1. Introduction
The acceleration of urbanization is one of the prominent features that characterize human civilization over the past millennium [
1]. The process of urbanization has contributed significantly to the investment in infrastructures [
2], the expansion of consumer goods markets owing to the increase in urban residents’ incomes [
3], the development of the modern service industry and the promotion of industrial structures [
4]. However, apart from all the significant achievements, its destructive effects should not be ignored because urbanization acts as a “double-edged sword” [
5], leading to problems such as the extremely excessive use of natural sources and energy and the deterioration of the ecological environment [
6,
7].
Rapid urbanization and industrialization have led to excessive energy consumption, natural resource depletion, and serious environmental pollution, which has put intense pressure on the natural ecological environment [
7,
8]. In the present age, there is less balance between urban networks and natural contexts, so the linked set of cities dominates the vulnerable ecological systems [
9]. Accordingly, the ecological environment is in a fragile and critical situation in line with the rapid changes in development patterns and land uses [
10], which poses a grave threat to national and regional ecological security and sustainable development of social-ecological systems [
11,
12]. It should be noted that an area’s ecological environment is not only a guarantee for sustainable urbanization but also a basic need for residents, production, and life in both urban and rural settings [
13,
14,
15]. Thus, the ignorance of ecological infrastructure and the imbalance between the natural and artificial environment creates a crisis in livability [
16]. The ecological and environmental problems do not seem to be resolved easily; however, it is obvious that monitoring and assessing the status and change of ecology appear really essential in order to understand the complexity of the challenges and sustain ecological integrity [
17,
18]. In several studies, the assessment of environmental impact has been considered. The most important of these studies are: assessing the ecological effect on land use [
19,
20,
21], evaluating the potential influences of ecology and economic change [
22,
23,
24], and determining the effect of urbanization on ecological efficiency and interaction [
25,
26].
One of the considerable benefits of such an assessment is that it will make more efficient conservation planning possible through prioritizing threatened ecosystems and their related services according to their value and livability [
27].
Ecological livability assessment is one of the viable alternatives to establish complete equivalence between urban development processes and ecological ones in order to carry a reliable guarantee for sustainable and livable environments. This type of assessment is useful because livability is seen as a multidimensional, complex, and general concept [
28]. Livability represents the sustainability of the environment and also puts great emphasis on the interrelationship and the quality of adaptation between people and the environment [
29]. In other words, the livability of urban regions is considered a way to reduce the ecological footprint, avoid pollution and conserve natural resources in cities and surrounding areas [
28]. Therefore, assessing the ecological livability of areas is one of the effective measures that devise a win-win plan by considering the vulnerability of the ecosystem of areas. With the help of this sort of assessment, planners are given an excellent opportunity to make the most practical decisions about the ecosystems of each area and construct a diverse range of land-use and conservation scenarios more sustainably.
According to the abovementioned matters, it seems necessary to describe ecological livability. There is no single definition for the concepts of a livable city and urban ecological livability [
30,
31,
32]. However, many scholars laid stress on the long life and the requirements for the development of citizens [
33,
34,
35,
36,
37,
38,
39]. So, it can be said that human, his demands and survival are the heart of a livable city [
11,
40]. Various aspects arise from ecological livability, including the impact of natural, ecological, socio-economic, and regional-spatial environments on the life of individuals. Each of the aspects has been studied in different ways to recognize its specific role in promoting ecological livability [
41,
42,
43,
44,
45,
46,
47,
48]. In fact, ecological livability specifies how environmental sustainability and livability can be implemented [
49,
50]; hence, the construction of an ecologically livable city has become a significant issue in the rapid development of new urbanization [
51] because ecological livability accentuates the significance of ecology in planning and constructing of a livable urban city [
40]. Studies conducted to assess a city’s ecological livability mainly have dealt with two aspects of the ecological city and livable city. The assessment of ecological livability in a variety of topics (natural, socio-economic, and regional-spatial) were paid attention to in these studies. Most of the researches presented the model and evaluation index system for ecological livability, emphasizing different aspects [
40,
42,
52,
53]. Another group of studies prioritized biological elements and ranked the studied cities and regions in terms of ecological livability. In these studies, the effective drivers and indicators for promoting ecological livability were recognized [
27,
49,
51,
54,
55,
56].
