Search Results (10)

An Urban Heat Island (UHI) is an important variable in climate and environmental studies. Nowadays, population growth and urbanization development are the most important factors affecting the temperature increase in urban areas, which cause the creation of heat islands in urban areas. (1) Background: This study explores the influence of major land uses on the creation of Urban Heat Islands in Urmia city, Iran. (2) Methods: To achieve the aim of this study, Landsat satellite data including Landsat 5 and 8 imageries from the time periods of 1990 and 2023 were used. With the series of data processing and analyses on vegetation cover and land surface temperature, the impact of main land uses on the creation of Urban Heat Islands and the intensification of their effects have been investigated. (3) Results: The analysis reveals that barren lands consistently exhibit the highest temperature, while garden lands show the lowest temperature across both periods. In addition, the spatial distribution of Urban Heat Islands demonstrates a clustered pattern throughout the study period, with hot spots mainly located in the northwestern and southwestern areas. (4) Conclusions: This study’s findings can be helpful for urban policymakers and planners to develop practical strategies to mitigate UHIs and improve climate resilience in cities. Full article

Heavy rainfall, a natural phenomenon reinforced by climate change and global warming, can cause severe social, economic, and safety impacts. Due to the impact of climate change and global warming, heavy rainfall events have become more frequent and intense in recent years, underscoring the urgent need to develop robust stormwater management systems that can prevent related social, economic, and safety issues. This is of greater importance in developing countries. The present study identified areas in Urmia City, Iran, that require stormwater management to develop a comprehensive understanding of the hydrological processes within the study area and to prevent the subsequent effects of heavy rainfall. For this purpose, a combination of the watershed modeling system (WMS) and stormwater management model (SWMM) was employed. Also, three possible scenarios that could be implemented to address the issue of water flow in the medium were proposed. Results indicated that the scenario involving the application of a vegetative swale was the most promising solution. Overall, the results of the present study offer a valuable framework for decision-makers in regions facing heavy rainfalls to effectively manage and minimize the adverse impacts of such events. Full article

Intangible cultural heritage has recently emerged as an important sector of sustainable tourism development programs. In this regard, the main objective of this study was to map and examine the capability of different cities in Iran for intangible cultural heritage (ICH) tourism. For the methodological perspective, we employed an integrated geographical information system (GIS) and multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) as efficient geospatial approaches for intangible tourism potentiality assessment. Regarding this goal, we concluded that Iranian pastoral nomads have a number of unique characteristics that are suitable to international tourists from a geographical, social, cultural, and artistic perspective. From the methodological framework, we employed an integrated geographical information system and multiple geospatial approaches for analyzing the ICH features and intangible tourism potentiality assessment. The methodological framework includes several major steps, including (a) the selection of the criteria and preparation of a GIS dataset, as well as standardization; (b) criteria weighting and sensitivity analysis; and finally, (c) criteria aggregation and production of the final ICH maps. The results of this study indicated that there is a very high capability of intangible and cultural tourism and heritage in different parts of the country, which are variable based on the local customs, traditions, events, and cultural characteristics. As the results indicated, the highest level of the ICH potentiality was found in Urmia, Khoy, Tabriz, Mashhad, Shiraz, Isfahan, Dezful, and Kashan. These cities are ranked based on the overall capability and contribution of the national intangible tourism potentiality assessment. The results of this study indicated that Iran has indeed remarkable ICH capabilities that can be used as the base of efficient sustainable development programs. However, due to international sanctions and political issues, developing a sustainable tourism program has already faced critical challenges. Based on the results, we concluded that the information obtained from this study leads local stakeholders, decision-makers, and authorities to identify the potentiality of each area and take into account developing tourism plans. In addition, the obtained information will also support readers, international travelers and tourism agencies to understand the potentiality of each area, as well as the suitability of different areas for intended travel objects, and to develop tourism programs and plans. Full article

