International Journal of Architecture and Urban Development Urban and Architecture Journal of International International Journal of Architecture and Urban Development Vol.2, No4, Autumn 2012 Evaluation of the Urban Settlement, s Optimal System (Hamadan Province) 1Melika Mehriar, 2Kianoosh Zaker Haghighi 1M.A. student of Regional Planning, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran 2Assisstant Professor, Hamedan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Hamedan, Iran Received 09.04.2012; Accepted 23.07.2012 ABSTRACT:In developing countries, the domination of peripheral and dependent capitalism relations and the lack of appropriate structures and channels of attracting, this system have caused some kind of spatial-anatomic unbalances that has resulted in the appearance of single cities with national and regional prevalence. This situation is the main reason for small, medium and intermediate cities to lose their role in the third-world countries and, therefore, for some kind of urban network to appear having consequences, especially at regional scales, like the deceleration or, in some cases, the stop of the dispersion of the expected effects of development and the lack of a chain or network of settlement focuses connecting the settlement system of the region together. The presented work has been planned to focusing on the study and analysis of the urban system of Hamadan province, Iran, with aims to present an appropriate pattern for mentioned province according to the common models and techniques of urban system analyses and methods. Results showed that currently the urban system of Hamadan province is unbalanced; however, the analysis of this system at a regional scale could be useful in regional development management and planning. Nevertheless, it is necessary that the urban system is considered in relation to neighbor regions and national space and in systematic terms. Finally, improvement of systematic viewpoints in planning for urban system and Location and leveling of new activities and settlement areas are recommended to be implemented in coincidence with the suggested urban system. Keywords: Urban System, Factor Analysis, Cluster Analysis, Analytic Hierarchy Process. INTRODUCTION In the current epoch that the whole world is approaching Literature Review towards urbanism and cities are emerging as contexts for the Different studies have been done on the analysis and presence of humans and the manifestation of their talents evaluation of urban network and urban settlements system at and activities, studying the system of cities seems to be regional scales, a number of which relevant to the present necessary. On account of the urbanization growth rate and study will be pointed out in summary in the following. Giti therefore the development of urban life specially in the third Etemad has investigated Iran’s urban network in detail in a world countries, and consequently in Iran, in the recent years, study titled Urban Network in Iran in 1984. She shows that cities as population focuses have hosted a high rate of human the galactic pattern of urban network in Iran has approached population in themselves so that, for example, the urban to a chain pattern in 50 years between 1921 and 1976. Its population of Iran has increased from 39% to 70% between reasons are assumed to be turning to capitalist economy and 1966 and 2006. With this explanation and taking account of consumption culture, the loss of the erstwhile tuned relation the importance of the contemporary economy and the inevitably between urban and rural regions, and the increasing structural interactive and systematic relations of cities, it is evident that dependence on international capitalism (Etemad, 1984). obtaining a logical classification regarding these systematic Behforouz (1992) in A Theoretical-Experimental Analysis for relations is necessary. This classification, in terms of different Balancing the Spatial Distribution of Population in Iran’s quantitative and qualitative criteria, leads to a ranked system Urban Systems, according to the theoretical studies carried out literally known as hierarchy. Therefore, studying hierarchy about urban systems in under-development countries like India, systems reveals the interactions among residency systems and Turkey, Pakistan, analyzes the specific situation of urban system the type and amount of their relations so as to understand in Iran and finally introduces a modified form of the rank-size and try to resolve the dysfunctions existing in the urban system rule for the prediction of population in under-development and increase the dynamism of the spatial system. This study, countries like Iran that enjoy the phenomenon of urban primacy. “investigating the urban system of Hamadan province and Rafeian (1996) concentrating on urban systems and using the analyzing its relations and interrelations”, aims to gain an results of previous studies, presents a historical analysis of understanding of the hierarchical type and the elements playing variation in spatial system of Iran’s urban network in general role in the construction of such a system. and Isfahan’s in specific. Hajipour (2003), also, studying the optimal urban system in Khuzestan province and examining Corresponding Author Email: [email protected] the considered methods in urban systems and regional studies, 43 presents a population and functional analysis of the counties population factors and its related parameters and also economic of this province. As to the experiences of other countries in factors playing more important roles in deciding the urban studying and analyzing urban systems, the focus of our study optimal system and hierarchy of the province. is on viewpoints and theories based on the hierarchical system of settlements. These theories are considered in terms of two Hamadan Province Vol. 2, No Autumn4,Vol. 2012 prominent attitudes at an international scale: 1. emphasizing Hamadan province covers an area of approximately 19491 traditional attitudes, the presence and survival of the focus Km2 in the west of Iran, , lying between latitudes 3359¢ pattern like growth pole is considered as a necessary requirement and 35 44¢ N and longitudes 47 47¢ and 4930¢ E. It has for the historical variation of development process, and the borders with Zanjan and Ghazvin provinces in the north, flow of populations towards premier focuses and their Lorestan province in the south, Markazi province in the east, economic development are analyzed in such terms (Rosen and Kermanshah province and a part of Kurdistan province and Resnick, 1980). 2. Economic-political viewpoint, by using in the west. According to the latest administrative divisions, the historical coincidence of development and modernization Hamadan province consists of 8 counties, i.e. Hamadan, Bahar, processes in undeveloped countries similar to that in present Razan, Asadabad, Toyserkan, Nahavand, Malayer, and developed countries, assumes the emergence of urban primacy Kabudarahang, 27 settlements, 23 districts, 72 rural districts, and growth focus as a significant sign of dependence and and 1085 populated villages (Tahmasebi, 2001). International JournalArchitecture of and Urban Development analyzes it in terms of global system of domination, commercial dependence, world trade investments, political, sociological, Study Procedure and economic brands, and insists more on decentralization In this section, having studied and analyzed different from premier focuses (Deicnmann and Henderson,2000; elements and parts of the under-study district, the researchget Masumi Eshkevari,2006). providing a morphological analysis (based on population factors) Derived theories from these viewpoints include two general cases: of the urban system of Hamadan province by using linear That is the most important principle among urban hierarchy regression models and the modified rank-size model. system theories and is derived from the central place theory As it is shown in Fig.1, linear model can be an appropriate that has been considered by Christaller (Bourne and Simons, model for population design, therefore, the researchuse the 1978; Berry and Horton, 1971;Hajipoor, 2003). According linear regression method in order to predict the population of to this theory, generally those places are assumed central that urban focuses of Hamadan province. Rank-size model can production activities are concentrated on, in order for commodity also be used that due to the existence of urban primacy production and service supply. The degree of the centrality phenomenon in Iran, the modified rank-size model compared of every city is determined by its rank so that the cities ranked to rank-size model represents relatively more logical results high have higher populations, larger sphere of influence, and in case of Hamadan province’s urban system analysis, because, higher amount and diversity of productive activities and also it not only retains the rank-size relation in the distribution of the commodities with a higher grade of production scale or population in the cities of a certain district but also calculates marketplace belong to this level, while, on the other hand, the percent of quota for each city’’s population in proportion cities with a lower rank are centers for supplying the commodities with the system set of that city (Behforouz, 1992). Modified and services that answer to the basic needs of people that rank-size formula is composed of the following items: th should be provided and purchased daily.