Nevertheless, an issue that has received less attention in ecological livability studies is the comprehension of the potentials and limitations of the regions with the purpose of boosting livability in the sustainability framework. This is because that understanding the capabilities and limitations of regions is a win-win strategy between biological activities and ecological considerations, leading to sustainable livability, while inattention to the potentials and actual capacities and a lack of appropriate use of ecological-infrastructural potentials (EIPs) bring about the destruction of the environment, the reduction in biodiversity, the disturbance of regional ecosystem and the decrease in livability level. In this regard, this article intends to investigate the region’s capabilities in four types of activities, including agriculture-pasture, forestry, settlement, and tourism in Tonekabon (one of the northern cities of Iran) by asserting EIPs.
Tonekabon is located in the northern part of Iran and in the neighborhood of the Caspian Sea. According to the latest statistics provided from the country’s yearbook, the population of this city is 166,132 people, with an area of 1732/2 square kilometers (Statistics Center of Iran, 2020). In addition, it comprises four cities (Nashtarud, Khorramabad, Shiroud, and Tonekabon) located linearly near the coast of the Caspian Sea (
Figure 1 shows the spatial position of Tonekabon City). The city has coastal, plains, forests, and mountainous areas, and this ecological diversity is because of its location in a specific geographical location. Accordingly, the privilege of such ecosystem variations can be a proper platform to open up job opportunities, make tourism investments and planning, and create a healthy, safe, suitable, and environmentally friendly environment. Unfortunately, the current trend in the region points out a swift land-use change in favor of illegal construction, the rise of land prices, as well as distribution of tourists and tourism services without regard to ecological requirements (such as the development of construction and tourism facilities on the banks and riverside without consideration for legal issues related to river and coastal area) and the lack of investment in the sustainable revenue sector. Thus, it is essential to gain appropriate recognition of the extent of capabilities and potential of the region in the mentioned activities because, on the one hand, it is possible to develop and preserve the region’s ecology. On the other hand, sustainable regional development can be achieved by investing in activities.
Therefore, it seems necessary to investigate the ecological viability of Tonekabon City from several aspects: (1) Tonekabon City is considered one of the most important areas due to its natural, geological, cultural, and historical attractions. Therefore, investing in sustainable industries such as tourism can lead to the improvement in the livability of the residents; (2) This city has a suitable potential for development due to its location on the route of three provinces (Mazandaran, Gilan, and Qazvin). However, the management process in this city has not been able to lead to a development in the direction of urban sustainability and improving the quality of livability due to the lack of recognition of the potentials and potential facilities and the lack of proper planning; (3) Tonekabon, as a coastal city, has always been exposed to the most exploitation due to the presence of rich resources. During the last decade, the improper exploitation of these valuable resources has made most of the coastal areas face a critical and dangerous situation. As such, the pressures on them have exceeded their environmental tolerance capacity. Some of the most important reasons for putting pressure on these areas are population growth, excessive use of resources, pollution of coastal areas, development of activities incompatible with the environment, and lack of coordination between activities in the beach strip. Therefore, the above problems have faced a serious challenge to the livability of the residents of the coastal areas; (4) Tonekabon is considered one city that accepts immigrants in Iran. This city is considered one of Iran’s immigrant cities in the last decade. In addition, the phenomenon of reverse migration has intensified in Tonekabon City in recent years. Since migration is considered one of the factors of population change, it has negative and positive long-term and short-term effects; it has changed the social, economic, physical, and environmental structure of Tonekabon City. In addition to the intensification of land-use change in recent years as one of the consequences of the phenomenon of migration, the following can be mentioned as some of the most important consequences: increase in the price of land and housing, cultural and social dualism, increase in crime, destruction of landscapes, ecological instability, and indiscriminate construction. Therefore, the continuation of the above factors is a warning to reduce the livability of Tonekabon City.
