The dependence of the farmers and agricultural life on water resources and the existing crises has a direct relationship with various challenges of this macro-social structure. In the global water crisis, the cultivation type is simultaneously the major culprit and victim. The purpose of the present study is to examine the role of hydrological and population-related factors in preventing the aridification of an area as one of the most devastating environmental disasters. By its selection of the appropriate crop for any area (which prevents water wasting), water resources management can prevent the dependence of that area on the agricultural crops of other areas and help decrease unemployment rate. In order to manage the effect of water demand on the balance of water resources flowing in the Kuhdasht County, the topographic data was combined with other data through the geographical information system and using enhanced AHPFUZZY method. The purpose was to weight the hydrological and population-related data (including the sub-criteria of river, well, spring, residence, people, men, and women) and determine the location priorities based on the field data, satellite images, and the data existing in the Lorestan province related to the amount of water needed by various products. The intention was to create jobs while protecting natural resources. In addition to the prevention of underground water levels and the destruction of wells, springs, and aqueducts, the results of this study specify the conditions for scientific and principled cultivation, reduction of poverty, and creation of jobs through planned management in the research area based on the consideration of crop type, cultivation method, and cultivation time. According to the obtained results along with the consideration of the fact that agricultural activities are heavily practiced in the area (where dryland farming is performed in mid-level grasslands), the management of the area under study was classified into five levels, namely very weak, weak, average, good, and very good. This analysis can help the land managers to change the existing conditions toward a rule-based management of water resources.

Oil pollution in the pipelines transporting petroleum products is an inevitable consequence of population growth and industrialization of communities. In addition to negative environmental effects such as groundwater and soil contamination, it causes changes in the geotechnical properties of local soil. Changes in soil engineering properties can lead to soil rupture and poor performance of transmission lines. Therefore, this study intended to assess the effects of the oil pipeline in the north of Iran on the environment using environmental geotechnic parameters during operation. By analyzing the Iranian matrix, it was found that there were 5 negative effects and consequences in the row and column. The consequences in the column were related to the diversion of the river, creating dams, and spinning, while in the row, these were related to landslides and soil contamination. The results of laboratory studies to investigate the effect of soil contamination on geotechnical parameters showed that the uniaxial strength of samples is decreased by 22%. In addition, the analysis of soil rupture by PLAXIS software showed that by changing the angle of the reinforcements from 20 to 23 degrees, the slope reliability of the soil decreases to less than the minimum reliability in the regulations. Finally, it was suggested that in order to reduce the negative effects and consequences of the projects, the pipelines should not be crossed through forested and sloping areas as much as possible.

Environmental hazards, which encompass a wide range of natural hazards and human hazards, are among the barriers to development in different areas. Landslide is one of the hazards affecting different natural and anthropogenic factors and is one of the barriers to socio-economic and constructive development in each region. In this study, considering the different criteria, the potential of landslide occurrence in Tabriz city has been evaluated using FBWM model. The criteria used in this study are slope, curvature, elevation, fault, geology, vegetation, river and creek, roads, aspect, and land use. FBWM model is used to weight the criteria. This model is one of the newest multi-criteria decision-making models that weigh the criteria by comparing the criteria with each other and generating a nonlinear optimization problem. Finally, after weighting the criteria and creating standard maps, the standard maps and weightings were merged together and overlaid to produce the final map of landslide susceptible areas in Tabriz City. Based on the results, the north and northeast areas of Tabriz have high potential for landslides; these areas correspond to Valiasr town, Baghmishah, Einali Mountains, Pasdaran highway and the surrounding areas. On the other hand, the southern regions of Tabriz have a low potential for landslides. According to the results, 2.5% of Tabriz territory is located in very low potential areas for landslide occurrence, 15.16% is located in low potential areas, 36.04% is located in moderate potential areas, 40.97% is located in high potential areas, and 5.33% is located in very high potential areas for landslide occurrence. The results of this study have implications for organizations and organs such as Tabriz Municipality, Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, the Geological Survey and Mineral Explorations of Iran (GSI), and other organizations related to environmental risks.

