Next Article in Journal
Dynamic Shear Strength Characteristics of Lightweight Sand-EPS Soil
Previous Article in Journal
Work Environment as a Moderator Linking Green Human Resources Management Strategies with Turnover Intention of Millennials: A Study of Malaysian Hotel Industry
 
 
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
Article

Measuring Urban Sustainability over Time at National and Regional Scale for Addressing United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11: Iran and Tehran as Case Studies

by
Keihan Hassanzadehkermanshahi
1 and
Sara Shirowzhan
2,*
1
School of Urban Planning, University of Tehran, Enghelab Street, Tehran 1417935840, Iran
2
School of Built Environment, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sustainability 2022, 14(12), 7402; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14127402
Submission received: 27 April 2022 / Revised: 10 June 2022 / Accepted: 13 June 2022 / Published: 16 June 2022
(This article belongs to the Section Sustainable Urban and Rural Development)

Abstract

:
It is evident that relations between political conditions and community development have become sophisticated in recent years. More people now live in urbanized areas, and this ongoing urbanization has various ramifications. Many countries are facing swift urban transformation which alters their regional development patterns. Urban sprawl, migration and rural depopulation, regional inequalities, increasing urban poverty, and social injustice are some of these emerging problems. Assessing regional development for identifying the aforementioned predicaments is really imperative and related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11. However, there are limited studies that focus on the assessment of regional sustainable development at both national and regional scales, simultaneously. Thus, this study aims to fill the gap by developing a robust method that can assess and compare the level of sustainability in various regions and at varying scales. This helps to identify areas where urgent prevention or mitigation strategies and action plans are required. In this study, we strived to evaluate Iran’s regions and Tehran’s provinces based on sustainability indicators. To end this, the authors use factor analysis and F’ANP model in both assessments. The results of the study show that Tehran Province was the most developed province, and its F’ANP result was 2.006. Tehran is 10% more sustainable than the third region in the country which is Khorasan Razavi. Isfahan and Khorasan Razavi provinces were in the next in rank with scores of 1.984 and 1.8, respectively. At the bottom of the list, the northern Khorasan, Ilam, and Kohkiloye-Boyerahmad provinces were in the lowest ranked in terms of access to sustainability indices. It is patently obvious that Iran suffers from uneven development, and the majority of border provinces have moderate or bad situations. This uneven development also intensifies migration to Tehran, which already has one-sixth of Iran’s population which has led todeteriorating social inequity and environmental injustice, nationally. The results of the regional assessment of Tehran also show that there is uneven development in Tehran Province. Tehran County is twice as good and sustainable as 68 percent of the counties in this region. The F’ANP result for Tehran County was 0.580, and it has been ranked first over a period due to the exceptional number of facilities in this region. Tehran County became 20% more sustainable during this decade. After Tehran, Firoozkoh and Damavand counties were in the next ranks with scores of 0.389 and 0.343, respectively. Qarchak, Ghods, and Baharestan counties were the weakest based on the sustainability indices, and their F’ANP results were below 0.2.

1. Introduction

Community development and growing urbanization are able to alter spatial patterns in various regions. Development is a conscious effort and a plan to improve the various aspects of society will require coordination in all dimensions [1,2]. The commencement of the development process coincided with the industrial revolution in the United Kingdom, where human relationships with the environment were transformed to reach maximum progress [3,4]. The spread of globalization has led to unbalanced development in almost all countries [5,6]. In most of these countries, facilities are concentrated in one or more cities, and thus, the imbalance formed in the region aggravates inequality [1,7]. It should be noted, however, that regional inequality is more pervasive in Global South countries than those of the north.
The lack of equilibrium in the spatial structure of the region shows itself in different conditions of life, economic disparities, and the level of development. Poverty, discrimination, corruption, and political, social, cultural, and economic inequality are some of the uneven development predicaments, which ultimately will reduce the residents’ life expectancy [8]. In order to overcome this imbalance, as well as pay more attention to the environment, a sustainable development approach has been proposed [9]. The concept emerged with the Brundtland commission in 1987 and the UN conference in 1992, which presented the concept of intergenerational equity [8]. This approach advocates a kind of development that considers the basic needs of future and present generations, simultaneously [3,10]. The main idea of this approach is to balance economic development, social equality, and accountability to the environment [11]. Having said that, the major focus of sustainable development is not solely on environmental issues but also considers comprehensive subjects [12]. It should be noted that the sustainable development concept and reducing inequality and poverty are closely related to one another. Finally, the main purpose of sustainable development is to improve the quality of life in the long run, considering the conditions of other forms and equality between regions according to accessibility to facilities [13].
Ongoing globalization has disrupted the balance of regional development, especially in developing countries. The persistence of this type of development has led to many problems such as economic and social inequalities as well as excessive use of resources and damage to the natural environment [14]. The sustainable development concept emerged for ameliorating the aforementioned predicaments and became a popular strategy for all counties [15]. This type of development imposes various restrictions on using natural resources [16]. Most countries focused on sustainable development and have their principles for reinforcing this concept. According to sustainable development, appropriate social and economic development encourages equitable development [17]. This type of development clarifies future frameworks for various subjects such as education, justice, and environmental issues [15]. In general, sustainable development with three basic domains, sustainable social, economic, and environmental development, seeks to establish social justice and economic prosperity, with effective use of natural and environmental resources [17].
The implementation of sustainable development policy in national and regional programs is different. There are two main ideas about sustainable development policies. The strong and weak approaches are among the most important of these ideas. In the strong approach to sustainable development, it is assumed that economic and social development (human capital) is not an alternative to environmental integration (natural capital) [18]. On the other hand, in the weak approach, natural resources are replaceable with human resources. Therefore, although economic growth could lead to environmental degradation, it is still considered a sustainable strategy.
Uneven regional development could be a threat to national security. That is, principles of sustainable development focus on regional and natural scales at the same time. Focusing on sustainable development on the scale of the region is justified according to the importance of the mediator role between the national and local levels, and the consensus of most scholars is to apply sustainability principles at the regional scale [19]. For instance, Rahma and his co-workers mentioned that sustainable development strategies are more practical on the regional scale, since policies are more controllable on this scale rather than at national scale. Moreover, constructing a regional observatory is more feasible. Rahma also found that using national scale indicators could lead to impairing regional integration [20].
Reaching sustainable development aims and equitable planning have always been basic governments strategies; although, most developing countries are suffering from unsustainable conditions. Assessment of regional sustainability could clarify a region’s potential in terms of facilities, infrastructure, and other aspects that assists policymakers in reinforcing the sustainability of regions [21]. That is, assessment of regional sustainability could facilitate social justice and lead to spatial equity [22]. There is an array of similar studies that focus on sustainability assessment, some of which are shown in Table 1. However, there is relatively limited research on sustainability transformation at national and regional scales. Thus, this study strives to illustrate the sustainability of Iran’s provinces and assess the regional sustainable development transformations of Tehran Province in 2006, 2011, and 2016 which play a dominant part in the spatial pattern of Iran’s development.
Assessing regions based on the SDGs has become a popular pursuit in the field of sustainability. Particularly, the mission of SDG 11 is to make urban areas more inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. However, there is a gap in measuring the sustainable development of urban areas over time which this study aims to fill.
Moreover, there is no unified method for assessing the sustainability of regions, and as can be seen in Table 1, different studies exploited various methods. These studies mainly focused on either regional or national scales, and there is a limited number of studies that concentrate on both scales at the same time. This study aims to explore changes in sustainability on regional and national scales and also evaluate upheavals of sustainable development in Tehran’s counties over a decade with the contribution of F’ANP that enables using a LARGE number of indicators. This model helps to recognize the importance of each indicator and sorts regions based on their sustainability scores.