2. Methodology
The emphasis of the present study is on ecological livability indicators (
Table 1). Therefore, the data were extracted from documentary sources, surveys, and spatial information. In fact, the documentary method of statistical yearbooks and the library research method were employed to collect views and experiences. The survey method contains observation and collected information that was stored in different data layers in the GIS database. Spatial information in the form of Vector, Raster, and Tin was assembled from organizations and sites. The data on land use and data related to Deme were extracted from the site of the Iran Mappin Organization, the data of electricity and gas lines were pulled out of the site of municipalities, and the data associated with roads were also obtained from OpenStreetMap. Then, spatial and non-spatial information was combined and analyzed after completing the database in GIS. In the next stage, the current situation of Tonekabon was evaluated and measured in ecological livability. It should be noted that in addition to using GIS analytical functions, including overlapping, buffering, etc., descriptive statistics in the shape of tables, geometric representations, and raster activities in the form of layer overlap analysis (index overlay) in ArcGIS Software were used in order to make a close analysis (
Table 2). Moreover, the Analytic network process (ANP) was exerted for weighting, and the Delphi method (opinion of experts) was applied to weight the indicators. Therefore, the details of the research steps can be described as follows:
The first step is the selection of effective factors in the assessment of ecological livability and the determination of the data matrix. Ecological livability indicators were determined by studying the research literature and characteristics of the studied area. The research indicators include topography (slope, aspect, altitude), land-use compatibility, land capability (hydrology, geomorphology), road accessibility, and distance from electricity transmission lines, distance from gas transmission lines).
The second step is to draw information layers (indices). After selecting the layers and sorting the data, the initial layers were drawn according to the explanation that the slope layer and elevation layers of the area were obtained by preparing the DEM map. The Raster Surface tool has been used to draw slope and aspect maps.
In order to draw the compatibility of land uses, the GIS-based layers were prepared with the shape file formats. Then, using Distance and Reclassify tools, standard distances were defined based on the degree of land-use compatibility with respect to the four activities.
After preparing the hydrological and geomorphological layers, the geometrical correction was performed to draw the land capability map. After preparing the layers, each indicator was classified. Therefore, according to the characteristics of each of the four activities, the classification of hydrological and geomorphological indicators was different (for example, the type of soil depth classification, which is one of the geomorphological indicators for agricultural activities, is sometimes different from residential activities if they are sometimes placed on the third floor for residential purposes). The next step was the integration of land capability layers. The Intersect tool was used to integrate the hydrology and geomorphology layers. After integration, the next step was grading for indicators. This is performed by applying limitations in Gis. Therefore, the Field Calculator tool was used to define the limit/no limit for land capability. Then, in the final stage, the land’s capability was classified using the Select by Attributes tool. Therefore, the degree of land capability was drawn according to the nature of each of the four activities.
Euclidean Distance, Processing Extent, and Raster Analysis tools were used to draw maps of distance from communication ways and distance from gas and electricity lines. In this part, the standard intervals for each of the indicators were chosen according to the characteristics of the complications.
The third step is to determine the weight of the indicators. Delphi method (opinion of experts) was used to weight the indicators. The statistical community of experts included specialists in the field of urban planning and experts in environment, ecology, ecotourism, and geography. In addition, 10 people were selected as the sample size by using targeted sampling. Finally, after obtaining the importance of each indicator, the combination of the obtained weights and the determination of priorities were discussed. It should be noted that the weight of each indicator for the four activities (due to the difference in functional nature) was calculated separately.
In order to determine the appropriate places for the development of activities (fourth step), the layers had to be classified first. How many layers each layer has, and which layers are the most important in each layer? Reclassify tool was used for this. In this section, each layer is valued according to the number of floors. Each class that has the most importance was given the highest number (for example, in the present study, the slope indicator has 10 classes). The lowest slope in each class (due to more suitable conditions for activities) was given a score of 10. Therefore, according to the functional nature of the four activities, the importance level of each of the classes has been different for the layers. The next step was to use the Raster Calculator tool to overlay and calculate the weight of the layers. Therefore, the weights obtained according to experts’ opinion and with the ANP method were multiplied in the layers using this tool. In the next and final stage, the Symbology tool was used to classify and determine suitable places for the development of activities. It should be noted that all these processes were performed separately for the four activities. Therefore, the stages of research are briefly mentioned in
Figure 2.
