Special Issue INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES AND January 2016 CULTURAL STUDIES ISSN 2356-5926 Evaluating and Assessing Sustainability of Border Cities (Case study: border city: Baneh) Reza Mokhtari Malek-Abadi Assistant professor the Geography and Urban planning, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran Esmaeel Aliakbari Associate professor the Geography and Urban planning,Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran Bakhtiar Khosravi* *. PhD student the Geography and Urban planning, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran ([email protected]) Abstract Every city, according to its effectiveness of local and global forces, needs to develop local strategies for sustainable urban development to meet its environmental conditions and its economic and social organization. In the meantime, border cities based on its specific position and function is kind of cities that both groups of local and global forces have effects on its sustainability, because on the one hand these cities like other cities affected by natural conditions, social relationships between citizenships, relationships with their surrounding settlements and it also has a function and a role in own international economic and political system, and on the other hand due to its border position, is influenced by international and even economic, political, social, and environmental development and process. Therefore, the issue of sustainability in these cities is much more important and more challenging than many other cities. Accordingly, the main issue of this research is based on sustainability of border cities and it also suggested required strategies to achieve sustainability in these cities. To address this problem, in this paper using descriptive-analytical method and using some methods as model of Prescott Allen’s sustainability barometer in assessing sustainability of border cities, numerical taxonomy method, method of strategic planning and statistical tests based on SPSS software to evaluate sustainability in border cities was dealt. Keywords: border cities, sustainability, Baneh. http://www.ijhcs.com/index.php/ijhcs/index Page 624 Special Issue INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES AND January 2016 CULTURAL STUDIES ISSN 2356-5926 Introduction The concept of sustainable development since the 1980s has been the focal point of many development paradigms. Sustainable development that is now the main issue, discussed in development and planning meetings, is the result of different ideas of development. However, there are different perceptions of this concept, like the concept of development. The common points of all these ideas are sustainability and achieving the development process that can be reliable and durable. It is development that meets the needs of present generation without blemishing the ability of future generation to meet their own needs. In the meantime, the border cities, according to their position and function, are kind of the cities that both global and local forces affect their sustainability. Therefore, their sustainability compared to non-border cities during its own special course. Because the political relations and interactions of cities, settlements close to the borders and even cities may decline or flourish, depending on the boundary line make disturbing their natural areas or vice versa, new roles on crossing the borders are given to them. Therefore, with respect to this important issue, in this study planning the evaluation of sustainability in border cities was discussed. Theories The transformation of words is very broad to reach the term sustainable development. Sustainable development is not a shaped concepts, it explains the transformational process of the relationship between social, economic and natural systems and its stages (Bahramzadeh, 2003, 82). The term sustainable was debated first formally by Ms Groharlem Brountland in 1987 in the report “Our Common Future”. In the broad sense of the word means “proper and efficient management and utilization of basic, natural, financial and human resources to achieve desired consumption patterns that is possible by using technical facilities and appropriate organization and structures to meet the needs of today’s generation and future generation continuously and satisfactorily. The new concept of sustainable development is holistic and includes all social, economic, cultural aspects and other human needs. In other words, the main attraction in sustainable development is its holism. The term sustainable development in the last years of the twentieth century as one of the central database of world almost affected all aspects of human life such as poverty, inequality, education and health, the environment, the rights of women and children, freedom of nation, as well as industry, policy, economic, and international cooperation. It is also has been discussed as a modern development with a claim of answer to the serious problems that jeopardized the life cycle, nature and mankind in a new era. As “Wolfgang Zax” has said, from now on, “there will be no development without sustainability and there will be no sustainability without development” and this represent new bonds. Development through this bond is alive again. According to Rio declaration, human is the centre of focus in sustainable development and humans, harmony with nature, deserve a life with a health and building. Development is a right that should cover present and future generation equally; protection of the environment is an integral part of development and cannot be examined separately. According to different contribution to environmental pollution, all countries have common responsibility, but are different in this regard (UNCSD, 1999, p.11).However, new questions still remain in this field; for example, what exactly is a sustainable http://www.ijhcs.com/index.php/ijhcs/index Page 625 Special Issue INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES AND January 2016 CULTURAL STUDIES ISSN 2356-5926 society? What kind of development do people argue? How should developmental procedure be sustainable? How much time should development be sustainable? And how can be calculated the needs of future generation calculated? (Jennifer,1996). In this context, J. Coomer believes that sustainable society is not a society where life is with constant environmental restrictions in it and is motionless and without growth, but on the contrary, it is a society that recognizes the limitations of growth and seeks ways and alternatives for growth (Coomer, 1999, P. 48).The fans of sustainable development paradigm believe that the lessons of ecology can be used and should be used in economic processes (Radclift, 1997). In fact, some of the optimal policy (sustainable growth) looking for to keep an acceptable rate of growth of real capitation of income without depleting profit of national capitals or profit of environmental assets (Turner, 1988). In general, the concept of sustainable development is much border and differs depending on the time, place and various communities ant therefore, there no possibility of extension and generalization a particular perception of sustainability (Badri & Eftekhari, 2003, 10). This difference is to the extent that is said the nature of sustainable development is relative quietly and depends on the time. As in 1997, Radclift said: sustainable development is different thing to different people (Radclift, 1997). Social justice and equitable distribution of opportunities Develo Assets pment conflict Growth and conflict effectiveness Sustainable economic development Resources conflict Environment protection Figure 1. The mission of sustainability theory: establishing a balance between conflict aspects and goals of development Reference: Ministry of agriculture, 2007 http://www.ijhcs.com/index.php/ijhcs/index Page 626 Special Issue INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES AND January 2016 CULTURAL STUDIES ISSN 2356-5926 Despite the difficulty of providing a precise definition of many aspects, sustainable development, like justice, is considered as centre of structure of many legal standards and human relationships that here we can come to some efforts to define sustainable development that should be considered as follows: Sustainable development is the application of four principles integrity, equity, compliance and acceptance of limitations (Ward, 2000, p. 50). Sustainable development involves achieving quality of life in different aspects for all (Bond, 2001, p. 101). It is a development that meets present needs without blemishing the ability of future generation to meet their own needs (WCED, 43:1987). Today, the issue of sustainability is the watchword of all rural development activities and programs (Nouripour & Shahvali, 2011, 64). Sustainable rural development can be considered as process of change with the aim of improving the quality and quantity of life level of rural society. It is a process that leads to establish a balance between urban and rural life and mainly seeks to create power-increasing and enough efficiency for low-income and poor rural population that is able less to rely on their power and stand on its feet (Motiee Langroudi, 2003, P. 79-80). In fact, it can be said that empowering and capacity-building are considered as the central core and focus of new paradigm (Khosro beigi et al., 2011, p. 151). Evaluating and Assessing Sustainability Assessing and sustainability development are considered as two integral pillars that have lots of efficiency by their cooperation with each other in solving social, economic problems