2. Materials and Methods

Evaluation of sustainable development has become a common practice globally; however, there is no unified method for implementing this assessment. There are several ways of assessing the sustainability of regions. Table 2 reveals some of these methods and their indicators and features.
Sustainable Society Index (SSI) assessment is one of the newest methods for evaluating the sustainability of regions which was presented by Kerk and Manuel in 2006. This assessment evaluated 150 countries based on health, social services, national resources, climate change, transportation, and economic indicators annually [41]. The European Union approved this method as a quantitative approach for assessing the sustainable transformations of regions [42]. According to the SSI assessment, Iran was at the rank 136 in 2006. Figure 1 reveals the Iran situation in 2019.
Since the SSI is one of the most acceptable methods for evaluating the sustainability of various regions, the authors try to use select indicators based on this assessment. Table 3 presents the SSI indicators and proposed indicators for this evaluation.
The needed data in 2006, 2011, and 2016 were gathered from Census data which was produced by the Statistical Center of Iran [43]. In order to assess the SSI of Iran’s regions, the authors used the F’ANP model. Figure 2 presents the framework of the F’ANP model. In this figure, bold phrases demonstrate the main phases of the F’ANP model, while others show steps below each phase.
Firstly, the Factor Analysis was exploited to reduce the number of indicators to some appropriate factors. The formula for producing factors among various indicators is:
Fj = ∑WjiXi = Wj1 × 1 + Wj2 × 2 +…+ WjpXp
In this equation, W is the factor coefficient, and P is the number of indicators. These factors were used in the F’ANP model for evaluating 31 provinces of Iran. In the F’ANP model, all the relations between the sustainability dimensions (economic–social–environmental), factors, and indicators were considered in order to present the rating. This model does not have the limitations of multiple-criteria decision analysis and does not need long calculations. F’ANP uses the potential of Factor Analysis and reduces the huge number of indicators to some limiting factors. Furthermore, by using ANP networks, it considers the relationship and dependencies between elements and clusters in order to find the relative significance of indicators of assessment [44].
In the second phase, ANP was exploited to build a network model for phase one’s upshots to evaluate the relative weights of the sustainable development indicators. Finally, the provinces were rated based on accessibility to sustainable development indicators and their transitions trend would be cleared.
In this study, Iran’s provinces were evaluated based on the indicators in Table 3. Factor Analysis was used to reduce these 58 indicators to groups of factors. The FANP model was then exploited to rank Iran’s provinces according to economic, education, health, environment, and social services dimensions which have the Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin (KMO) of 0.627, 0.77, 0.627, 0.610, 0.625, respectively. In factor analysis the KMO measure of sampling adequacy should be greater than 0.6, and Bartlett’s test of Sphericity must be significant [44]. Figure 3 shows the factors and the F’ANP model for assessing the sustainability of Iran’s provinces. Different colors are used to separate each dimension and its factors.
The same methodology was exploited for assessing the sustainability of Tehran’s counties. Figure 4 reveals the framework for assessing Tehran Province’s sustainability transitions over a decade. Different colors in this figure demonstrate three dimensions and their indicators. In this model, economic prosperity is acceptable in that it strengthens economic sustainability and efficiency by offering solutions to increase social equality as well as preserving natural resources. Evaluating sustainability transitions in the Tehran Province entails proposing an assessment framework, embracing various economic, social, and environmental indicators. Focusing on previous sustainability studies is also necessary in order to recognize the most frequently used indicator in sustainability assessments. With regards to accessibility of data and sustainable development indicators, the authors propose an assessment framework involving 60 economic, social, and environmental indicators. Table 4 presents the assessment indicators.
One of the challenges of assessing regional development transitions was the change in the number of cities during the period. There were 13 counties in Tehran Province in 2006, while this number reached 14 and 16 in 2011 and 2016, respectively. Table 5 reveals changes in cities in Tehran Province over a decade.
The same areas should be considered during the period in assessing the weight of indicators. Having said that, the authors used a data polling method that focused on the history of regions. Table 6 shows the counties that are considered for assessing indicators. It should be noted that after recognizing the importance of each indicator, these measures contribute to demonstrating ratings for the cities in 2006, 2011, and 2016.
Similar to the process of assessing Iran’s provinces based on 58 sustainable indicators, the authors assessed the regional sustainable transformation of Tehran province by using Factor Analysis and the F’ANP model. The details of this method were presented for the economic dimension, and the same approach was repeated for other dimensions. Table 7 demonstrates tests of the KMOmeasure of sampling adequacy and Bartlett’s test of Sphericity for the economic dimension. Factor Analysis was exploited for 10 economic indicators, and it produced three different factors, namely the employment situation, transportation features, and communication properties.
Regarding the factor analysis result, the Analytic Network Process was shaped. Figure 5 demonstrates the network of economic dimension. Different colors in this figure show various factors and their indicators.
The Super Matrix was then shaped with the contribution of Analytic Network Process. Figure 6 reveals how the Super Matrix was produced.
The economic Super Matrix would be shaped with the help of the F’ANP model and its limit Super Matrix could be produced by MATLAB software (Figure 7). Table 8 also shows the economic Super Matrix.

3. Results

After implementing the F’ANP model, the importance of each of the 58 indicators was evaluated. Subsequently, with the contribution of these indicators, Iran’s provinces would be rated in economic, social, and environmental dimensions. Table 9 demonstrates the rating of Iran’s provinces based on these dimensions.
After assessing all three dimensions, the sustainability of regions was measured. Table 10 shows Iran’s provinces rated based on the sustainablity framework.
The results show that Tehran Province is the development pole of the country. The difference between this province with other regions demonstrates that there is huge centralization of socioeconomic facilities in Tehran. This study shows that there is no social justice or spatial equilibrium in Iran, and as it is clear from Figure 8, all the border provinces with the exception of Khorasan Razavi and West Azarbaijan are suffering from unsustainable situations. Moreover, those provinces with higher industrial and tourism potentials absorb more facilities in their regions. Regarding the distribution of unsustainable provinces, it is evident that most of these regions are concentrated in the east of the country, and it appears the trend of regional inequality will be exacerbated in the future.
Tehran is the capital of Iran, and it is the concentration of many pivotal facilities. This focus has altered the development pattern in Iran which results in more unsustainable development. The regional inequality encourages migration to this province, and over two million Tehran residents live in informal settlements. Although the upshots of the F’ANP model present Tehran as the most sustainable province, the authors want to evaluate the sustainability transitions in this significant area. Having said that, this study aims to assess regional sustainable development upheavals of Tehran province from 2006 to 2016 to clarify development patterns within this region.
After implementing the F’ANP model for Tehran’s counties, the importance of sustainable development indicators was cleared. Table 11 shows the importance of economic indicators in this assessment. Upheavals of sustainability in this region are shown in Table 12, and Figure 9 demonstrates the economic sustainability of Tehran’s counties during a decade.
The weighted indicators were used to rate the counties of the Tehran provinces in 2006, 2011, and 2016. This process was then continued for social and environmental dimensions to clarify the transformations of sustainable development in Tehran province. The social dimension includes four sections, namely health, education, social, and infrastructure services. Factor analysis was used for evaluating the importance of indicators in these sections. All these sections have acceptable significant rates, and their KMO are 0.631, 0.606, 0.659, and 0.624 for education, health, infrastructure, and social service, respectively. The factors for these sections are shown in Table 13.
In the following stage, the ANP model was shaped with the help of these factors, and the super matrix of social dimension was also shaped. Similar to the economic dimension, MATLAB was exploited to recognize the significance of each social indicator. After identifying the importance of each indicator, the rating for the social dimension was measured by gathering the F’ANP points from the education, health, infrastructure, and social service sections. Table 14 illustrates the rating of Tehran Province counties according to social development. Also, Figure 10 shows the social stability of Tehran’s counties in 2016.
Factor analysis was used to produce environmental factors as in previous dimensions. Sustainable environmental development has an acceptable significant rate, and its KMO is 0.621. Agricultural production capacities, access to good gardening capacities, access to urban green spaces, and environmental infrastructure status are four factors of this dimension. Similar to economic and social domains, the ANP model was shaped by the contribution of these four factors, and the super matrix of the environmental dimension was shaped. The importance of each environmental indicator was identified by MATLAB which is shown in Table 15. In Table 16 and Figure 11 the environmental sustainability of Tehran counties is shown.