The Analytic Network Process (ANP)
The analytic network process (ANP) is one of the multicriteria decision-making techniques. This method was introduced by Thomas L. Saaty in 1996 and is a continuation of the AHP method. ANP has all the positive features of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), such as simplicity, flexibility, the use of quantitative and qualitative criteria simultaneously, the ability to check consistency and judgments, the analysis of complex relationships between elements, with the difference that this method does not assume that there is no relationship between different levels. The components in the hierarchical structure are made up of different rules that usually affect the low-level components on the higher-level components. In this situation, the system has a network structure from which the ANP model is derived. All elements in a network can communicate with each other. Therefore, ANP can be considered as consisting of two main parts: control hierarchy and network communication. Hierarchical control include the relationship between the goal, criteria, and sub-criteria, and it affects the internal communication of the system, and network communication includes the dependence between elements and clusters. The implementation of the ANP involves the following four main steps [
68]:
Step 1: Transforming the problem into a network structure
Step 2: Pairwise comparison and determination of priority vectors
Step 3: Supermatrix formation and converting it into a limit supermatrix
Step 4: Prioritizing and selecting alternatives
ANP is unique in that it provides composite scores, which indicate the relative ranking of different options available to the decision maker. However, some of the disadvantages of the ANP method include identifying the problem-related features and determining their relative importance in the decision-making process, multiple pairwise comparison matrices formation, and spending a long time to perform calculations.
4. Discussion
This study used ecological viability parameters to plan and develop land uses and activities. According to the conditions of the study area, it seems that factors such as slope, elevation, and land capability in assessing the area’s potential had the greatest impact on different uses because the variety of these factors in the region is very high. For example, the slope of the area varies from 0 to more than 65%. Therefore, in the region, a slope of less than 15% is possible for agricultural and residential activities, and higher slopes are possible for forestry and tourism activities.
In general, the factors are widely influential in assessing land potential in a region where they have the most immense diversity in the region and put the most constraints.
In the present study, the status of EIPs for four activities is presented in five classes. Classes 1 and 2 (suitable and moderately suitable) represent lands with high EIPs. Class 3 (medium) indicates lands with medium EIPs, and classes 4 and 5 (moderately unsuitable and unsuitable) show lands with low and very weak EIPs.
4.1. Agricultural Activity
The results of studies show that the suitable slope for agricultural activities is less than 15%. All the northern parts and a significant part of the central parts of the city have suitable slopes for agricultural activities.
In the land-use compatibility index, most parts of the city are compatible with agricultural activities. Limited parts in the north (coastal part) are incompatible for development due to the high density of housing and population.
In the land capability index, areas with low elevation are considered suitable for the development of agricultural activities. Therefore, a large part of the southern parts is not suitable for the development of this activity due to the high elevation. The coastal part is also unsuitable for developing agricultural activities due to the characteristics of the land’s hydrology, salinity, and sandiness. The suitable parts of the land for the development of agricultural activity are the central parts of the city because they are in suitable condition in terms of underground water level, topographic and geological features.
The next indicator of ecological viability is access to roads. Roads are considered vital arteries and the most important infrastructure factor for agricultural activities. The northern areas of Tonekaban have a more suitable situation for the development of agricultural activities in terms of access to roads because access to suitable roads, in addition to reducing transportation costs and travel time, plays an important role in the economic development of agriculture. As the distance from the roads increases and access becomes more difficult, the development becomes less suitable for agricultural activities. The southern areas of Tonekaban lack suitable land for agricultural activities due to the lack of proper road access.
