Classification of Zanjan cities based on cultural development indicators using TOPSIS model

Subject Areas : Regional Planning

Abolfazl Meshkini ¹ (استادیار جغرافیا و برنامه ریزى شهرى، دانشگاه تربیت مدرس، تهران، ایران)
Kimia Ghasemi ² (کارشناسی ارشد جغرافیا و برنامه ریزى شهرى، دانشگاه تربیت مدرس، تهران، ایران)

Received: 2013-09-14 Accepted : 2013-09-14 Published : 2012-11-21

Keywords: Zanjan Province, Topsis model, Cultural Indicators, Keyword: Cultural Development, Multiple Criteria Decision Making,

Abstract :

In some regions, political and economic power concentration results in the concentration of facilities and the creation of special cultural spaces. However, many other regions are deprived of cultural facilities, which hinders the fulfillment of their potential. Balanced distribution not only means providing facilities and cultural spaces but also, in a broader sense, refers to reaching the cultural potential of deprived areas. Some deprived areas have cultural potential that has not been realized yet, which is considered a form of imbalanced distribution. The purpose of this study is to rank seven cities of Zanjan Province based on the cultural development indicators. The research method is descriptive-analytical. To collect and analyze the data, the document library method and the TOPSIS model, respectively, were used. The criteria used to rank the cities were weighted using the Analytical Hierarchy Process. The results indicated that there were significant differences between the cities of Zanjan Province in the use of cultural spaces and facilities. Based on the TOPSIS analysis, the cities of Mahneshan and Zanjan have the highest rank in terms of cultural indicators and the cities of Khodabande and Ijrood are by far the most deprived cities in Zanjan Province.