4. Discussion and Conclusions

Evaluation of sustainability at differing geographical scales became imperative in view of the development circumstances in Iran, generally. While many earlier studies have focused on comparative research of sustainable development in various regions, there is a gap in evaluating the sustainability of urban areas on different scales and over time. This study aims to fill this gap in achieving SDG11. In this research, 31 provinces of Iran were assessed based on 58 sustainable development indicators, and 16 counties in Tehran Province were evaluated over a decade based on a proposed framework, containing 60 different economic, social, and environmental indicators. It is worth mentioning that, due to data limitations, some of the selected indicators for each assessment are different from one another. Although 41% of Iran’s assessment indicators and 28% of Tehran’s assessment are identical, there are some differences in their indicators based on availability of data for those indicators. Having said that, the authors endeavored to choose the most similar indicators for both assessments.
The results of this study illustrate that there are various socioeconomic inequalities and also environmental injustice challenges that undermine the level of sustainability achieved in Iran. Table 17 demonstrates the ranking of Tehran Province counties based on the sustainable development indicators. Results from the F’ANP model illustrate the level of sustainability in the regions. Tehran’s regions would be the most sustainable if their results were greater than 0.4. Being between 0.3 and 0.4 shows that the region is relatively developed. Middle range regions have scores between 0.23 and 0.3. The results of underdeveloped regions are between 0.2 and 0.23, and the scores of unsustainable regions are below 0.2. Tehran County has been ranked first over a period due to the dominant focus of facilities in this region. After Tehran, Firuzkuh and Damavand counties were in the next ranks and Qarchak, Ghods, and Baharestan counties were the weakest based on the sustainable development indicators. Moreover, Table 18 reveals the sustainable development transition of these counties from 2006 to 2016. Also, Figure 12 shows the urban sustainability of Tehran’s counties in 2016. In general, it can be noted that Tehran County had better conditions than its counterparts due to its existing capacities and being the capital of Iran. Furthermore, most of the youngest counties were among the worst in terms of the sustainablity indicators.
This study developed a robust methodology that can be applied in various regions and at different scales for future directions of this research.

Guidelines and Policies to Promote Sustainability in Tehran Province

Regarding the perspective of sustainable development and achieving SDG11, the ultimate goal is reaching spatial equilibrium, equitable planning, and considering ecological capability in this region. These aims follow regional integration that leads to the improvement of sustainability. To reach sustainable development in Tehran Province, the authors anticipate prevention or mitigation strategies and action plans to prioritize areas where the sustainability level is decreasing or where this level remained low over time. That is, eight different strategies are presented in regional development, spatial equilibrium, economic prosperity, and conservation of natural resources categories. Figure 13 illustrates the strategic planning of regional sustainable development in Tehran Province. Different colors in this Figure demonstrate how various projects are related to their categories.
These presented projects were then prioritized with the help of Super Decision software by considering four different criteria such as the costs of projects, time of the projects, theoretical approach realization, and reaching sustainable development goals. Figure 14 shows the hierarchical analysis structure of presented projects. Different colors of arrows demonstrate the relations among criteria and projects. Following this figure, Figure 15 illustrates the priority of projects after implementing the model.
  • Regional observatory;
  • Planning for new counties such as Qarchak, Ghods, and Baharestan counties as potential growth locations;
  • Reducing environmental pollution and reinforcing national resource conservation in Shahriar, Baharestan, and Ghods counties;
  • Economic decentralization from Tehran County and focus on Pishva, Shemiranat, and Ghods counties;
  • Decentralization from Tehran County and moving new facilities to underdeveloped areas (Qarchak, Malard, and Baharestan counties);
  • Strengthening the protection of sensitive habitats of Tehran Province;
  • Using cultural capacities to increase public participation and economic development;
  • Education equality—equitable distribution of educational centers, particularly in Ghods, Eslamshahr, and Pardis counties.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, K.H.; Data curation, K.H.; Investigation, K.H. and S.S.; Methodology, K.H. and S.S.; Software, K.H.; Visualization, K.H.; Writing—original draft, K.H. and S.S.; Writing—review & editing, S.S. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

The authors did not obtain fund for conducting this research.

Institutional Review Board Statement

Not applicable.

Informed Consent Statement

Not applicable.

Data Availability Statement

The authors used Census Data Available online: https://www.amar.org.ir/ (accesses on 16 May 2022).

