Mostafa Rashidi; Abass Alipour; Ruhollah Hosseinvand Shokri; Mostafa Saeedzadeh
Abstract
Extended Abstract
1. Introduction
The political divisions of a country is the political and managerial forms of the national space. Actually, the national administrative divisions determine the position of each part of the terrestrial plane in the spatial structure of the country. Therefore, the administrative ...
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Extended Abstract
1. Introduction
The political divisions of a country is the political and managerial forms of the national space. Actually, the national administrative divisions determine the position of each part of the terrestrial plane in the spatial structure of the country. Therefore, the administrative divisions should be adjusted and set according to the principles and frameworks of the geographic objectivity for optimal efficiency which is leading to provide a strategic geographic model based on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. This focus on the geographical logic in drawing the political boundaries of the interior is based on the view of organizing and aligning the territory at the national, regional and local level. In this regard, one of the important issues that has never been addressed in Iran's development plans is the issue of regionalization and political divisions of space as a framework for territorial planning. Failure to pay attention to this fundamental geographical and political reality is resulted from the weakness of the theoretical foundation as well as the operational structure of development plans in the country. Therefore, the upright and realistic administrative divisions require the generation of theoretical and scientific frameworks based on concepts and geopolitical scales at the local, national, and even transnational level in order to achieve an effective operational and practical structure in the planning of sustainable development subject to the national space. On the other hand, the lack of special attention to the political organization of special planning and administrative divisions also have brought smaller importance of about territorial affairs, and consequently the weakness of the administrative divisions. So that the present paper tends to address the geopolitical pathology of administrative divisions in Iran based upon the geographic logic and realities with the approach of organizing and aligning the land. The basic question of this research is: What are the weaknesses of the administrative divisions in terms of geography and land use? How is its geopolitical consequences and obstacles in the country?
2. Theoretical Framework
The main method of study in geography is combinational. It means that geographers for the recognition and zoning of the area (two major fields of geographic studies) are obliged to study and identify all the features and phenomena in place. Through this study, geographers are enabled to simultaneously recognize the "synoptic" of the all features of the place, and also determine typical feature of the dominant phenomena. Therefore, the recognition of the structural components, elements, and factors that are effective in the environment is a prerequisite and precondition for any thoughtful movement of human beings to carry out a management on the environment. Geography is the science and art of the constructive engagement with the environment and geographical space along with a sagacious management, in order to meet both human requirements and the sustainability of environment leading to achieve a sustainable interaction with geographical space. The result would be the development of humanity along with the environmental sustainability. The relationship between spatial planning and geography can show different implication. Accordingly, geography can be used to explain the type of settlement, population distribution, and activity in the land issues, while the Spatial Planning would be to consider the relationship between these elements. In geography and Spatial Planning, there are three basic elements to be studied: human, space, and activity. In any case, the undeniable subject is the high and sever relationship between "geography" and "Spatial Planning". In other words, it could be stated that geography the most scientifically-based Spatial Planning, and the "Spatial Planning" is the most geographical form of planning.
In political geography or geopolitics, in order to observe geographical logic, it is necessary to pay attention to the planning of land in different stages. Political geography or geopolitics, which studies from boundary and zoning to political behaviors and practices in geographic spaces, requires fulfilment of the geography rules and Spatial Planning concepts. One of the requirements of geopolitics is to consider the realties of the geographic boundaries and zoning, the political divisions, and in general, the political organization of the space, that leads this branch of geographic sciences to the rules and principles of fulfillment of Spatial Planning.
In order to realize the desirable organization of space and to design and operationalize the logical divisions of the country's space on national and local scales, the performance should be on the basis of geopolitical knowledge of space and Spatial Planning. This means the integration of geopolitics and the Spatial Planning as two areas of geographic sciences in order to achieve a political organization of the space which is suitable and favorable for administrative divisions. The focus of this paper is, therefore, on the geopolitical pathology of administrative divisions in Iran, which have been payed no attention to integrate the geopolitics and Spatial Planning issues into the administrative divisions.
3. Methodology
Since this article tends to provide an analysis of the relationship between Spatial Planning and administrative divisions as well as address the pathology of national divisions in terms of Spatial Planning, it is considered as a developmental research which gives its practical value for relevant organizations, and it is an applied research as well. This research is also scribed in a descriptive analytical manner. Data are also collected in a library and documentary manner, and also with reference to reputable online databases such as the Provincial Council and the Ministry of the Interior Affairs.