The living conditions in the Urmia Basin (northwestern Iran) face significant challenges due to dust events. This study investigates the spatial and temporal characteristics of dust phenomena in the Urmia Basin using MERRA-2 data and observational data from Tabriz, Urmia, Sarab, and Mahabad over a 30-year period (1990–2019). The findings reveal that despite several fluctuations, the annual number of dusty days increased from the 1990s to the 2010s in the Urmia Basin. The maximum number of dusty days was found to predominantly occur in May (spring) and October (autumn), driven by two distinct mechanisms. In early autumn, developing synoptic systems associated with increased wind speeds can cause dust emission from dry land sources. Consequently, an increase in dust wet deposition, precipitation, dust surface concentration, and the number of dusty days occurs in October. In contrast, a sharp decrease in precipitation from April to May leads to drying soil and dust emission in May. Among the studied cities, Tabriz experienced the highest number of dusty days (728) due to the combined effects of cross-border and local dust sources. The highest dust column density and dust dry deposition in the south and east of Urmia Lake indicate the impact of declining water levels, which resulted in a dry lakebed as the primary local dust source. The MERRA-2 spatial distribution reveals that dust surface concentration, and the number of dusty days decrease similarly from the southwest to the northeast of the Urmia Basin as the distance from cross-border dust sources increases. A positive correlation is observed between the number of dusty days and MEERA-2 data, including dust surface concentration, dust dry deposition, column mass dust, and total aerosol extinction, with coefficients of 0.74, 0.71, 0.69, and 0.68, respectively. Full article

In recent decades, the concept of a knowledge-based city has been proposed as one of the most important concepts in urban planning. The present study evaluates the ability to localize urban planning indicators in the city of Urmia and determine the desirability of knowledge-based city indicators to provide coherent policies and strategies to achieve sustainable development and a knowledge-based city. Localization is the adaptation of global patterns and methods of development and planning to the internal conditions of the local community. In order to collect data from documents and library studies, experts’ opinions have been used by the Delphi method. Then, indicators related to local urban planning and knowledge-based city were extracted. The present study’s statistical population is 20 specialists and experts related to the research topic through the survey method. In order to analyze the research data, a one-sample t-test was used to assess the ability to localize aspects of urban planning in the city of Urmia. In order to investigate the degree of correlation and factor load of each urban planning indicator, confirmatory factor analysis was used. Using the Swara technique, the desirability and knowledge-based city indicators’ priority level has been evaluated and analyzed. The research results indicate that each of the economic, social, physical, environmental, and managerial aspects of urban planning can be localized in the city of Urmia. Moreover, the situation of Urmia in some aspects is in a situation of incompatibility in terms of the feasibility of the knowledge-based city’s policies. In order to improve the current situation and achieve the desired goals, suggestions have been made in various aspects. Full article

Several studies have shown the potential of using mycorrhizal fungi in increasing the plant yield by simultaneously reducing damages caused by pathogens. Plant parasitic nematodes (PPNs) are among the most feared pathogens for crops. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of Funneliformis mosseae as a mycorrhizal fungus on the population abundance of three world widespread species of nematodes from the family Criconematidae: Mesocriconema xenoplax, Mesocriconema antipolitanum, and Criconemides informis. Pure and highly abundant populations of each species were collected from Urmia city in Northwestern Iran, after the identification morphological and morphometric characteristics. The experiments were carried out in greenhouse conditions on three different rhizospheres of alfalfa, sugar beet, and wheat. After five months, the final population of nematodes and fungus, and the root surface on host plants inoculated and non-inoculated with the fungus F. mosseae, were evaluated. The results showed that the population of nematodes was increased in the presence of the fungus. It could be assumed that the extension of the host surface level of roots by the fungus resulted in more feeding sites for nematode activity and, consequently, higher population densities. In this study, the fungus did not seem to play a suitable role in controlling ectoparasitic nematode growth. However, since there are still many open questions about mycorrhizal fungi’s role in agriculture, more research should be conducted. Full article