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

References

  1. Firoozi, M.; Dehcheshme, M.; Chelcheleh, S. Studying the Inequality of Region in Khuzestan Province. Geogr. Reg. Dev. 2017, 29, 217–240. [Google Scholar]
  2. Pawłowski, A. How Many Dimensions Does Sustainable Development Have? Sustain. Dev. 2007, 16, 81–90. Available online: www.interscience.wiley.com (accessed on 2 February 2020). [CrossRef]
  3. Dehcheshme, M.; Alizadeh, M. Measurement of Sustainable Development Indices in the West Azerbaijan Province by Exploiting The Model of Detection and Fuzzy Indicators. Reg. Econ. Dev. 2014, 7, 52–76. [Google Scholar]
  4. Barrett, B. Environmentalism in periods of rapid societal transformation: The legacy of the Industrial Revolution in the United Kingdom and the Meiji Restoration in Japan. Sustain. Dev. 1999, 7, 178–190. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  5. Nazmfar, H.; Hamidi, S.M.; Akbari, M. Studying The Inequality of Development in The Province in Order to Achieve Sustainable Development. Congr. Strategy Q. 2017, 94, 298–339. [Google Scholar]
  6. Nijman, J.N.; Wei, Y.D. Urban inequalities in the 21st century economy. Appl. Geogr. 2020, 117, 102188. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  7. Massey, D.; Amin, A.; Thrift, N. Decentering the Nation: A Radical Approach to Regional Inequality; Catalyst: London, UK, 2003. [Google Scholar]
  8. Zebardast, E.; Haghroosta, S. Comparative Analysis of Regional Disparities Between Provinces, The Case Study: Hamedan and Markazi provinces. Q. Rev. Art 2014. Available online: http://Journal.art.ac.ir (accessed on 2 February 2020).
  9. Rezende, J.; Sinay, M. Methodology for leading indicators on sustainable regional development. Rev. Adm. Pública 2016, 50, 395–423. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  10. Meyer, L.; Pölzler, T. Basic Needs and Sufficiency: The Foundations of Intergenerational Justice. In The Oxford Handbook of Intergenerational Ethics; Oxford University Press: Oxford, UK, 2020. [Google Scholar]
  11. Hudrlikova, L.; Kramulova, J.; Zeman, J. Measuring Sustainable Development at the Lower Regional Level in the Czech Republic based on Composite Indicators. Reg. Stat. 2013, 3, 117–140. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  12. Omrani, H.; Valipour, M.; Emrouznejad, A. Using Weighted Goal Programming Model for Planning Regional Sustainable Development to Optimal Workforce Allocation: An Application for Provinces of Iran. Soc. Indic. Res. 2019, 141, 1007–1035. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
  13. Mederly, P.; Novacek, P.; Topercer, J. Sustainable development assessment: Quality and sustainability of life indicators at global, national and regional level. Foresight 2003, 5, 42–49. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  14. Shi, Y.; Ge, X.; Yuan, X.; Wang, Q.; Kellett, J.; Li, F.; Ba, K. An Integrated Indicator System and Evaluation Model for Regional Sustainable Development. Sustainability 2019, 11, 2183. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
  15. Wang, X.; Gao, P.; Song, C.; Cheng, C. Use of Entropy in Developing SDG-based Indices for Assessing Regional Sustainable Development: A Provincial Case Study of China. Entropy 2020, 22, 406. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed] [Green Version]
  16. Fearnside, P. Sustainable Challenges for sustainable development in Brazilian Amazonia. Sustain. Dev. 2019; in press. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  17. Oral, H. Sustainable Development. In The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Global Security Studies; Springer Nature: Geneva, Switzerland, 2020. [Google Scholar]
  18. Chen, S.; Huang, Q.; Liu, Z.; Meng, S.; Yin, D.; Zhu, L.; He, C. Assessing the Regional Sustainability of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Urban Agglomeration from 2000 to 2015. Sustainability 2019, 11, 3160. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
  19. Jovovic, R.; Draskovic, M.; Delibasic, M.; Jovovic, M. Thr concept of sustainable regional development—Institutional aspects, policies and prospects. J. Int. Stud. 2017, 10, 255–266. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
  20. Rahma, H.; Fauzi, A.; Juanda, B.; Widjojanto, B. Development of a Composite Measure of Regional Sustainable Development in Indonesia. Sustainability 2019, 11, 5861. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
  21. Abdollahzadeh, G.; Sharifzadeh, A. Regional development in Iran. Urban Reg. Stud. 2012, 13, 41–62. [Google Scholar]
  22. Roberts, P. Evaluating regional sustainable development: Approaches, methods and the politics of analysis. J. Environ. Plan. Manag. 2007, 49, 515–532. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  23. Soares, J.; Marques, M.; Monteiro, C. A multivariate methodology to uncover regional disparities: A contribution to improve European Union and governmental decisions. Eur. J. Oper. Res. 2001, 145, 121–135. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  24. Theodoropoulou, H.; Mitoula, R.; Vamvakari, M. Sustainable Regional Development. J. Soc. Sci. 2009, 5, 80–84. [Google Scholar]
  25. Dehcheshmeh, M.; Alizadeh, H. Assessing regional sustainable development in the West Azarbaijan county. J. Reg. Dev. Econ. 2014, 7, 51–76. [Google Scholar]
  26. Mabudi, M.; Hakimi, H. Evaluating uneven regional development in South East of Iran (Case study: Sistan province). Dev. Strateg. 2015, 48, 103–121. [Google Scholar]
  27. Tret’yakova, E.A.; Osipova, M. Evaluation of Sustainable Development Indicators for Regions of Russia. Stud. Russ. Econ. Dev. 2018, 29, 124–134. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  28. Mally, K. Rgional differences in SLOVENIA from the viewpoint of achieving Europiae’s sustainable development. Acta Geogr. Slov. 2018, 58, 31–46. [Google Scholar]
  29. Farinha, F.; Oliveira, M.J.; Silva, E.M.J.; Lança, R.; Pinheiro, M.D.; Miguel, C. Selection Process of Sustainable Indicators for the Algarve Region—OBSERVE Project. Sustainability 2019, 11, 444. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
  30. Garoui, N.; Mohamed, E.B. Sustainable Development. Agrociaencia 2020, 54. Available online: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339096590_Sustainable_Development (accessed on 26 April 2022).
  31. Sueyoshi, T.; Du, Z.; Wang, D. Regional Sustainable Development with Environmental Performance: Measuring Growth Indexes on Chinese Provinces. Energies 2020, 13, 2047. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
  32. Xu, Z.; Chau, S.N.; Chen, X.; Zhang, J.; Li, Y.; Dietz, T.; Wang, J.; Winkler, J.A.; Fan, F.; Huang, B.; et al. Assessing progress towards sustainable development over space and time. Nature 2020, 577, 74–78. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  33. UNDP. Human Development Report 1990: Concept and Measurement of Human Development; United Nations Development Programme: New York, NY, USA, 1990. [Google Scholar]
  34. Center for International Earth Science Information Network. Environmental Sustainability Index 2006; Columbia University: New York, NY, USA, 2006. [Google Scholar]
  35. Center for Global Development. The Commitment to Development Index; Center for Global Development: Washington, DC, USA, 2006. [Google Scholar]
  36. Cobb, C. The Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare. In For the Common Good; Daly, H.E., Cobb, J.B., Eds.; Beacon Press: Boston, MA, USA, 1989; pp. 401–455. [Google Scholar]
  37. Wackernagel, M.; Rees, W. Our Ecological Footprint: Reducing Human Impact on the Earth; New Society Publishers: Gabriola Island, BC, Canada, 1995. [Google Scholar]
  38. United Nation. The Millennium Development Goals Report; United Nation: New York, NY, USA, 2005. [Google Scholar]
  39. United Nation. CSD Indicators of Sustainable Development; United Nation: New York, NY, USA, 2007. [Google Scholar]
  40. United Nation. Sustainable Development Goals and Policy of the Agenda 2030; United Nation: New York, NY, USA, 2015. [Google Scholar]