In the indicators of distance from electricity and gas lines, optimal places for agricultural activities are places that are far from these lines. Therefore, the optimal places for the development of agricultural activity are the central and southern parts, considering the establishment of gas channels and power lines in the northern parts. The final evaluation of all the indicators for agricultural activity shows that the northern (far from the coastal zone) and central parts have been evaluated as very suitable areas for agricultural activity.
When it comes to agricultural-pasture activities, classes 1 and 2 can be considered suitable for the main agricultural activities, and classes 4 and 5 can be regarded as suitable for pasture activities. The findings of this study clarify that areas with agricultural potential 1 and 2 are mainly located on slopes with low percentages and fertile soils and short distances from residential centers.
Table 6 indicates the area and percentage of ecological potential of lands for agricultural activities. In this paper, 35% of the study area has a high potential for agriculture and pasture activities, 49.5% is on the medium level, and less than 15% is unsuitable for agriculture and pasture. The correct interpretation of the results and their comparison with the region’s conditions reveal that in relatively wide areas with the potential of grades 1 and 2 for agriculture, the existing conditions are favorable for agriculture and this activity should be developed and strengthened. In the region with grade 3 (medium), conditions for gardening and farming can be suitable for other sectors and ancillary activities of agriculture, such as conversion industries and forage cultivation.
4.2. Forestry Activity
The slope plays an important role in evaluating the ecological potential of the area for forestry. The inappropriate slope of some parts (especially the southern areas) leads to restrictions in forestry-related activities, including working with different machines, limiting the presence in the forest area, harsh climatic and environmental conditions, and the like. Therefore, lower slopes are more favorable for forestry (although some sources have not considered a limit for the slope for forestry activity). The northern and central parts have been evaluated as very suitable for developing forestry activities due to the slope of the region.
In the land-use compatibility index, most parts of the city are compatible with forestry activities. Limited parts in the north (coastal area) are incompatible for development due to the high density of housing and population because the development of land uses related to human and population activities are opposed to forestry activities.
In the land capability index, high forested mountains are prioritized for the development of forestry activities. Except for the northern parts of the region (due to lack of forest cover), other parts of the region are considered suitable for the development of forestry activities due to suitable forest cover. The northern region, especially the region’s coastal areas, is unsuitable for the development of forestry activities due to the lack of forest cover and the land’s hydrology, salinity, and sandy nature.
In the Road accessibility index (RAI), the parts located near the main roads are not evaluated as suitable for the development of forestry activities because the destruction of forest lands accompanies the construction of the crossing and reconstruction of roads and streets. Therefore, the central and southern parts of the region are suitable for the development of forestry activities due to the distance from the main road networks. In indicators of distance from electricity and gas lines, such as agricultural activities, optimal places for forestry activities are places that are far from these lines. Therefore, a significant part of the optimal places for the development of forestry activities is the central and southern parts.
According to the final valuation, the central and southern parts are suitable for forestry activities. One of the most important reasons for this is the high density of forest lands in these parts and the high share of land-use compatibility indicators and land capability for the development of this activity.
The outcomes of potential ecological assessment for forestry use demonstrate that the second class (moderately suitable) has the highest level with an area of 42.9% of the total area. In the second place is the first class (suitable), where 32.28% of the lands are situated in this part, and this shows that more than 70% of the lands have a high ecological potential for forestry and less than 11% have low ecological potential (
Table 6).
4.3. Tourism
The suitable slope for tourism activity was considered to be less than 25%. There is a possibility of tourism activities on slopes of more than 25%, but it is not considered due to geological risks and lower economic efficiency. The northern and central parts are suitable for the development of tourism activities due to the slope of the region.
Compatible areas for the development of tourism activities are located in limited parts of the north of the region, which are the coastal part. The reason for the limitation of the ranges in the compatibility index is that; the development of tourism activities leads to a huge demand for recreational land use and causes changes in the land use pattern.
In the land capability index, forested mountains are suitable for developing tourism activities. Most parts of the region, especially the central and southern parts, are suitable for developing tourism activities due to the suitable forest cover.