Urban green spaces are essential for improving the livability of cities. Urban parks as green and public open spaces and signs of nature in cities have special economic and social value. The existence of neighborhood parks and their proper distribution is a key element for improving the quality of life in the cities. Spatial equity and accessibility to parks are factors influencing the performance of parks. This study was conducted to determine the current situation of Urmia city in this regard by using the travel cost approach and network analysis, and also examining the impact of rapid urban growth on spatial inequalities. According to the results, 18% of the residential land in Urmia city is located outside of the park service area, and 68% of residential lands outside the park’s service area are areas that have developed as a result of urban growth in the last two decades. Based on the analysis, in 23 neighborhoods of Urmia city, the entire neighborhood is located in the service area of parks and has pedestrian access to this service. Other neighborhoods—to address the issue of spatial justice related to urban parks—fall into three categories: high, medium, and low priority. Full article

Social resilience is an essential need for societies faced with adverse events such as pandemics. The recent COVID-19 outbreak has affected many communities around the globe. In fact, in addition to unprecedented mortality and infection rates, it has also caused major anxieties and social problems. Iran has been one of the hardest-hit countries and is among those that have experienced multiple waves of the outbreak. In this study, we try to identify major factors that can contribute to urban social resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic in Urmia, a major city located in Northwestern Iran. Data for the study were collected via a field visit and a semi-structured interview survey involving 194 participants. Findings show that several factors related to the following three themes play a significant role in promoting social resilience: (1) participative and supportive governance, (2) resource accessibility, and (3) citizen participation and lawfulness. Results can inform local authorities in Urmia and other contexts to deal with COVID-19 and similar pandemics. Full article

A reliable land cover (LC) map is essential for planners, as missing proper land cover maps may deviate a project. This study is focusing on land cover classification and prediction using three well known classifiers and remote sensing data. Maximum Likelihood classifier (MLC), Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM), and Support Vector Machines (SVMs) algorithms are used as the representatives for parametric, non-parametric and subpixel capable methods for change detection and change prediction of Urmia City (Iran) and its suburbs. Landsat images of 2000, 2010, and 2020 have been used to provide land cover information. The results demonstrated 0.93–0.94 overall accuracies for MLC and SVMs’ algorithms, but it was around 0.79 for the SAM algorithm. The MLC performed slightly better than SVMs’ classifier. Cellular Automata Artificial neural network method was used to predict land cover changes. Overall accuracy of MLC was higher than others at about 0.94 accuracy, although, SVMs were slightly more accurate for large area segments. Land cover maps were predicted for 2030, which demonstrate the city’s expansion from 5500 ha in 2000 to more than 9000 ha in 2030. Full article

This paper presents an advanced method in urban growth modeling to discover transition rules of cellular automata (CA) using the artificial bee colony (ABC) optimization algorithm. Also, comparisons between the simulation results of CA models optimized by the ABC algorithm and the particle swarm optimization algorithms (PSO) as intelligent approaches were performed to evaluate the potential of the proposed methods. According to previous studies, swarm intelligence algorithms for solving optimization problems such as discovering transition rules of CA in land use change/urban growth modeling can produce reasonable results. Modeling of urban growth as a dynamic process is not straightforward because of the existence of nonlinearity and heterogeneity among effective involved variables which can cause a number of challenges for traditional CA. ABC algorithm, the new powerful swarm based optimization algorithms, can be used to capture optimized transition rules of CA. This paper has proposed a methodology based on remote sensing data for modeling urban growth with CA calibrated by the ABC algorithm. The performance of ABC-CA, PSO-CA, and CA-logistic models in land use change detection is tested for the city of Urmia, Iran, between 2004 and 2014. Validations of the models based on statistical measures such as overall accuracy, figure of merit, and total operating characteristic were made. We showed that the overall accuracy of the ABC-CA model was 89%, which was 1.5% and 6.2% higher than those of the PSO-CA and CA-logistic model, respectively. Moreover, the allocation disagreement (simulation error) of the simulation results for the ABC-CA, PSO-CA, and CA-logistic models are 11%, 12.5%, and 17.2%, respectively. Finally, for all evaluation indices including running time, convergence capability, flexibility, statistical measurements, and the produced spatial patterns, the ABC-CA model performance showed relative improvement and therefore its superiority was confirmed. Full article