Integrity and connectivity of habitats are among the important factors for the conservation of plant and animal populations within protected areas, particularly when the habitats are connected. Investigating on the integrity of these areas could help interconnecting islanded patches and preventing the negative impacts of fragmentations. This study aimed to quantify the fragmentations of different regions within the protected area of Jajroud. Land-use map was extracted using remote sensing (RS) and geographic information system (GIS) techniques. The acquired data were employed to study the fragmentation of the regions considering the landscape metrics. The results indicate that the northern parts of the region, including the national parks of Khojir and Sorkheh Hesar, in general, possess larger patches and a higher level of connectivity, while the southern part is tending towards small-grain structure. In addition, results support the applicability of landscape metrics in assessing the management of the protected areas and identifying the protection patches in order to prioritize the protection of landscape patches.

Physical expansion of cities, particularly those that have experienced unusual growth due to economic, social, and political transformations, has led to numerous problems. To this end, the purpose of this study was to investigate conditions of Birjand City regarding flooding and hazard zoning caused by this important natural event. The present study is applied regarding the objective and descriptive-analytic considering its methodology. The study was descriptive-analytic and performed through prediction of the scope of damages caused by floods and based on hazard zoning. Data gathered regarding land use, population density, features of existing watercourses, slope, residential and population density, CN coefficient, runoff, the age of buildings, open spaces, and other influencing components. Collected data were weighed after correction and conversion, and required maps were prepared after conducting paired comparisons and determination of eventual coefficients for each layer. AHP model and associated software, particularly Expert Choice, and ArcGIS, were used to determine final weights and coefficients.  According to the results, given that development of Birjand City has been done on the sub-basin of the existing watercourse, all the city is exposed to the risk of flooding. However, southern and southeastern zones with almost 20% of the city area are subject to high and very high risk; northwestern and southeastern with 50% of the area are subject to average risk; and other zones of the city with less than 30% of area are subject to low and very low risk. As a result, the operation of flood control and flood warning systems in areas with greater vulnerability should be considered, while illegal occupation of flooding basins and watercourses should be dealt with.

Urban societies are complex landscapes that face unbalanced and exogenous growth and are rapidly changing as a result of population growth and urbanization. That is to say, non-urban, large swaths of land are consumed by cities and urban settlements, and over time they are fragmented into smaller pieces. Therefore, the present study was designed to detect and evaluate changes in the landscape structure of Tabriz metropolitan area and to evaluate the performance of landscape metrics in analyzing changes. To this end, first the land use maps for 1984, 2000 and 2018 were prepared using Landsat satellite imagery. Then, in order to analyze the changes, a combination of Landscape metrics including NP, CA, PLAND, LPI, ED, MPS, LSI, and COHESION was computed at two levels of land class and landscape using Fragstats4.2 software. The results showed that the lands used for urban settlement during this period have had the most changes and growth, in contrast to agricultural farms, gardens and green-space which have had a downward trend and have been converted to other uses. Also, the number and density of patches have increased over time, leading to the fragmentation of the landscape. On the other hand, the average size of patches belonging to constructed lands and agricultural and horticultural lands respectively increased and decreased, and caused more distortion and complexity of Tabriz city landscape through an increase in the landscape shape index. In general, the analysis of land use maps and landscape metrics clearly reveals the effects of human activities and urbanization on the surrounding environment, and the results indicate that the landscape of Tabriz has got more granular, more complex and geometrically more irregular. Then, with this decreasing connectivity, it has become more fragmented.

The qualitative study of the urbanization process indicates that inappropriate development has caused a great deal of damage to the urban landscape structure. The problem solving tool is planning the ecological networks as matter and energy pathways. Planning natural elements of the structure, including green and open spots and corridors, will guide the researcher toward achieving research goals such as the conservation and restoration of natural resources and the improvement of cybernetic forces to enhance performance sustainability, structural equilibrium, and habitat variability. The methodological model of research in the Karaj metropolis identified flexible elements to strengthen ecological processes. Then, adopting the ecological-sociological approach and forming the urban habitat network, it was applied for sustainability. GIS software was used to map and digitize the data, RS to capture satellite images, and FRAGSTATE 4.2 to analyze the metrics changes in the years 2008 and 2018. The results of Bayer spot changes were -7.98% for CA, +5.79% for NP, and -1.5% for Cohesion, while residential spot changes were -24.15% for CA, +26.16% for NP, -3.96% for Cohesion, and green-space spot changes were -38.8%  for CA, +275.5% for NP increase, and -34.0% for Cohesion. These indicated increased discontinuity, decreased natural bedding connectivity, and decreased ecological performance along with its adverse effect on social structure. Thus, using a nature-based planning, we can witness the network dynamics of natural/man-made communication/isolation networks over time, and by establishing a holistic, bio-ethical culture, we can overcome social vacuum. This way, Karaj can move in the excellent sustainable development path.