In the Road accessibility index (RAI), the parts that are located near the main roads are prioritized for the development of tourism activities. Therefore, the northern parts have been evaluated as suitable centers for the development of tourism activities due to the access to the main road networks. In the indicators of distance from electricity and gas lines, the optimal places for tourism activities are the places that are close to these lines. Therefore, the northern and central parts are suitable for developing this activity. As it was determined from the final evaluation, the central parts and parts of the north (especially the coastal part) have been evaluated as suitable for tourism activities. One of the most important reasons for this is the coast in the north of the region and the density of forest land, low elevation, suitable slope, and access to infrastructure in these parts.
On the other hand, in
Table 6, less than 15% of the lands are unsuitable for tourist activities, and more than 70% are in the first, second, and third classes (suitable, moderately suitable, and medium) for locating tourism activities.
4.4. Residential Activity
The slope plays a vital role in choosing the right and optimal place to establish settlements and service networks and reduce natural disasters. Establishing settlements on high slopes should always be considered a limiting factor in providing services and other activities. As the slope increases, the cost of construction and deployment of equipment and facilities increases greatly. Therefore, the appropriate slope for settlement activity was considered less than 15%. The northern area of Tonekabon is the best place for the development of settlements. Currently, the highest population density is scattered in the northern part and on the beach strip.
The central and southern parts of Tonekabon have been evaluated because of unsuitable places due to the increase in the height of settlements, because in high lands, in addition to the problems that exist in terms of high economic costs, transportation, etc., for settlements and activity, in terms of climate also causes problems, because the high reduction in the atmosphere and as a result, the reduction in oxygen that occurs at high elevations is dangerous for life and permanent settlement. Ease of access to urban services, comfort, efficiency, utility, health, and safety standards have been the essential principle in the compatibility criteria for the development of settlement activities. Distance from polluting uses (industrial, transportation land uses, etc.) and proximity to complementary land uses are sometimes considered among the most important compatibility criteria due to the nature of the residential activity because they increase accessibility and efficiency. According to the above description, the northern areas (half-beach) are suitable for development due to the presence of complementary uses and access to urban services and facilities.
In the land capability index, flood plains and areas with low elevation are suitable for the development of settlement activity. According to the features of land capability, the northern parts and the beach strip have the most suitable lands for developing residential activities. With the increase in altitude and change in topographical conditions, change in texture and type of soil and rock, the conditions are limited for the development of settlement activities, so the southern parts are very unsuitable for developing these activities.
In the road accessibility index, such as tourism and agricultural activities, proximity to the main roads is suitable for the development of residential activities. Therefore, the northern and central parts are very suitable for developing these activities. In the indicators of distance from electricity and gas lines, the optimal places for residential activities are sometimes close to these lines. Therefore, the northern and central parts are suitable for the development of this activity. The final valuation for residential activities shows that; the northern areas have more suitable lands than the southern areas. One of the most important reasons that can be mentioned is the topographical factors and access to roads and services.
The assessment of the ecological potential for residential use proves that more than 54% of the lands are in a very suitable condition for residential use (
Table 6). As can be seen, more than 73% were assessed as suitable and moderately suitable for residential activities.
5. Conclusions
Assessment of ecosystem viability is performed according to the uniqueness of each region’s ecological characteristics based on that region’s criteria and regulations. According to the characteristics of Tonekabon City, the indicators of topography (slope, aspect, elevation), land-use compatibility, land capability (hydrology, geomorphology), road access, distance from electricity transmission lines, distance from gas transmission lines were used to evaluate the ecological viability.
According to the results of the surveys, the southern part of Tonekabon City is surrounded by high elevations and mountains. The southern areas lack development capabilities for some activities. Among the four activities of the current research, only the development of forestry activities is possible in this part. Therefore, activities such as residential, agriculture, and even tourism are facing restrictions for development due to the inappropriate elevation and slope and the presence of thick and dense vegetation and trees in the southern areas, but the compatibility of land uses and land capability is more important for the development of forestry activities. Therefore, areas with a high tree and forest cover density have a more suitable ecological capacity for development.