  41. Van de Kerk, G.; Manuel, A.R. A comprehensive index for a sustainable society: The SSI—The Sustainable Society Index. Ecol. Econ. 2008, 66, 228–242. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  42. Gallego-Álvarez, I.; Galindo-Villardón, M.P.; Rodríguez-Rosa, M. Analysis of the Sustainable Society Index Worldwide: A Study from the Biplot Perspectiv; Springer: Berlin/Heidelberg, Germany, 2014; pp. 31–65. [Google Scholar]
  43. Census Data. Statistic Center of Iran. 2006, 2011 and 2016. Available online: https://www.amar.org.ir/ (accessed on 1 May 2020).
  44. Zebardast, E. Constructing a social vulnerability index to earthquake hazards using a hybrid factor analysis and analytic network process (F’ANP) model. Nat. Hazards 2012, 65, 1331–1359. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  45. Hamidi, S.M.; Sobhani, S. Sustainable development in middle-east with focus on Iran. Spat. Geogr. 2016, 4, 99–114. [Google Scholar]
  46. Yasori, M.; Sojodi, M. Regional Development Strategy for Equitable Regional Development (Case study: Rasht city). Reg. Dev. 2018, 29, 93–106. [Google Scholar]
  47. Touratier-Muller, N.; Jaussaud, J. Development of Road Freight Transport Indicators Focused on Sustainability to Assist Shippers: An Analysis Conducted in France through the FRET 21 Programme. Sustainability 2021, 13, 9641. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  48. Dingil, A.E.; Schweizer, J.; Rupi, F.; Stasiskiene, Z. Transport indicator analysis and comparison of 151 urban areas, based on open source data. Eur. Transp. Res. Rev. 2018, 10, 58. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
  49. Sangachin, F.; Asadi, R. Principles, goals and indicators of sustainable development. Deputy Economic Affairs and Plan Co-ordination of Planning and Budget Planning. Spat. Plan. Environ. 2017, 23, 52–78. [Google Scholar]
  50. Zarabi, A.; Izadi, M. Analysis of regional development of Iran’s regions. Spat. Plan. 2013, 1, 101–116. [Google Scholar]
  51. Kirk, K.; Tableporter, J.; Senn, A.; Day, J.; Cao, J.; Fan, Y.; Slotterback, C.; Goetz, E. Framework for Measuring Sustainable Regional Development for the Twin Cities Region. In The McKnight Foundation by the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs and the Center for Transportation Studies; Center for Transportation Studies: Minneapolis, MN, USA, 2010. [Google Scholar]
  52. Karimi Moghari, Z.; Barati, J. Evaluating regional uneven development of Iran’s provinces. Econ. Growth 2017, 26, 49–70. [Google Scholar]
  53. Wright, B. Care in the Country: A Historical Case Study of Long-Term Sustainability in 4 Rural Health Centers. Am. J. Public Health 2009, 99, 1612–1618. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  54. De Wit, L.; Putman, K.; Dejaeger, E.; Baert, I.; Berman, P.; Bogaerts, K.; Brinkmann, N.; Connell, L.; Feys, H.; Jenni, W.; et al. Use of time by stroke patients: A comparison of four European rehabilitation centers. Stroke 2005, 36, 1977–1983. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
  55. Favez, L.; Zúñiga, F.; Sharma, N.; Blatter, C.; Simon, M. Assessing Nursing Homes Quality Indicators’ Between-Provider Variability and Reliability: A Cross-Sectional Study Using ICCs and Rankability. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 9249. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
  56. Horsley, J.; Prout, S.; Tonts, M.; Ali, S. Sustainable livelihoods and indicators for regional development in mining economies. livelihoods and indicators for regional development in mining economies. Extr. Ind. Soc. 2015, 2, 368–380. [Google Scholar]
  57. Embleton, L.; Ayuku, D.; Kamanda, A.; Atwoli, L.; Ayaya, S.; Vreeman, R.; Braitstein, P. Models of care for orphaned and separated children and upholding children’s rights: Cross-sectional evidence from western Kenya. BMC Int. Health Hum. Rights 2014, 14, 1–18. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed] [Green Version]
  58. UNESCO. Education Indicators Technical Guidelines; United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization: Paris, Frence, 2009. [Google Scholar]
  59. Li, Z.; Tang, D.; Han, M.; Bethel, B.J. Comprehensive Evaluation of Regional Sustainable Development Based on Data Envelopment Analysis. Sustainability 2018, 10, 3897. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
  60. Lu, X. Development of theaters and the city in Beijing: The 1950s and post-1980s. In Grand Theater Urbanism; Springer: Singapore, 2019; pp. 1–30. [Google Scholar]
  61. Badri-Koohi, B.; Tavakkoli-Moghaddam, R.; Asghari, M. Optimizing Number and Locations of Alternative-Fuel Stations Using a Multi-Criteria Approach. Eng. Technol. Appl. Sci. Res. 2019, 9, 3715–3720. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  62. Shrestha, D.K. Sustainability approaches in rural infrastructure development. In The Perspective of Labor Based Bridges in Nepal; Dr. K.N. Modi University: Rajasthan, India, 2014. [Google Scholar]
  63. Yao, J.; Zhang, X.; Murray, A.T. Location optimization of urban fire stations: Access and service coverage. Comput. Environ. Urban Syst. 2018, 73, 184–190. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  64. Chen, Y.; Lin, N.; Wu, Y.; Ding, L.; Pang, J.; Lv, T. Spatial equity in the layout of urban public sports facilities in Hangzhou. PLoS ONE 2021, 16, e0256174. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  65. Zhao, W. The evolution process and the cause of the spatial distribution of cinemas in the Shanghai settlements (1919–1943). Urban Hist. 2020, 49, 149–170. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  66. The Goverment of the Republic of Korea. Year One of Implementing the SDGs in the Republic of Korea; National Voluntary Review; The Goverment of the Republic of Korea: Seoul, Korea, 2016.
  67. Xu, X.; Wang, Y.; Tao, L. Comprehensive Evaluation of Sustainable Development of Regional Construction Industry in China. J. Clean. Prod. 2018, 211, 1078–1087. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  68. Tica, S.; Živanović, P.; Bajčetić, S.; Milovanović, B.; Nađ, A. Study of the fuel efficiency and ecological aspects of CNG buses in urban public transport in Belgrade. J. Appl. Eng. Sci. 2019, 17, 65–73. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  69. Rivas, A.I.M.; Álvarez, C.C.; Díaz, J.D.G.; Garcia, C.G.; Ruiz, L.V.; Garcia, J.L. Sensitivity of Mexico’s farmers: A sub national assessment of vulnerability to climate change. In Climate Change: Socioeconomic Effects; InTech Open: Rijeka, Croatia, 2011; p. 325. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  70. Ramankutty, N.; Evan, A.T.; Monfreda, C.; Foley, J.A. Farming the planet: 1. Geographic distribution of global agricultural lands in the year 2000. Glob. Biogeochem. Cycles 2008, 22. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Figure 1. Sustainable Society Index of Iran 2019.
Figure 1. Sustainable Society Index of Iran 2019.
Sustainability 14 07402 g001
Figure 2. The framework of F’ANP model.
Figure 2. The framework of F’ANP model.
Sustainability 14 07402 g002
Figure 3. F’ANP model for assessing the sustainability of Iran’s provinces.
Figure 3. F’ANP model for assessing the sustainability of Iran’s provinces.
Sustainability 14 07402 g003
Figure 4. Theoretical framework.
Figure 4. Theoretical framework.
Sustainability 14 07402 g004
Figure 5. The network of economic dimension.
Figure 5. The network of economic dimension.
Sustainability 14 07402 g005
Figure 6. Super Matrix.
Figure 6. Super Matrix.
Sustainability 14 07402 g006
Figure 7. Using MATLAB software for producing the Limit Super Matrix.
Figure 7. Using MATLAB software for producing the Limit Super Matrix.
Sustainability 14 07402 g007
Figure 8. Regional Sustainable Development Assessment.
Figure 8. Regional Sustainable Development Assessment.
Sustainability 14 07402 g008
Figure 9. Economic sustainability of the Tehran Province (2016).