4. Findings and Discussion
One of the considerable issues regarding country's territorial planning in Iran is the lack of attention to the principles and realities of geography in the country's political divisions. Lack of paying attention to this important issue has led to the formation of a political division not according to the geographical realities and principals. This inconsistency was shaped by the land planning in the modern epoch of the arrival of Pahlavi, and in particular from 1937 onwards. Consequently, in the findings section of the research the authors consider the inconsistency of the current Iranian divisions with regard to the geographical divisions (both natural and human), as well as the lack of attention to the structural factors in the political organization of space and national divisions, including shape, extent, and unbalanced establishment of provincial centers to conclude that the weaknesses and problems in this area directly affects the development, security, and spatial distribution of the country in a negative way.
amir fathi; mohammad mirehii; Keramatollah Zayyari; Abbas Alipoure; Mostafa Hashemi
Abstract
Extended Abstract
1. Introduction
Recently, inequalities are the fundamental problems for human society, as they are discussed in academic places and they cause governmental concerns, inequalities can risk national unity and social stability. Spatial planning is a set of coordinated and coherent knowledge, ...
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Extended Abstract
1. Introduction
Recently, inequalities are the fundamental problems for human society, as they are discussed in academic places and they cause governmental concerns, inequalities can risk national unity and social stability. Spatial planning is a set of coordinated and coherent knowledge, policies, techniques and operations that are used to eliminate inequalities and organize and regulate biological and geographical spaces (natural and unnatural). The concentration of facilities and services in the cities and provincial centers in recent decades has created regional inequalities in accessing to services and facilities; finally, it leads a decline in quality of life, income gaps and ultimately spatial injustice. Therefore, logical and credible analysis of the regions and areas is essential in order to achieve spatial justice and major economic development. Alborz province, as one of the centers for spatial distribution and deconcentrating of Tehran which is separated in 2010 from the province, is now involved in the intense spatial concentration in the provincial capital. There are various threats in this province that cover a wide range of issues. In this regard, one of the most important parts of spatial planning is the recognition of political, security and defensive threats in different provinces. This study surveys spatial distribution of services and facilities in different counties of Alborz province. Since good distribution of facilities and services in the regional and provincial levels lead to reduction of the security threats. This research also seeks to answer the fundamental question: What are the security and defensive threats of spatial planning in Alborz province?
2. Theoretical Framework
Security and defense are the most important foundations of development for each country, which are achieved through smart planning and good policies. In an overview, we can say that the most important goal of recent planning is to achieve development, especially sustainable development. Sustainable development does not have clear definition despite it is extensively used. For this reason, the development takes an available meaning only in case that it is considered in four economic, political, cultural and social areas. Therefore, attention to a range of key variables in different environmental, cultural, economic, social and political sectors is necessary in political, security and defensive studies. No attention to each of these sectors can cause irrepairable damage, for example, the lack of attention to environmental issues can lead to the creation of a Green Party and new environmental advocacy movements based on radical ideas such as extreme ecology, eco-anarchism and ecofeminism. Oriurdon (1989) states how societies are divided between two groups of people. A group that considers nature to be inherently exploitative and recoverable and another group that knows that human ability to destroy its environment is more than its ability to compensate. Therefore, providing development and accessing to various regional and provincial levels can equally serve a basis for policy advancement, security development, strengthening defensive capabilities and reducing regional inequalities that countries are taking along. Also, dealing with the issue of security and defense is one of the most important factors for development of the country.
3. Methodology
The present research is applicable in terms of its purpose and it has descriptive-analytical and exploratory nature. Library materials, interviews and a questionnaire were used to collect data. In library studies, research related topics, including dissertations, articles, books and research projects have been used. Necessary indices for research have been extracted from library studies. Elite interviews were conducted to find out if the indices that were extracted from the library method adequately measured the existing threats in Alborz province. Each of the threats was selected by elite questionnaires.
Also, a questionnaire with 76 indicators was used to measure the importance of each of the threats in the various counties of Alborz province. The number of respondants was 35 people. Also, purposeful sampling has been used to select experts. Vikor method has been used to analyze the indices. Then, the results are displayed by using the arc map 10.2 software.
4. Discussion and Findings
Proximity to Tehran as the capital of Iran and center of all sectors, services, facilities, employment, and so on is one of the most prominent features of Alborz province. Despite proximity to the capital leads to access of Alborz province to the various services, but this has caused a number of different problems. Being near to Tehran and Karaj-Tehran subway line, being the province capital, easy access of Karaj residents to Tehran and many other problems have leaded Karaj to be the largest residential city in Iran compared to other sectors. It also has the most informal settlements. The huge difference in Karaj population with other counties of Alborz province has caused that more provincial budgets are allocated to Karaj, and industry and service sectors are also concentrated in Karaj. Proximity to the capital, the unreasonable concentration of population, facilities and services have exacerbated various political, security and defensive threats in Karaj. Finally, experts believe that establishing justice in the territory of the land and increasing the level of access in the poor counties by using different methods of spatial planning are the best ways to reduce the threats in Alborz province. Therefore, problems and challenges could be reduced by distributing facilities, services and accesses among different counties of Alborz Province, and also eliminating unemployment and low access to facilities in other counties.
