Geographical analysis of the spatial distribution of urban facilities and services (case study of Firozabad city, Fars)

To receive a master's degree

Department of Geography and Urban Planning

Abstract:

The degree of distribution of urban services can play an effective role in the spatial displacement of the population and demographic changes in urban areas, and since one of the criteria of sustainable urban development is to pay attention to the balanced distribution of the population. Therefore, urban services should be distributed in such a way as to establish spatial justice. In this research, the districts of Isfahan city have been examined in a case-by-case manner in relation to 12 types of urban services.

The important issue in the implementation of social justice is the appropriate distribution of land uses and urban good, the additional value of land is the main factor of social separation and the interpretation of urban spaces. Shannon and correlation coefficient and field have been discussed. According to the findings of the research, the unfair provision of services has caused social justice to not be realized in this city, so that neighborhoods 4, 1, and 6 of the first district are in the priority of service, and neighborhood 3 of the first district and neighborhood 6 of the second district are in the second priority of service. And two neighborhoods of District 1 are stable in terms of urban services indicators.

The results of the research show that the distribution of urban services in the urban neighborhoods of Firozabad is balanced. And the conditions for the realization of social justice are the balanced distribution of land use in the city and revision in the way of preparing comprehensive plans and paying special attention to the critical and vulnerable areas of the city.    

Key words: spatial distribution, city services, Firozabad city

1.               Chapter One

      Generalities

1-1- Introduction

Despite the fact that the existence of inequality in the standard of living among the residents of a city is not a new phenomenon in any of the cities of the world, but in less developed countries due to the more obvious socio-economic differences and the emergence of substandard settlements and the expansion of living standards, the spatial differences of cities have intensified (Abdi Daneshpour, 2008: 37). The residence of low-income classes in places that are not attractive to other social groups leads to the concentration of poverty, and this process leads to the separation of the low-income class from other social groups (Shah Hosseini, 1384: 185).

The foundation of Islam is based on justice because justice is one of the principles of religion and one of the principles of the two religions (Motahari, 1360: 6). Justice, which is the result of social evolution (Qurban Nia, 2010: 21), is divided into two categories: divine and non-divine, and non-divine justice is also divided into individual and social justice. Social justice means respecting the rights of others and observing public interests (Kazemi Brotherhood, 1381: 23). In the first article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it is stated that all human beings are equal in terms of dignity and rights. In the third principle of the constitution, one of the most fundamental goals of the government is to eliminate unfair discrimination and create fair facilities (Qorban Nia, 1380: 227-281). Therefore, governments and the planning apparatus have a heavy duty in terms of creating social and economic justice.

A significant spread of material wealth, and on the other hand, minorities living in poverty, is considered one of the failures of the urban policy. (Hall, 1387: 311) Of course, in the urban context, equal access to basic needs is more important than its provision (Potter et al., 1384: 147).

Empirical studies make it clear that the characteristic feature of the current Third World urbanization is inequality and injustice (Warthi et al., 1386), these inequalities are manifested on three levels:

Inequalities in livelihood opportunities in urban and rural areas;

Inequality from one city to another, due to the concentration of limited resources in the capitals;

Intra-urban economic inequality between the masses and a small group of wealthy elite;

These imbalances and inequalities, apart from inherent harm, may disrupt the work and expectations of the national economy. (Smith, 1384: 11).

Urban inequalities are mainly seen in Africa, Asia and Latin America. In such places, the upper classes have a higher standard of living economically, while the lower classes are exposed to diseases and restrictions related to daily livelihood. In such cities, even the life expectancy of the lower social classes has a lower average.In these societies, households have to endure many problems and social and economic disturbances (Sheikhi, 1380: 156), so social justice has a close relationship with the concept of welfare, which is the factor of poverty alleviation (Jajremi et al., 1385: 6). For this purpose, all groups (especially the most vulnerable ones) should get opportunities to achieve and maintain prosperity (Barabadi, 2014: 127).

Social justice, which discusses issues such as social welfare, severe inequalities, poverty, etc., is related to the third layer of the concept of sustainable development, equality and equity (Hakmat Niya, 2014: 42). The goals of sustainability are often expressed in the form of three words: environment, economy and justice, and in a sustainable society, all of these will be strengthened and expanded instead of being destroyed over time. Among these three words, the word justice is far less mentioned in public discussions. Also, there are few organized groups in support of low-income people or disadvantaged communities (Robert Bullard, 2014: 230).

In traditional geography, the mutual relations of human societies with the environment are examined, while in modern geography, humans are placed at the center of research in this study (Clavel, 2013: 22). The combination of these two traditional and modern approaches makes it possible to identify the complications caused by these relationships and use this approach to solve problems and optimize relationships in human settlements. Today, in relation to solving urban problems and problems caused by this complex relationship, the distribution of public services, social justice and the welfare of citizens are emphasized (Qorehnejad, 1376: 92). Because the spatial balance in the distribution of service centers in the city and achieving it provides the introduction to sustainable urban development, and disorder in the regional and local distribution causes regions and neighborhoods to be far from social justice (Nestern, 1380: 145). Therefore, in the first paragraph of the plan of the Islamic Republic in the horizon of 1404 to create a developed urban society, social justice, preserving the dignity and rights of human beings are emphasized.

In order to reach all the residents of the cities equally, the issue of social justice in the urban space arises. The cities of all the countries of the world, especially the developing countries, have an objective appearance and affect the formation of the space in the city, and many social inequalities in the city space may be caused by these factors, and excessive density of an area, one-sided development of cities, depopulation of some urban areas, land stock market and dozens of issues and problems will follow (Khosroy, 2015: 2), and on the other hand, the existence of inequality in The quality of life directs the deprived groups to the reference groups and creates other problems (Runicima, 1972, considering the population density of the cities and the emergence of a new form of cities in the last century, it is clear that the science of urban geography and planning of urban spaces must find new dimensions and territories. One of the new dimensions and topics that has attracted the attention of most scientists of this science in the last twenty years is dealing with social justice in urban issues. From this point of view, the city should be linked with national and global policies (Shakoui, 1373: 9) and the internal conditions of the cities are affected by the social and economic conditions governing the countries, and as a result of these conditions, the quality of urban spaces and urban planning policies are determined. Therefore, the basic need is to understand the construction of the urban space, which social, cultural and economic values, and at the top of them, the proper distribution of services and urban facilities are analyzed and investigated. As a result of these analyzes and criteria review, an effective step will be taken towards the realization of social justice in the society. The transformation in the concept of space and the appropriate distribution of urban services and facilities is in agreement with the change in the way of dealing with the theory. Space, proper distribution of urban services and the city should be identified as a separate phenomenon and the relationship between them should be investigated. In this way, by understanding the concept of space, justice of the city and the environment, we will be able to analyze the relationship between the city space and the proper distribution of urban services and facilities.