In the studied area, the most crucial land limitation factors for agricultural development are slope and erosion, depth, texture, and soil salinity. The high slope causes erosion in agricultural areas (rainfed and irrigated), which causes many problems when compared to low slope land. However, access to infrastructures such as roads and communication networks plays an important role in the development of this activity. Therefore, the northern (far from the coast) and central parts of Tonekabon are suitable for agricultural activities. The southern parts of the city do not have suitable lands for the development of agricultural activities due to the steep slope.
Nurmiaty and Baja (2013) researched to evaluate land suitability based on spatial analysis for the development of agricultural products (maize) in Marus, South Sulawesi, Indonesia and concluded that the most important limiting factor for agricultural development in the region is the steep slope. Therefore, it is consistent with the results of the present research.
In the northern parts of Tonekabon City, which is in the form of plains, it has almost the ability and potential for all activities except forestry. Meanwhile, tourism and settlement activities sometimes have more ideal conditions for development due to suitable topographical conditions and access to communication and infrastructure networks. According to the results of the research, the development of tourism and residential activities in the southern parts of Tonekabon has a pattern that contradicts the principles of sustainable development.
In fact, the development of tourism and residential activities is in conflict with the approach of sustainable development with the destruction of land resources and productive lands (agricultural and orchards), while land resources are considered to be the main ecological resources of any tourist destination, destruction, and unprincipled changes mean the destruction of tourism resources. Rocky and uneven lands, steep slopes, weak communication and infrastructure networks, and the lack of establishment of complementary uses in the southern areas of Tonekabon are the reasons for the limitation of development for settlement and tourism activities.
Therefore, the northern and central zones have high power and potential for establishing settlement and tourism activities. It is important to note that the simultaneous implementation of several activities in one place is not possible in most cases to maintain the stability of the area, and the best activity or use must be chosen for it among the options of available activities.
The results of this study, such as the other ecological livability researches ([
21,
25,
46] Li et al., 2021; Zhao et al., 2022). Take the impact of ecological aspects, environment, and ecosystem into consideration. The outcomes of the above studies emphasize that in addition to ecological indicators, the level of development of public services and urban infrastructure (physical-social indicators) have consequential effects on ecological livability, which is consistent with the result of the current paper. The present study can be a useful and reliable reference for livability analysis with a sustainable development approach because the focus of the study is on understanding the strengths and limitations of the study area. Consequently, the evaluation model of the present study can be the basis of work for future studies to provide the basic and rational groundwork for creating a scientific, accurate, and comprehensive system in the future.
Recommendations
1. The existence of different organizations for each of the activities is one of the problems in the development of activities, which causes many problems. Organizations responsible for the settlement include the Municipality, The Department of Roads and Urban Development, Gas Company, Electricity Company, and Water Company. The organization accountable for agriculture is Agriculture Jihad. The organization responsible for tourism is the Department of Cultural Heritage and Tourism. The responsibility for forestry activities is also the responsibility of the Natural Resources and Watershed Management Organization. All these organizations evaluate the problems according to their facilities and work duties and lack a comprehensive vision. In addition, there is no meaningful relationship between them, and there is no proper interaction between them in urban problems. For this reason, many costs are brought into the city system every year due to the inconsistency of the organizations. Therefore, integrated urban management is an essential prerequisite for the development of activities. Integration in system management, in addition to the effective interaction of organizations, facilitates management by addressing all elements and saves time and efficiency.
2. It is necessary not to use the resources indiscriminately, not to destroy the land, and to pay attention to the criteria of sustainable development considering the high ecological potential of the region for the development of activities;
3. As it was determined, the northern and central areas are suitable for developing tourism and residential and agricultural activities. Therefore, developing infrastructure (hotels, parks, restaurants, etc.) and communication networks in the northern and central areas is necessary;
4. Attracting investment is one of the most critical factors in the development of activities. Various companies and organizations can be encouraged to invest by introducing the potential of the region through creating websites, holding conferences, printing books and brochures, and making films.