Figure 9. Economic sustainability of the Tehran Province (2016).
Sustainability 14 07402 g009
Figure 10. Social sustainability of the Tehran Province (2016).
Figure 10. Social sustainability of the Tehran Province (2016).
Sustainability 14 07402 g010
Figure 11. Environment sustainability of the Tehran province (2016).
Figure 11. Environment sustainability of the Tehran province (2016).
Sustainability 14 07402 g011
Figure 12. Urban sustainability of the Tehran Province (2016).
Figure 12. Urban sustainability of the Tehran Province (2016).
Sustainability 14 07402 g012
Figure 13. Strategic planning of regional sustainable development of Tehran Province.
Figure 13. Strategic planning of regional sustainable development of Tehran Province.
Sustainability 14 07402 g013
Figure 14. Hierarchical analysis structure of projects priority.
Figure 14. Hierarchical analysis structure of projects priority.
Sustainability 14 07402 g014
Figure 15. Priority of projects.
Figure 15. Priority of projects.
Sustainability 14 07402 g015
Table 1. Sustainable development assessments.
Table 1. Sustainable development assessments.
Authors LocationIndicatorsMethod
Soares et al. (2001) [23]4 subnational regions in Portugal33 indicators in various dimensionsCluster Analysis
Theodoropoulou et al. (2009) [24]Methoni, Koroni, Pilos in GreeceEmployment and literature rate, and different infrastructure indicatorsUsing questionnaire and Regression Method
Abdollahzadeh & Sharifzadeh (2012) [21]Iran’s provinces14 social, 13 economic, and 14 infrastructure indicatorsComparative technique based on AHP
Dehcheshmeh & Alizadeh (2014) [25]West Azarbaijan counties40 indicators in economic, social, health, transportation, and infrastructure sectionsFTOPSIS
Zebardast & Haghroosta (2014) [8]Hamedan and Arak provinces (Iran)Regional uneven development, 50 indicatorsFactor and Cluster Analysis
Mabudi & Hakimi (2015) [26]Sistan and Baloochestan counties29 indicators in education, social, health, and infrastructure dimensionsVIKOR method
Hudrlikova et al. (2013) [11]LAU region Prague (Czech Republic)13 economic, 17 social, and 13 environmentalCluster Analysis
Firoozi et al. (2017) [1]Khoozestan province (Iran)104 indicatorsVicor and Topsis models
Tret’yakova & Osipva (2018) [27]Perm krai, Bashkortostan, Nizhny Novgorod oblast, Samara, Sverdlovsk, Tatarstan, Chelyabinsk11 economic, 12 social, and 8 environmental indicatorsDynamic Standards
Mali et al. (2018) [28]12 regions of Slovenia32 economic, social, and environmental indicatorsThematic Model
Farinha et al. (2019) [29]Algarve region in PortugalAssessing different social, cultural, and environmental indicatorsSurveys and Regression Methods
Shi et al. (2019) [14]17 regions of Shandong province (China)13 economic, 26 social, and 20 environmentalAHP and ANP
Garoui, Ezzeddin (2020) [30]13 regions in Saudi ArabiaGreen economic indicatorsMICMAC analysis
Sueyoshi et al. (2020) [31]China regionsNational and human resourcesDEA
Xu et al. (2020) [32]China regions17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals include 119 indicatorsArithmetic means
Table 2. Different approaches for assessing sustainable development.
Table 2. Different approaches for assessing sustainable development.
MethodAuthor(s)YearIndicatorsLimitation
HDI [33]UNDP1990Life expectancy, Literature rate, GDPCover limited aspects of sustainability
Environmental Sustainable Index [34]Columbia and Yale university200616 indicators in 6 dimensions such as health, environment, biodiversity, energy, water resources, quality of air, and resource managementOverconcentration on environmental indicators
Commitment to Development Index [35]Center for Global Development2006Financial aids, transactions rate, investment, immigration, environment, and securityCover limited aspects of sustainability
Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare [36]Daly and Cobb1989Countries expenditures on different sections such as environmental pollution, national resources, and transportation accidentsNo comprehensive assessment framework
Ecological footprints [37]Wackernagel and Rees1996Energy consumption per capita, housing, transportation, and leisure expensesCover limited aspects of sustainability
Millennium Development Indicators [38]United Nations2005Millennium targetsCover limited aspects of sustainability
CSD indicators [39]United Nations200750 indicators in 14 different socioeconomic aspectsDoes not focus on gender equity and accessibility to food
Sustainable Development Goals and Policy of the Agenda 2030 [40]United Nations201517 targets in environmental, social, and economic dimensions. It has 231 unique indicators.
Table 3. Proposed and SSI indicators.
Table 3. Proposed and SSI indicators.
DimensionSSI IndicatorsProject Indicators
Basic needs
-
Sufficient food
-
Accessibility to water resources
-
The proportion of farmlands to the area of the province
-
Ratio of city water distribution network to ratio of the county area
-
The share of the towns with a sewage network in the province to the country
-
Percentage of population coverage of urban sewage collection services
-
Ratio of the number of urban sewage subscribers to the province’s residential units to this portion in country
Health
-
Healthy lifestyle
-
Accessibility to sanitation facilities
-
Number of doctors per 1000 people
-
Number of paramedics per 1000 people
-
Number of dentists per 1000 people
-
Number of hospitals beds
-
Number of laboratories per capita
-
Number of rehabilitation per capita
-
Number of pharmacies per capita
-
The ratio of the number of clinics to the population
-
The number of health care centers in the population
-
The number of transportation accidents
Social development
-
Education
-
Gender equity
-
Income distribution
-
Population growth
-
Appropriate governance
-
Literacy rate
-
The ratio of the number of teachers to the number of students
-
The ratio of the number of elementary classes to the number of students
-
The ratio of the number of secondary classes to the number of students
-
The ratio of the number of high school classes to the number of students
-
The ratio of the number of kindergarten classes to the number of students
-
The ratio of the students to the teacher
-
The number of libraries per capita to this portion in the country
-
The population growth rate
-
Total Cost Index
-
Rate of economic cooperation
-
The number of orphans to orphan care centers
-
Ratio of social damage to centers
-
Number of children to kindergartens
-
The number of disadvantaged families to the number of families in province
-
The proportion of the disabled to the population
-
The number of families supported to all families in the province
-
The ratio of the number of nursing centers to the number of elderly
-
The number of families with female supervisors to all families of the province
-
Total marriage grants to their numbers
-
Number of pensioners to members of Social Security Insurance
-
The number of members of Social Security Insurance to the population
Natural resources
-
Biodiversity
-
Water resources
-
Ratio of the province’s urban sewage network to the country
-
Ratio of sewage treatment of province
-
Ratio of the forest area in province to forest area in the country
Energy consumption and climate
-
Energy consumption
-
Saving energy
-
Use of renewable energy
-
Domestic consumption of the city’s electricity
-
Gas consumption per capita
-
The province’s share of the country’s total solar hours
-
The province’s share of the number of frosty days
Agriculture
-
Natural agriculture
-
The amount of net reserve
-
The proportion of garden lands to the area of the province
-
The proportion of forest lands to the area of the province
-
The proportion of agricultural lands to the area of the province
Economic
-
Gross domestic product
-
Employment
-
Government debt
-
The province’s share of the total domestic and foreign tourists
-
Added value to the industry sector
-
Ratio of the size of the cinemas to their number
-
Rate of economic cooperation
-
Unemployment rate
-