The discussion of environmental change is currently one of the most important challenges which the international community faces. This issue comprises one of the most extensive scientific, economic, social, and even political debates at different global levels. Severe and sustained droughts have threatened many parts of the globe at different times and have led to rapid and profound changes at the economic and social development levels. The Middle East, especially Iran, has been no exception in this regard. The drying up of water resources, including lakes, is a prominent feature of these changes that has caused problems for the surrounding habitats. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the status of development indicators in 22 cities in Urmia Lake catchment area. In recent decades, water level has decreased significantly and drought level has increased in this lake. This study is an applied research project in terms of purpose and a descriptive-analytical one in terms of methodology. Data and information were collected from sources and documents of the Census Bureau for the years 2006 and 2016. Also, Vikor method and Moran's spatial autocorrelation index in Arc Gis software were used for the data analysis. The results of the statistical calculations showed that the development levels in the catchment area have transformed dramatically over the last 10 years, from the cluster distribution of 2006 to the dispersed distribution pattern of 2016. Moreover, the employment rate has declined and the unemployment rate has increased.Comparing the various statistics, one can clearly see the negative effects of the Lake water level decline on catchment area counties over the last 10 years. The gradual decline in the Lake water level (followed by a decrease in the employment rate and an increase in the unemployment rate) is the main reason for the imbalance in the development of the region.

Natural and human hazards have caused vulnerability and resilience concepts receive much attention. Investigating the vulnerability and resilience of cities and regions shows the readiness and capacity of cities and regions to reduce the effects of disasters. If the situation of the city and the region is high in terms of resilience, Infrastructure, economic and social conditions of the residents have the ability to recover and return faster to a state of equilibrium. Besides, emergency services would be done properly. In this research, resilience was investigated on a regional scale with the purpose of assessment regional resilience dimensions in the townships of Khuzestan province. The research method is analytical-descriptive and in terms of purpose is applied. The data were extracted from the Planning and Budget Organization of Khuzestan Province`s database. The data are divided into economic, social, infrastructural, health, and environmental dimensions and 26 indicators. In order to analyze the data and weigh indices, Shanon entropy was employed. The townships were then ranked by use of WASPAS technique. The results showed that Ahvaz, Dezful, Khorramshahr, Shadegan, Shoosh, Azadegan, Shoshtar, Abadan, Izeh, Ramhormoz, Andimeshk, Behbahan, Baghmalek, Mahshahr, Ramshir, Omidieh, Karoun, Hamidieh, Masjed Soleiman, Bawi, Gotwand, Lali, Hendijan, Indica, Haftkel, Hoveiza, and Aghajari ranked 1st to 27th respectively. Undoubtedly, based on the Khuzestan province`s special position and its multi-cultural aspect, despite its rich natural resources, border situation and putting away the resiliency would result in a big crisis for the whole system. Also, the results showed that Khuzestan province resiliency related to spatial inequality.

Future studies in Territorial planning focus on finding key factors, drivers and uncertainties in the development of regions in the planning space. This is in the way that the planner can map and manage a desirable future by having them as a control lever. The purpose of this study is to identify the effective factors on the planning of Khorasan-e- Razavi province, to identify the key variables of the province's development and finally to develop effective scenarios for the province's planning. The research process is practical in terms of purpose, and the research method is descriptive-analytic. The nature of the data is qualitative. The data are collected through survey and from documents and records. Data analysis is based on futures research techniques including environmental scanning, structural analysis, and cross-impact analysis. The results of the research show that among the developed scenarios, province planning will face 22 strong adaptive scenarios, 2740 weak adaptive scenarios, and 1837 inconsistent scenarios, in the future. Of the 22 possible scenarios, eight scenarios have a favorable status, two scenarios have interstitial status, and 12 scenarios are in an unfavorable situation. Between the favorable scenarios, Scenario 1 is the best and the most likely scenario ahead of the province and all of its possible probabilities are quite desirable.