Journal of Spatial Analysis

Today urban livability reflects a powerful discourse in urban development and city design that is prevalent in urban planning literature suggests that there is an ideal relationship between the urban environment and the social life .On the one hand, the livability indicates the strong urban influence and attraction. On the other hand, the livability will further strengthen the urban connectivity and influence by attracting more investment, human and cultural resources. The livability of a city is closely related with a healthy and ecological city and sustainable urban development. This study aimed to measure the livability in the neighborhood of  region(2) of Sanandaj city and research methodology is descriptive-analytical.  A base map of the study area was prepared using Arc view Software. The region (2) is located in the central parts of the Sanandaj city.and the population of region is 239,965. The sample size was calculated using the formula Cochran. Therefore, 370 residents of neighborhood filled the questionnaire and expressed their viewpoint about the indicators of livability. A data collection method with respect to the merits of subject is Library and field method. The filled questionnaire by residents of different aspects of livability is measured. According to the Social features, facilities, geographic, economicfacilities and services available in the region , urban managers and experts have weighted the dimension and index of urban livability.The index of economic, social and environmental livability was calculated and  the sum of these three dimensions is considered as total livability.To assess the livability of neighborhoods, data from filled questionnaires by people have been analyzed by the software GIS, SPSS and Excel. Using hot spots, three indicators and total livability of each neighborhood displayed.The results of the analysis of economic indicators showed that the areas in  the western parts of the city  are hotter and more color spots, But in the East and South East areas neighborhoods, like Shahrdari, Sepahdegaran  have  in colder and less color spots. This actually shows the cluster distribution of economic indicators. Also the results of the analysis of social indicator showed that spatial distributon is cluster neighborhoods like Khosow Abad, Masnav, Chahar Divari, Mobarak Abad are in the hotter spots and neighborhood Adab, Varmaghani, Hassan Abad are in colder spots.The resualts for environmental indicator reveals  that spatial distribution is cluster. Mriginal neighborhoods are in colder spots and Nezam Mohandsi and Shardari town and Degaran allocated the lowest Z. In contrast neighborhood like Mobarak Abad and Khosrow Abad are in hotter spots. Analysis of hot spots for total livability implies that neighborhood in West area of city follow clusters of  hotter spots and the South East neighborhood follow colder spots. This can result in injustice in space services and  the lack of performance in order to improve the quality of the environment and quality of life in area, livability is defined as one of the aspects that could contribute to a high quality of living, because high quality of living will affect citizen's lifestyles, health condition and shows stability of the built environment. most researchers agree that livability refers to the environment from the perspective of the individual and also includes a subjective evaluation of the quality of the place so measurement of urban livability   for all places promote the perception of urban managers and planners and with such knowledge, the path will be open for practical, creative and futuristic management of the urban environment. In relation to the livability of neighborhoods to each other, spatial and non-spatial analysis shows that areas with different ratings are compared to each other. With respect to results of measurements of livability: centrally located neighborhood is more livable than their peripheral counterparts which may calculate that location has significant importance in the pattern of livability. Therefore spatial distribution of dimension and index of livability is not the same extent.The results showed that between main dimensions of neighborhood livability is not different. But in terms of spatial distribution, three dimensions are not equally distributed and it is cluster. Ranking based on total index indicate neighborhood of Khosrow Abad with score (3.279) is ranked at first and Sharif Abad with score (2.228)is ranked at last.

As an important factor to be considered, rapid population growth, lack of resources and appropriate management has led the natural hazards threatening human societies increasingly. Although it is impossible to eliminate the effects of natural hazards, however, risk reduction and risk cities against natural phenomena has become the main topics of urban planning and design in recent years. Iran is one of the countries that are faced with numerous natural hazards. With Location and geographical characteristics, Iran is a main country located in earthquake belt; therefore earthquake is one of the main natural hazards in human settlements. Now, more than 70 percentage of Iran are at risk of earthquake. This study investigated spatial effects of urban roads and network on vulnerability in Amirieh neighborhoods. The aim of this study, identification and isolation of factors affecting the vulnerability of urban streets and quantify the effect of each factor is the vulnerability. Amirieh neighborhood with 10 (he) area, located in center of Sabzevar city. Amirieh is part of the detorated urban fabric in Sabzevar, therefore, earthquakes it is one of the main threats of this urban historic neighborhood. As a holistic approach, safety and immunization of the city is in regard with the recognition of constituent elements of urban structure completely. Comprehensive identification is aimed at reducing the vulnerability of urban and urban elements. In order to, one of the most important elements is the road network and impacts on the vulnerability of urban neighborhoods. Neighborhood is smallest unit of urban spatial planning that has the most important role in the planning and reduction at the risks of natural hazards. The spatial relationships between the components of an urban system that can fit through association with the whole city would be reduced environmental hazards, particularly earthquakes.-From planning perspective, any activity be organized in small-scale and size, will increase the possibility of its constituent elements in crisis management. The vulnerability of urban networks in related to spatial structure and impact on other infrastructure directly. The nature of the vulnerability of urban streets can be based on three factors: the structure, origin and traffic. As a structure, form and pattern of urban access associated with the vulnerability that this pattern is in related to urban network movement geometry and topological properties. Road network and access can be analyzed spatially by both composition and configuration. Composition of road network affected by the physical geometry and presented in different scales and defined by location, form, length, angle and direction. While the configuration is sets of the points witch defined by the related lines. Roads determine accessibility to critical points, and are including topological features, displacement, time travel or transport costs.