The province shares of tourists to the country
-
The portion of roads in regions
-
The province’s share of the country’s hotels
-
The province’s share of the passenger displacement
-
The value of 1 m of land
-
Number of building licenses
-
The province shares industrial workshops
-
The province’s share of industrial practitioners in the country
Table 4. Assessment indicators.
Table 4. Assessment indicators.
Economic
IndicatorsReference
Employed to active population ratio[1,12,26,27,45]
The county’s share of industrial workshops[3,9,13,46]
The share of the county’s transport companies to the province[47]
The portion of roads in regions[48]
Number of highways[48]
Number of passengers[1,23]
The flow of load displacement in and out of the county[1,23]
Number of post administration in the county[21,26,28,46,49,50]
Number of buildings with concrete and metal skeletons
Number of job opportunities[8,29,51,52]
Health
Number of hospitals[3,23]
Number of hospitals beds[1,8,23,26,28,29,46,51,52]
Number of health centers per capita[1,23]
Number of rural health centers per capita[1,53]
Number of pharmacies per capita[1,3]
Number of laboratories per capita[1,3]
Number of rehabilitation centers per capita[1,54]
Number of doctors per 1000 people[1,3,13,14,26,28,46,50,52]
Number of nurses per 1000 people[1,26]
Social Services
Number of centers to serve the disabled[21,51]
The ratio of the marriage loan to its number[1]
The ratio of the number of nursing centers to the number of elderly[55]
The proportion of the insured to the county population[21,56]
Court per capita[13,27,29,51,52]
The number of orphan care centers[57]
The number of homeless household support centers[57]
Number of centers to serve the disabled who need help[21,51]
Number of Imam Khomeini centers to serve people
Number of kindergartens[1,58]
The ratio of the number of classes to the number of exceptional students[1,58]
Education
Number of public libraries[1,23,26,28,50]
The number of the members of the library to the population of the county[1,28]
The ratio of the number of education staff to the number of students[58]
The ratio of the number of trainers to the trainees[1,58]
The ratio of books to public libraries[1,3,14,28]
The ratio of the number of classes to the number of students[1,36]
The ratio of the number of elementary classes to the number of students[1,15,59]
The ratio of the number of secondary classes to the number of students[1,23]
The ratio of the number of high school classes to the number of students[1,23]
The ratio of the theaters to the number of theater programs[60]
Infrastructure
Coverage of sewage networks[1,14]
The ratio of sewage bifurcation in the county[1,14]
The number of phones per capita[18,21,28,49]
Number of fuel stations[61]
Number of electricity customers[18,21,28,49]
County’s share of water network[8,26,49,62]
The number of slaughterhouses in the county[1]
The number of fire stations per 1000 people[1,63]
The number of cities with gas facilities to all the cities of province[14,21,28,50]
The number of rural areas with gas facilities to all the rural areas of province[14,21,28,50]
County’s share of sports facilities[64]
The county’s share of the number of workshops covered by social security insurance[21,56]
The proportion of cinemas to the number of spectators[3,65]
The proportion of forest areas to county area[13,15,49,56,64,66]
The ratio of transportation waste to population of county[12,15,26,27,52,62,67]
The ratio of CNG consumption to population of county[68]
Gas consumption per capita[12,14,18,61,63]
Water consumption per capita[15,23,30,59,62,66]
Electricity consumption per capita[18,21,28,49]
Number of greenhouses[69]
Environment
The proportion of forest lands to the area of the province[13,15,49,56,62,66]
Range of land area to county area[14,49]
County’s share of the number of frosty days[29,51]
County’s share of sunny hours[29,62]
County’s share of public parks[1,3,29]
Green space per capita[1,3,15,28,29,46,59,62]
The proportion of agricultural lands to the area of the province[70]
The proportion of farmlands to the area of the province[13,15,28,29,49]
The proportion of garden lands to the area of the province[13,15,28,29,49]
County’s share of greenhouse area[14,49]
Table 5. Tehran Province cities from 2006 to 2016.
Table 5. Tehran Province cities from 2006 to 2016.
200620112016
EslamshahrEslamshahrEslamshahr
PakdashtBaharestanBaharestan
TehranPakdashtPakdasht
DamavandPishvaPardis
Robat KarimTehranPishva
ReyDamavandTehran
Savojbolagh Robat KarimDamavand
ShemiranatReyRobat Karim
ShahriarShemiranatRey
FiruzkuhShahriarShemiranat
KarajFiruzkuhShahriar
Nazar abadGhodsFiruzkuh
VaraminMalard Ghods
VaraminQarchak
Malard
Varamin
Table 6. Counties that are considered for finding the importance of indicators.
Table 6. Counties that are considered for finding the importance of indicators.
Counties
Eslamshahr
Pakdasht
Tehran
Damavand
Robat Karim
Rey
Shemiranat
Shahriar
Firuzkuh
Varamin
Table 7. Economic indicators KMO and Bartlett tests.
Table 7. Economic indicators KMO and Bartlett tests.
Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy0.790
Bartlett’s Test of SphericityApprox. Chi-Square262.596
df45
Sig.0.000
Table 8. Economic Super Matrix.
Table 8. Economic Super Matrix.
GoalF1F2F3HamlBarbuSanatJabjaPostAzadbzrKolrahFlzShaghWork
Goal00000000000000
F100000000000000
F200000000000000
F300000000000000
Haml0.12280.2039000.20390.20390.20390.20390.203900000
Barbu0.12150.2017000.20170.20170.20170.20170.201700000
Sanat0.12120.2012000.20120.20120.20120.20120.201200000
Jabja0.11970.1988000.19880.19880.19880.19880.198800000
Post0.1170.1943000.19430.19430.19430.19430.194300000
Azadbzr0.114200.50000000.50.5000
Kolrah0.114200.50000000.50.5000
Flz0.0552000.326100000000.32610.32610.3261
Shagh0.605000.356900000000.35690.35690.3569
Work0.0537000.31700000000.3170.3170.317
Table 9. The rating of Iran’s provinces based on environment, economic and social dimensions.
Table 9. The rating of Iran’s provinces based on environment, economic and social dimensions.
EnvironmentFanp ResultsEconomicFanp ResultsSocialFanp Results
Gilan0.615Tehran0.896Yazd2.006
Kordestan0.539Alborz0.863Tehran1.984
Kermanshah0.539Qom0.777Semnan1.800
East Azarbaijan0.524Yazd0.713Isfahan1.795
West Azarbaijan0.498Markazi0.637Mazandaran1.753
Isfahan0.473Isfahan0.618Fars1.747
Khorasan Razavi0.444Qazvin0.600Alborz1.729
Hamedan0.423West Azarbaijan0.592Qazvin1.687
Lorestan0.408Khorasan Razavi0.569Markazi1.659
Khoozestan0.405Golestan0.563Qom1.658
Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari0.392Semnan0.552Hamedan1.643
Mazandaran0.384Hormozgan0.547Golestan1.640
Qazvin0.374Khoozestan0.546Zanjan1.633
Ardabil0.353Booshehr0.530Booshehr1.616
Markazi0.337Fars0.518Hormozgan1.608
Ilam0.305Sistan and Baluchestan0.496Khorasan Razavi1.596
Fars0.299Mazandaran0.460East Azarbaijan1.560
Tehran0.294Zanjan0.457Khoozestan1.551
Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad0.255Hamedan0.427West Azarbaijan1.550
Kerman0.253Kermanshah0.419Kerman1.527
Alborz0.229Gilan0.409Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari1.526
Zanjan0.228East Azarbaijan0.407Gilan1.486
North Khorasan0.212Kerman0.389Sistan and Baluchestan1.473
Sistan and Baluchestan0.207South Khorasan0.365South Khorasan1.438
Hormozgan0.202Kordestan0.335Kermanshah1.397
Golestan0.195Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari0.320Kordestan1.331
Semnan0.189Ardabil0.312Ardabil1.314
South Khorasan0.183North Khorasan0.296North Khorasan1.264
Qom0.162Lorestan0.287Ilam1.227
Yazd0.160Ilam0.175Lorestan1.101
Booshehr0.124Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad0.154Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad0.899
Table 10. Iran’s provinces rating based on the sustainable framework.
Table 10. Iran’s provinces rating based on the sustainable framework.
SustainabilityResults
Tehran2.006
Isfahan1.984
Khorasan Razavi1.800
Mazandaran1.795
East Azarbaijan1.753
Yazd1.747
Fars1.729
Gilan1.687
West Azarbaijan1.659
Qazvin1.658
Hamedan1.643
Markazi1.640
Khoozestan1.633
