Formulating a Development Strategy for the Coastal Cities of Bushehr Province with Emphasis on Addressing Existing Challenges

Subject Areas : Sustainable Development

Seyed Taha Mousavi ¹ , Azita Rajabi ^{2 *} , Naser Eghbali ³

1 - Ph.D. Student, Department of Geography and Urban Planning, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
2 - Associate Professor, Department of Geography and Urban Planning, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
3 - Professor, Department of Geography and Urban Planning, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

Received: 2025-06-15 Accepted : 2025-07-18 Published : 2025-07-21

Keywords: Urban development strategy, damage assessment, coastal cities of Bushehr Province,

Abstract :

The strategic urban development plan is a tool for managing and improving the quality of life, economy, infrastructure, and environment of cities. The coastal cities of Bushehr province have not been able to fully utilize their capacities due to challenges such as weak infrastructure, environmental issues, and unemployment. Therefore, formulating an urban development strategy based on a thorough analysis of these problems is essential. This study is applied in terms of its objective and descriptive-analytical in nature, with data collected through both library and field methods. Data analysis was conducted using structural equation modeling with Smart PLS software. The findings indicate that the research model has good quality, and its fit was positively confirmed using communality and redundancy validity indices. The explained variance (0.68) demonstrates the simultaneous impact of three criteria—employment and economic strategies, environmental preservation, and expansion of trade relations—on sustainable urban development in the coastal cities of Bushehr province. Hypothesis testing also showed a positive and significant effect of implementing employment and economic sustainability strategies, environmental strategies, and trade expansion on sustainable urban development. Finally, the goodness-of-fit index (GOF) was 0.732, indicating the desirability of the structural model. The results suggest that policymakers should design programs tailored to the real needs of the region to achieve both economic growth and environmental preservation, providing a comprehensive vision for the development of Bushehr’s coastal cities and identifying investment priorities

 

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