In analysis process of data and maps, scientific methods and models were used such as geographic information systems (GIS), the Analytic Hierarchy Process and method (AHP) and weighted overlaying map. Research method involves the following steps:

1. Introduction of indicators: In order to determine the vulnerability of the network in the various aspects needed to be based on the criteria established to determine the vulnerability and damaging. In this study, selected Indicators include: Type of road, the width of road, construction quality, density, population density and age of the buildings.
2. To determines the importance and ranking criteria: Each of the above criteria has the sub-criteria which based on expert opinions, and comparing them with field studies. The (AHP) was used to weight sub-criteria for the experts and paired comparison.
3. To weight the criteria: At this stage, the selection criteria are weighted by research. To determine weights, the criteria and sub-criteria, were quantified by which is determined measure the intensity excellence criterion of i to j. At this step, the above criteria and sub-criteria in the form of a questionnaire was given weight by the Group of Experts. Then, weights of each criterion was determined the final weight by Expert Choice software.
4. Layers integration and production of Vulnerability final map: in order to produce the final map of vulnerability, the command Raster Calculator and weighted overlap method was used in the GIS environment. Density calculation is one of the suitable methods of spatial analysis. we calculated the density to represent the value of points or lines in the form of levels. In this study was used Kernel density equation for converting line to surface value, due to represent of spatial value. Map applying numerical value to each pixel density is formed in the periphery.

In Amirieh neighborhood, Results show that width of streets, land use, population density, quality of construction and age of building will be in the range of medium to high vulnerability. In this study, 50% of the length of passages, more than 73 percent of the quality of the existing structure, 69% of land uses, and more than 40 percent of population density were classified in the range of high to very high vulnerability. The final vulnerability map shows that more than 58% of the total area is in the range of high and very high vulnerability. The areas with moderate vulnerability involve 19 percent of the entire neighborhood approximately. The final map shows that areas with low vulnerability appropriate width placed adjacent to the passages open while the passages the end and low width are critical zone of significant congestion. Too, the results showed that the topological characteristics of the network involved in the formation of critical points. So that in the event of a crisis and then could impair relief and evacuation of the neighborhood. From spatial perspective, vulnerability is influenced by two urban network properties:

1. Urban network structure: The street network is determined based on geometric features. This communication and spatial distribution of the points and roads in the neighborhood.
2. Spatial hierarchy: Spatial hierarchy access to the neighborhood of the important points is that the crisis could guarantee public services.

In the present era, most cities have been faced with numerous problems. But the environmental dimension has been more challenging. Many urban professionals constantly seek to present effective solutions in order to prevent damage to the environment. Thus, theories, models and many views in this subject have taken, including livability approach derived by the school of sustainable development. So today, as one of the views livability approach is rooted in the theory of sustainable development has been focused on, and the above approach can cause problems in multiple cities. In this research, Region 17 of Tehran as the most problem area, was selected; and the overall goal of this study is assessing the livability of the Region 17’s neighborhoods, and the objective aims are including the assessing of livability dimensions, i.e. the environmental, the historical pattern, the urban management policies, the social, services, activities and facilities, the urban economy at the local level and identifying the livability homogeneous clusters and assessment the impact of livability’s variables, dimensions and indicators in that area. According to the study of the history and theoretical foundations of livability, the most important dimensions, indicators and items related to livability were extracted and the all selected dimensions and indicators, rooted in history and theoretical basis of their livability. In the present study include the following six dimensions of environmental, historical pattern, urban management policies, social, services, activities and facilities, urban economy with 20 indicators and 94 items were considered and the pattern of research in terms of goal, is cognitive; in terms of nature and method, is comparative – assessment; and about location of territory is Tehran’s Region 17, in respect of timing, is temporal and related to the 2015. Combined data collection method is combined0 (documents, survey) and it is the type of quantitative-qualitative data (questionnaire). The data used in the research is preliminary data that were obtained by questionnaire. The statistical society are the residents and citizens of Tehran’s Region 17 who are questioning. The necessary actions to operationalize the research was conducted in several stages: 1) Adjustment of questionnaire (using five Likert scale ranging from very low to very high range, verifying the validity by experts, verifying the performance reliability of the questionnaire by using the Cronbach's alpha in software of SPSS as a result 0.8), 2) Determining the sample size and sampling (400 samples determined by Cochran formula, using multi-stage sampling), 3) Entering data into SPSS software and doing the statistical tests (parametric statistical tests such as one sample T-test, ANOVA, Friedman) analyzing the data by SPSS and statistical tests of one sample T-test, ANOVA, Friedman, represents the undesirable od livability and its dimensions, the difference between neighborhood in terms of livability and more economic effectiveness on the livability of Region’s 17 and its neighborhoods, 4) The showing of spatial diagrams of research findings and preparing the livability’s maps by using ArcGis software and interpolation method. Ultimately, according to the findings and viewpoints of researchers and field observations, it can be concluded that the causes of problems in this area should be within the region and neighborhoods, it's time to overcome the situation that has been searched. In other words, the root of the problems in the above range is due to its geographical bed’s situation and other substrate characteristics. The meaning of geographical bed’s situation, climatic and tectonic characteristics of the area and the order of the micro-feature is the problems with the nature of the social, economic, administrative, infrastructure etc, so that were formed following the influx of population. Until two important problems raised in this region is not considered to be flows: 1) Geographic bed features, 2) the capacity of Region 17 for accommodation of population and services to them.