Alborz1.616
Semnan1.608
Kermanshah1.596
Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari1.560
Kordestan1.551
Zanjan1.550
Kerman1.527
Golestan1.526
Qom1.486
Ardabil1.473
Booshehr1.438
Hormozgan1.397
Sistan and Baluchestan1.331
South Khorasan1.314
Lorestan1.264
North Khorasan1.227
Ilam1.101
Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad0.899
Table 11. The importance of economic indicators.
Table 11. The importance of economic indicators.
IndicatorsImportance of Indicators
The share of the county’s transport companies to the province0.1228
The flow of load displacement in and out of the county0.1215
The county’s share of industrial workshops0.1212
Number of passengers and holiday-makers0.1197
Number of post administration in the county0.1170
Number of highways0.1142
The portion of roads in regions0.1142
Number of building with concrete and metal skeleton0.0552
Employed to active population ratio0.0605
Number of job opportunities0.0537
Table 12. The rating of Tehran Province counties according to economic development.
Table 12. The rating of Tehran Province counties according to economic development.
Legend200620112016
Sustainability 14 07402 i001CountyFANP ResultCountyFANP ResultCountyFANP Result
Tehran0.724Tehran0.811Tehran0.886
Karaj0.353Rey0.401Rey0.386
Rey0.347Damavand0.305Firuzkuh0.359
Damavand0.293Pakdasht0.215Damavand0.308
Pakdasht0.208Shahriar0.209Varamin0.254
Shahriar0.206Robat Karim0.188Eslamshahr0.227
Robat Karim0.183Firuzkuh0.184Pakdasht0.224
Savojbolagh0.18Shemiranat0.176Shahriar0.216
Varamin0.176Varamin0.175Malard0.208
Shemiranat0.148Baharestan0.114Pardis0.197
Firuzkuh0.147Eslamshahr0.113Baharestan0.196
Eslamshahr0.141Pishva0.092Robat Karim0.189
Nazar Abad0.036Malard0.091Pishva0.151
Ghods0.058Qarchak0.138
Shemiranat0.137
Ghods0.087
Table 13. Education, health, infrastructure, and social service factors.
Table 13. Education, health, infrastructure, and social service factors.
EducationHealthInfrastructureSocial Service
F1—Accessibility to education infrastructure
F2—Accessibility to education services
F3—Accessibility to basic education centers
F4—Cultural features
F5—Educational capacities
F1—Health infrastructure
F2—Accessibility of health care centers
F3—Access to medical experts
F1—Social service properties
F2—Access to electric and gas infrastructures
F3—Energy consumption and waste production
F4—Access to environmental infrastructure
F5—Infrastructure properties
F1—Support services
F2—The properties of the welfare organization
F3—Access to social services
F4—The infrastructure of support agencies
Table 14. The rating of Tehran Province counties according to social development.
Table 14. The rating of Tehran Province counties according to social development.
Legend200620112016
Sustainability 14 07402 i002CountyFANP ResultCountyFANP ResultCountyFANP Result
Shemiranat0.448Tehran0.48Tehran0.499
Tehran0.396Shemiranat0.377Shemiranat0.384
Damavand0.31Damavand0.375Rey0.358
Damavand0.227Firuzkuh0.335Firuzkuh0.325
Karaj0.188Rey0.273Damavand0.31
Shahriar0.187Pishva0.234Pishva0.265
Savojbolagh0.183Pakdasht0.229Pardis0.249
Varamin0.178Varamin0.209Ghods0.241
Rey0.173Robat Karim0.204Varamin0.212
Firuzkuh0.165Eslamshahr0.176Pakdasht0.211
Pakdasht0.147Shahriar0.173Shahriar0.191
Nazar Abad0.14Malard0.135Robat Karim0.178
Robat Karim0.136Ghods0.093Eslamshahr0.175
Baharestan0.085Qarchak0.161
Malard0.158
Baharestan0.104
Table 15. The importance of environmental indicators.
Table 15. The importance of environmental indicators.
Environment
The proportion of forest lands to the area of the province0.0509
Range of land area to county area0.1738
County’s share of the number of frosty days0.1550
County’s share of sunny hours0.1171
County’s share of public parks0.0481
Green space per capita0.0462
The proportion of agricultural lands to the area of the province0.1593
The proportion of farmlands to the area of the province0.0662
The proportion of garden lands to the area of the province0.1171
County’s share of greenhouse area0.0662
Table 16. The rating of Tehran province counties according to environment development.
Table 16. The rating of Tehran province counties according to environment development.
Legend200620112016
Sustainability 14 07402 i003CountyFANP ResultCountyFANP ResultCountyFANP Result
Shahriar0.583Firuzkuh0.495Firuzkuh0.483
Eslamshahr0.329Damavand0.463Damavand0.475
Rey0.394Varamin0.437Robat Karim0.405
Varamin0.385Pishva0.43Shemiranat0.368
Damavand0.377Malard0.403Tehran0.357
Pakdasht0.338Shahriar0.393Malard0.345
Tehran0.326Pakdasht0.335Varamin0.345
Firuzkuh0.316Tehran0.312Pishva0.34
Robat Karim0.291Rey Karim0.297Rey0.335
Nazar Abad0.283Shemiranat0.276Qarchak0.281
Shemiranat0.2Ghods0.271Pardis0.279
Savojbolagh0.189Eslamshahr0.271Pakdasht0.261
Karaj0.102Robat Karim0.269Eslamshahr0.221
Baharestan0.234Shahriar0.208
Baharestan0.204
Ghods0.2
Table 17. The sustainable development transitions of Tehran Province.
Table 17. The sustainable development transitions of Tehran Province.
Legend200620112016
Sustainability 14 07402 i004CountyFANP ResultCountyFANP ResultCountyFANP Result
Tehran0.482Tehran0.534Tehran0.58
Shahriar0.339Firuzkuh0.381Firuzkuh0.389
Damavand 0.327Damavand0.338Damavand0.364
Rey0.305Rey0.324Rey0.36
Shemiranat0.265Shemiranat0.276Shemiranat0.297
Varamin0.246Varamin0.274Varamin0.27
Pakdasht0.231Robat Karim0.26Robat Karim0.257
Eslamshahr0.219Pishva0.258Pishva0.252
Karaj0.214Pardis0.252Pardis0.242
Firuzkuh0.209Malard0.22Malard0.237
Robat Karim0.203Pakdasht0.21Pakdasht0.232
Savojbolagh0.184Eslamshahr0.186Eslamshahr0.207
Nazar Abad0.153Shahriar0.144Shahriar0.205
Ghods0.141Qarchak0.193
Ghods0.176
Baharestan0.168
Table 18. Sustainability transition of counties of Tehran Province.
Table 18. Sustainability transition of counties of Tehran Province.
Sustainability Transition
CountyTrend
Tehran Sustainability 14 07402 i005
Firuzkuh Sustainability 14 07402 i006
Damavand Sustainability 14 07402 i007
Rey Sustainability 14 07402 i008
Shemiranat Sustainability 14 07402 i009
Varamin Sustainability 14 07402 i010
Robat Karim Sustainability 14 07402 i011
Pishva Sustainability 14 07402 i012
Pardis Sustainability 14 07402 i013
Malard Sustainability 14 07402 i014
Pakdasht Sustainability 14 07402 i015
Eslamshahr Sustainability 14 07402 i016
Shahriar Sustainability 14 07402 i017
Qarchak Sustainability 14 07402 i018
Ghods Sustainability 14 07402 i019
Baharestan Sustainability 14 07402 i020
Legend
Sustainability 14 07402 i021Progression in sustainability
Sustainability 14 07402 i022Stay untouched
Sustainability 14 07402 i023Regression in sustainability
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Hassanzadehkermanshahi, K.; Shirowzhan, S. Measuring Urban Sustainability over Time at National and Regional Scale for Addressing United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11: Iran and Tehran as Case Studies. Sustainability 2022, 14, 7402. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14127402

AMA Style

Hassanzadehkermanshahi K, Shirowzhan S. Measuring Urban Sustainability over Time at National and Regional Scale for Addressing United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11: Iran and Tehran as Case Studies. Sustainability. 2022; 14(12):7402. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14127402

Chicago/Turabian Style

Hassanzadehkermanshahi, Keihan, and Sara Shirowzhan. 2022. "Measuring Urban Sustainability over Time at National and Regional Scale for Addressing United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11: Iran and Tehran as Case Studies" Sustainability 14, no. 12: 7402. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14127402

APA Style

Hassanzadehkermanshahi, K., & Shirowzhan, S. (2022). Measuring Urban Sustainability over Time at National and Regional Scale for Addressing United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11: Iran and Tehran as Case Studies. Sustainability, 14(12), 7402. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14127402

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop