Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Assistant professor of geography and rural planning, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran
2 Associate professor of geography and urban planning, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran
Abstract
Extended abstract
Introduction
A problem that planners often deal with is choosing the best service distribution center in cities and rural areas. The distribution of each service in a specific area will create a pattern that can be random, dense, or scattered. In addition, the development of rural areas includes a wide range of profound changes in social and economic structures that seek to distribute income fairly, increase living standards, and provide superior services in these areas. Therefore, rural development is possible if the facilities and services that serve economically productive activities are concentrated in optimal rural centers with suitable conditions in terms of providing services. Rural service centers also have an essential role in providing the facilities and services needed by the villages under their influence because these centers are considered a base for mobility and the desire to live in rural areas. In this regard, actual development is realized when it provides the necessary conditions for all people, regardless of location, for their dynamism, growth, and material and spiritual excellence. To achieve this goal, in this article, we are looking for the optimal location for establishing rural service centers and assessing the distribution of facilities in Tashan District of Behbahan City.
Materials and Methods
The applied study employed a descriptive-analytical research method. The data were collected via documentary studies, i.e., libraries, books, articles, databases, theses, and survey research, i.e., the statistical data of the housing foundation organization of Khuzestan province in 2021. This research employed the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and interior point method (IPM) to have more realistic and practical results. The main focus of the hierarchical analysis process in the present study was identifying the optimal points for establishing rural service centers, and Expert Choice and Excel software were used to perform such an analysis. This work was done by completing the questionnaire by ten experts in rural affairs. Also, the IPM was used to determine the level of development in the studied rural areas. All the research maps were prepared in the ArcGIS 10.3 software and adjusted and integrated with the UTM coordinate system.
Results and Discussion
The results showed that among the selected criteria for establishing service centers, population density has the highest score of 0.167, and the topography and height criteria, access to infrastructure facilities, and access to health care services, respectively, with scores of 0.152, 0.144, and 0.128 were the most valuable and essential in the following ranks. The overlap map of the criteria illustrated that among the 49 rural points of the district, five villages are in a perfect situation with an area of 11.94 square kilometers (2.7 percent), four villages are in a good situation with an area of 36.27 square kilometers. (8.4 percent), seven villages were in a relatively suitable area with an area of 100.69 square kilometers (23.5 percent), ten villages were in an unsuitable territory with an area of 153.10 square kilometers (35.8 percent). Also, 23 villages were placed in a completely unsuitable position with an area of 124.52 square kilometers (29.1 percent). In other words, Deh Ebrahim, Sarallah, Veisi, Kalgezar, and Ab Amiri villages had the most capacity for establishing rural service centers. In the ranking obtained from the IPM, Mashhad village had the lowest value with a coefficient of 0.0081 in Si+ score, recognized as the most developed village in Tashan District. Then, Bid Boland and Piazkar villages were ranked second and third in development levels with coefficients of 0.0557 and 0.0510, respectively, in Si+ score. These villages are flat areas and are mainly in a good position compared to other villages in Tashan District regarding population density and public services to establish rural service centers.
Conclusions
It is necessary to design the optimal pattern of hierarchical system and stratification of villages to make easy access for small and sparsely populated villages to the facilities in the area. It should be noted that the combined application of the hierarchical process and the optimal point allows researchers to locate and evaluate maps of various criteria and help to choose the exact and optimal location for establishing rural service centers.
Keywords
Main Subjects
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