Most of the large cities in developing countries have faced with the problem of informal settlements. The formation and growth of these settlements for reasons such as rapid and outside the customs building construction are the threatening issue for their communities. Informal settlements are areas that often shaped and expanded in major and middle cities of the Iran’s cities including the city of Parsabad. During the last decades, the rapid growth of urbanization and the lack of appropriate planning for low-income families housing leads to the formation of the urban informal settlements in most cities of the Iran. In most cases, these settlements have a structural and demographic dense texture. The structural texture of these settlements is often fine aggregate, impermeable, and unstable. In times of crisis, the possibilities of human and material losses to them are high.

Environmental hazards such as earthquakes are a serious threat to these settlements. However, these hazards in most developing countries, due to the unavailability and lack of preventive actions, end to the crisis. We cannot prevent earthquakes. But we can reduce the losses and damages caused by the earthquakes. Remove of the disaster is impossible, but it is possible to reduce the damage caused by the disaster. One of the most important ways to reduce the risk of earthquakes is preparation to deal with earthquakes. Preparation means having previous programs and plans.

     Iran is one of the countries where earthquakes always happen. Because Iran located in the world's earthquake belt, each year on average about 1,000 earthquakes happening in Iran. Ardebil and Pars-Abad city, located in an area that the possibility of earthquakes shakings in these areas, is more. The Zire Nahre Torab Neighborhood is one of the Parsabad city’s informal settlements that located in the northwest of the city. Regarding the possibility of an earthquake in the city of Pars Abad, identification and assessment the vulnerability of the neighborhood during an earthquake, is essential. Therefore, identifying and assessing the vulnerability, especially in the poor neighborhoods to offer strategies for dealing with the injuries, is essential. The aim of this study is assessing vulnerability of the informal settlements during an earthquake by using spatial data and GIS. This study, have been prepared in fifth main parts including: introduction and background, methodology and presentation of case study, theoretical framework, analysis and conclusions.  

This research in terms of the nature is practical and is descriptive and in terms of the method is analytical. Three methods including library, documentary and survey have been used for data collection. In the first phase, data and base maps were extracted from documents and reports of projects such as city comprehensive and detailed plans. Also, in this phase of the study data were updated. In the second phase, the problem, questions and research objectives were defined. In the third phase, the 3 criteria and 12 sub-criteria based on research literature and according to available data were selected. In the fourth phase, after preparation of databases related to each of the criteria in GIS, input layers were prepared for each of them. In the fifth step, the method of network analysis process (ANP) was used to determine the significance of criteria. In the sixth phase, the weighted overlay index (WOI) was used for combining output layers.

The results of this study show that more than 80% of neighborhood buildings are vulnerable against the risk of a possible earthquake. Also, research findings suggest that physical characteristics such as building structure, quality and age of the buildings will have the greatest role in determining the neighborhood buildings vulnerability level. Doing activities such as resisting buildings, improving roads, locating facilities in appropriate places, training and informing citizens to prevent a crisis caused by the possible earthquakes, is essential. Other recommendations are listed in below:

1. Identifying vulnerable buildings
2. The use of GIS in the management of settlements
3. Preparations cities, to deal with urban hazards
4. Empowering citizens to deal with environmental hazards
5. Action to reduce earthquake risk
6. Civil engineering Renovation of buildings
7. New practices in the urban construction
8. Equip cities with facilities and relief supplies.
9. The use of specialists in urban planning.
10. Conducting workshops on urban resilience.