digitales archiv ZBW – Leibniz-Informationszentrum Wirtschaft ZBW – Leibniz Information Centre for Economics Mohammadi, Mahmood Article Assessing the impact of competitiveness on urban network transformation using social network analysis (case: Isfahan City-Region) Provided in Cooperation with: Iran Urban Economics Scientific Association, Tehran This Version is available at: http://hdl.handle.net/11159/3047 Kontakt/Contact ZBW – Leibniz-Informationszentrum Wirtschaft/Leibniz Information Centre for Economics Düsternbrooker Weg 120 24105 Kiel (Germany) E-Mail: [email protected] https://www.zbw.eu/econis-archiv/ Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen: Terms of use: Dieses Dokument darf zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Zwecken This document may be saved and copied for your personal und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden. Sie and scholarly purposes. You are not to copy it for public or dürfen dieses Dokument nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle commercial purposes, to exhibit the document in public, to Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, aufführen, vertreiben perform, distribute or otherwise use the document in public. If oder anderweitig nutzen. Sofern für das Dokument eine Open- the document is made available under a Creative Commons Content-Lizenz verwendet wurde, so gelten abweichend von diesen Licence you may exercise further usage rights as specified in Nutzungsbedingungen die in der Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte. the licence. Leibniz-Informationszentrum Wirtschaft zbw Leibniz Information Centre for Economics To cite this document: Mohammadi, M., Shahivandi, A., Moradi Chadgani, D., & Rastghalam, N. (2019). Assessing the Impact of Competitiveness on Urban Network Transformation Using Social Network Analysis (Case: Isfahan City-Region). Urban Economics and Management, 7(1(25)), 1-22. www.iueam.ir Indexed in: ISC, EconLit, Econbiz, SID, EZB, GateWay-Bayern, RICeST, Magiran, Civilica, Google Scholar, Noormags, Ensani ISSN: 2345-2870 Assessing the Impact of Competitiveness on Urban Network Transformation Using Social Network Analysis (Case: Isfahan City-Region) Mahmood Mohammadi Associate professor, Department of Urban Development, Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, Art University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran Ahmad Shahivandi Assistant professor, Department of Urban Development, Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, Art University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran Dariush Moradi Chadgani Assistant professor, Department of Urban Development, Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, Art University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran Niloofar Rastghalam* Master of Urban Planning, Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, Art University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran Received: 2018/04/19 Accepted: 2018/09/11 Abstract: The urban network is a collection of large and small cities, each of which, in terms of size and performance, affects the evolutionary process of the area. This study uses the two concepts of competitiveness and urban network to investigate the effective factors in the occurrence and intensification of inequalities in the urban network of Esfahan. In this regard, the changes and transformations of Esfahan urban network during three periods of 1375, 1385 and 1395 with regard to competitiveness indices and considering the distance Downloaded from iueam.ir at 12:41 +0430 on Thursday June 13th 2019 between cities (based on flow analysis method) and creation of competitiveness matrix, using urban network mapping In the social network analysis (Gephi) software is measured. In this way, for each concept at any given time, a separate network is plotted and analyzed. The results indicate that in the mentioned periods distribution of competitive ability as a stream of capital, labor, and information in the city-region of Esfahan has been unfair. As far as the metropolis of Esfahan with much difference, the gap in the urban hierarchy of city-regions Based on the concept of competitiveness. The second place in comparison with this view belongs to Najafabad and the third place belongs to Falavarjan. In addition, except for a few exceptions, the process of changing cities' competitiveness has been consistent with the process of changing the hierarchy of cities in the same time frame. Therefore, it can be said that the urban hierarchy pattern in the Esfahan urban network follows a competitive ranking. Keywords: Competitiveness, Urban Network, Esfahan City-Region, Social Network Analysis JEL Classification: D41, N75, O18, P25 * Corresponding author: [email protected] 2____________________________________________________ Urban Economics and Management 1- Introduction bases are hidden in the competitiveness of From a long time ago, cities have been the cities. Competitiveness and facilities a platform for struggle, battle, and competition absorb population just like magnitude and for power (Kamanroudi kajoori et al, 2010). caused an imbalance in the urban networks. This struggle and competition in the network The purpose of this research is to of developed cities has been accompanied trace the effects of the competitiveness on by an industrial revolution and, as a result, the Isfahan urban network transformation, the expansion of urban-rural relations and consisting of 37 cities approved by the development of urban networks, in all Isfahan city-region plan. Therefore, by economic, social, political, institutional collecting the variables of competitiveness and physical dimensions. While in the on the Isfahan urban network transformation developing countries which predominantly and tracing these indices during the have colonial past and still dominated by period of 1996, 2006 and 2016, and Western economic, political and cultural comparing them with the process of how backgrounds. The process of imbalance in the hierarchical changes of the Isfahan the urban network at the outset occurred city network during these periods of time, under economic and political domination the relationship between these two concepts or with the absence and insignificant is examined. The questions that this study impact of industrial development and so seeks to answer are as follows: hurried (Omidvar et al., 2009). This - What are the effective competitiveness acceleration and imbalance in the urban indices on Isfahan urban network networks has caused many problems in transformation? cities, like as the high density of populations - What is the impact of competitiveness in metropolitan, Marginalization, migration, on the hierarchy of Isfahan urban network fragmentation, and the emergence of (during the period of 1996, 2006 and 2016)? dormant cities and the loss of urban network balance. One of the concepts that 2- Literature Review Downloaded from iueam.ir at 12:41 +0430 on Thursday June 13th 2019 introduced to direct, manage urban At the global level, especially in the growth and development is competitiveness. Europe continent, many studies have been That has been described in the urban conducted on the concept of competitiveness. planning texts since the 1990s and has One of the most important of these become a major objective in the agenda studies is Martin (2012), which has been of the urban planning system (Bellu, et al. highlighted as one of the most important 2011). Competitiveness is directly linked reports of competitiveness assessment in to human capital, productivity, distribution the European Union. In this research, the of employment, the level of well-being identification and evaluation of competitiveness and ultimately the quality of life of the indicators in Europe and the measurement people. In fact, the relationship between of differences between countries in each competitiveness and these concepts is a indicator have been addressed and finally, two-way communication, that is, competitive a policy statement has been made to cities have a high level of concepts and balance the region (Martin 2012). the existence of these concepts also helps In another study in 2014, the concept to make cities more competitive (Bristow, of competitiveness has been addressed 2005). Accordingly, sources and incomes with regard to regional economic growth Assessing the Impact of Competitiveness on Urban Network Transformation … _____________ 3 theory. The results of this study indicate Provinces”, which aims to answer two that the economic dimension of competitiveness questions: “What is regional competitiveness” is considered as the main core of the ideas and “Why more area competitiveness of economic development and endogenous than other regions” is set. In this research development and plays a fundamental after identification of regional competitiveness role in the economic changes of the factors from different perspectives in the region (Huggins, Izushi, et al., 2014). documentary study method, finally, in a Another study examines the competitiveness constructive manner, using a structural of Turkey compared to Brazil, Russia, equation modeling model, an integrated India, China, South Korea, Malaysia, model of graceful competitiveness of the Colombia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Egypt and provincial regions of Iran has been South Africa. In this research, according obtained (Sharifzadegan & Nedayitoosi, to national competitiveness indicators, 2016). using the IMD and WEF method, the In addition, another study titled studied countries are classified into three “Measuring the Occupation of the elements homogeneous groups. The results indicate of Regional Competitiveness Development a favorable situation of Turkey’s in Iran”, aims to identify the development competitiveness