanza, has caused us to not be able to direct the currents and factors that shape and influence these connections which pave the way for the development of the whole system.

Metropolitan regions as a new form of urbanization are expanding rapidly and under the influence of different factors, have different growth patterns. The main purpose of this article is to investigate the evolution of form in the metropolitan area of Tehran under the influence of urban land expansion during the years 1986 to 2016 using the urban land density function. The results of this study show that the trend of urban land expansion in recent years has shifted the shape of the region to a scattered and decentralized pattern. The results of the study of the expansion of urban land in the form of the region at the middle and micro level show that other cities around the metropolis of Tehran have become wider and more scattered over time. Findings show that over time, urban density in urban areas and rural areas and around the metropolis of Tehran has increased under the influence of urban expansion waves.  In the metropolitan area of Tehran, the increase in the boundary between the urban edge and the surrounding areas over a period of thirty years describes the vast urban expansion. In the metropolitan area of Tehran, in recent years, the slope, changes in barren lands, distance from built-up areas, changes in agricultural use, and distance from main roads have had the greatest impact on the expansion of urban land. The rapid growth and urban sprawl in a metropolitan area in metropolitan areas, above all, affect the peripheral areas and cause a disruption of the spatial order, the destruction of natural lands around, increasing marginalization and informal settlement and integration of areas. It becomes a village in the urban space.

Despite having abundant wealth, power, and resources and making great efforts to bring about regional balance, there is a deviation from spatial equality in Iran’s structure, which has led to the establishment of center-periphery structure as the dominant model in Iran. This structure has been created due to many factors, forces, and currents. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to present a theoretical model of spatial inequality in Iran using Lynham’s theorizing method. There were five steps in the application of this method. In the first method, i.e., conceptualization, the theoretical model was developed using meta-synthesis method and MAXQDA software. The obtained model entailed a host of concepts and components. These included  context-based  theory-driven discourse, centralization and making the periphery dependent, the reverse results of development plans, unequal power relations, inequality of benefits and wealth (economic inequality), inappropriate policymaking and management, weak local and regional management as opposed to central power, unbalanced distribution of population and activity in geographical spaces, and unbalanced distribution of natural resources. These concepts, grouped into ideological, economic-political, and contextual discourses, have created spatial inequality and center-periphery relationship in Iran.