Document Type : Original Article
Subjects
One of the concepts proposed in recent years as a solution to the challenges arising from the increasing trend of urbanization and a means for cities to achieve sustainability is the concept of urban prosperity. Urban prosperity is considered a holistic and comprehensive approach that encompasses success, health, progress, and well-being. Improving the economic, social, political, and environmental quality provides the necessary foundation for the livability and sustainability of cities. The city of Mashhad, the second most populous metropolis in the country, and its urban regions are in a heterogeneous and unbalanced situation in terms of progress, health, and livability. Many regions of this city feature worn-out textures and informal settlements, and the living conditions of their residents are deteriorating. Additionally, among the other problems affecting Mashhad city regions, we can mention the weakness of urban management, air pollution, high population density, inadequate urban governance, and unequal distribution of services and facilities. All these issues in practice have led to the instability of these regions and a significant gap in prosperity and welfare, which has underscored the need for planning to improve the well-being of these regions. In this way, the present research has been conducted to measure and analyze the level of development of urban regions in Mashhad from the perspective of integrated components and indicators of urban prosperity.
The present study aims to investigate the level of urban prosperity in Mashhad's urban regions. Thus, according to its content, this research is quantitative in terms of method, purpose, and nature and is classified as applied research, as well as descriptive-analytical studies. Therefore, this research, based on the review of theoretical concepts regarding the approach to urban prosperity and the components and indicators that include it, has compiled the integrated criteria and indicators of urban prosperity in three categories as inclusive societies, open and dynamic economies, and capable and flexible people in order to analyze the level of development of the 13 regions of Mashhad.
In the following, based on the written assessment framework, a researcher-made questionnaire using the Likert scale was distributed among 390 residents of Mashhad. The sampling method used in this research is simply random, and questionnaires have been distributed proportionally to the population share of each region within the total population of Mashhad. Additionally, to assess the validity of the research questionnaire, content validity (based on expert opinion) and Cronbach's alpha were used to evaluate its reliability. The value obtained for this research was 0.881, indicating good reliability of the questionnaire distributed among the citizens of Mashhad. Finally, the results of this questionnaire were analyzed using cluster analysis and the TOPSIS technique.
According to the results of cluster analysis for stratifying urban regions of Mashhad from the perspective of urban prosperity, these regions are characterized by heterogeneous and unbalanced conditions in terms of urban prosperity. So that region 1 was at a relatively very favorable level, regions 8, 9, and 13 were at a favorable level, regions 2, 3, 6, 10, 11, and 12 were at a relatively favorable level, and regions 4, 5, and 7 were at a relatively unfavorable level in this respect. Also, based on the output of cluster analysis and TOPSIS technique in order to level and rank the urban regions of Mashhad from the point of view of the components and integrated indicators of urban prosperity, it was observed that the ranking results of the regions of this city from the perspective of urban prosperity corresponded to their leveling. In the ranking of Mashhad urban regions, regions 1, 13, and 9 were ranked first, second, and third in terms of urban prosperity, respectively. In the cluster analysis, these regions were clustered at relatively favorable and favorable levels, respectively. On the other hand, regions 7, 5, and 4 were ranked last in terms of urban prosperity, and in the cluster analysis, these regions were clustered at a relatively unfavorable level.
One of the innovative aspects of this research compared to previous studies is the formulation of its measurement framework based on integrated components and indicators for urban prosperity. In this context, Wang (2015) also discusses in his research the proposal of a stronger and more flexible framework for developing the urban prosperity index. This framework aims to properly examine the different sets of challenges facing cities in various regions under different socio-spatial contexts, thereby achieving sustainable prosperity.
Mashhad and its urban regions have faced many challenges in recent years due to their population growth. From the expansion of informal settlements to the increase in urban poverty and social inequality, all of these factors have had negative effects on the prosperity and welfare of these regions. Considering this necessity, this research has been conducted to measure and analyze the level of development of Mashhad's urban regions from the perspective of integrated components and indicators of urban prosperity. In this way, after mapping the measurement framework within the questionnaire tool, the data required for the research were extracted by questioning citizens, and its results were analyzed using cluster analysis and the TOPSIS technique. The results showed that more than half of the urban regions in Mashhad are in a relatively unfavorable situation in terms of urban prosperity, and among these regions, only one is in a relatively very favorable situation in this regard. Therefore, improving urban prosperity in Mashhad's urban regions requires revising the city's urban management to ensure fair distribution of services, creation of job opportunities, and provision of economic infrastructure, among other aspects, at the local level.
The manuscript did not receive a grant from any organization
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
