Evaluating the Adaptability of Najvan's Special Plan with the Principles of Livability and Ecotourism Approach

Subject Areas : Urban planning

Homayoon Nooraie ¹ , Seyed Mohammad Shokrani ² , Golnaz sheikh farshi ³ , Zahra safari ⁴ , Somaye dohaei ⁵ , Fatemeh Arjaki ⁶

1 - Assistant Professor in Urban and Regional Planning, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Art University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran
2 - Ph.D. Student of Urban Planning, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Art University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran
3 - M.A. Student of Urban Planning, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Art University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran
4 - M.A. Student of Urban Planning, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Art University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran
5 - M.A. Student of Urban Planning, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Art University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran
6 - M.A. Student of Urban Planning, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Art University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

Received: 2023-11-03 Accepted : 2024-05-30 Published : 2025-04-17

Keywords: Adaptability, Najvan Special Plan, Livability, Ecotourism,

Abstract :

The concept of livability and the ecotourism approach are among the recent and emerging topics in urban planning, both rooted in the principles of sustainable development. These approaches not only emphasize environmental protection but also contribute to economic, social, and physical development. The Najvan area, a valuable agricultural and green zone near the Zayandeh Rood river in Isfahan, has faced degradation in recent years due to unauthorized constructions and land-use changes. In response, the "Special Najvan Plan" was developed and issued by executive authorities. This research analyzes the quality of the mentioned plan through a descriptive-analytical method using content analysis. The study first identifies specific indicators based on theoretical frameworks related to livability and ecotourism, used to evaluate the quality of the plan both quantitatively and qualitatively. In the quantitative assessment, mere references to each indicator within the recognition, analysis, and proposal sections of the plan earned points. In the qualitative evaluation, aspects such as realism, detail orientation, and practical feasibility were also considered. Scoring was based on the Likert scale, and the SWARA method was applied to weigh the data. The results show the relative importance of environmental (0.27), economic (0.23), physical (0.18), land-use (0.14), social (0.10), and management (0.08) dimensions. The final scores of the plan were 4.45 out of 5 in the quantitative assessment and 3.31 out of 5 in the qualitative evaluation. This gap suggests that, while the plan demonstrates strong alignment with livability and ecotourism principles on a quantitative level, it falls short in qualitative terms, lacking adequate detail and precision in addressing all aspects of the issue comprehensively and effectively.

 

Extended Abstract

 

Introduction

With the increase in population followed by the growth of urbanization, the challenges of sustainable development are increasing rapidly. Sustainable development generally has environmental, economic and social aspects and strives to balance these three dimensions. One of the subsets of sustainable development is livability, which focuses on the human experience of place. Livable neighborhoods instill a greater sense of belonging to society and place. Therefore, planners consider livability as one of the effective strategies for the development and protection of the environment. One of the approaches to improving the quality of life and preserving the environment  is in line with economic prosperity through tourism,  is ecotourism. Since the more livable, the place can attract the population and especially the tourist population, these two approaches together can help to preserve valuable agricultural and garden lands and the economic prosperity of the area, and these two have a direct two-way relationship.

According to the latest census of 1995, Isfahan is the third largest city in Iran with a population of 1,961,260. Isfahan has 15 regions, and Najvan lands are surrounded by regions 13 and 9, and previously more attention was paid to the role of agriculture and horticulture, but now the potential of the lands has been noticed in terms of nature-oriented and recreational tourism. The role of the region is currently being investigated in four environmental, social (tourism), economical and spatial dimensions. This area as a breathing area of Isfahan and due to being located in the direction of the prevailing wind to the northeast, has an important role that significantly contributes to the improvement of the living environment in Isfahan. Also, the proximity to a  metropolis that needs a  place for leisure time, and considering the special features of this area that distinguishes it from other urban green spaces, it can be a nature-oriented tourism area with a key role in urban tourism. . Since the growth of urbanization has caused unauthorized constructions in the Najvan area, a plan called the special plan of Najvan was begined in 2018 in order to protect it. It has a lot to do with the topic of the project and its location, we tried to check the compliance of Najvan's special plan with the criteria of the mentioned approaches. And in this regard, it seeks to answer the following questions:

What is the compatibility status of Najvan's special plan with the criteria of livability approach and ecotourism in general?

- What are the measures of livability and ecotourism in different dimensions?

- How can the quantitative and qualitative evaluation of measures of livability and ecotourism approach in the mentioned plan be done?

- What are the solutions to improve Najwan's special plan from the point of view of adaptability to livability and ecotourism approaches?

 

Methodology

The current research is descriptive-analytical in nature and applied research in terms of purpose. At first, this research by studying extensive documents about the two approaches of livability and ecotourism in both quantitative and qualitative ways, reached certain criteria as a tool to measure the quality of project development. In fact, in this research, the content analysis method has been used in order to check the degree of compatibility of programs with structural and content features.

 

Results and discussion

According to the quantitative and qualitative analysis of the Najvan special plan based on livability and ecotourism, the scores for each criterion were determined based on the Likert scale and two types of quantitative and qualitative analysis were done. Based on this, the environmental dimension with an importance factor of 0.27 is the most important dimension, as well as the level of attention of the plan to the preservation and maintenance of agricultural usages, is the most important measure in this dimension. The economic dimension is also the second dimension with an importance factor of 0.23. It is very important that the attention of the plan to tourism development along with the preservation of agricultural land is the most important measure of this sector. Also, the dimension of management has a very low importance with a coefficient of 0.08, and the level of urban management's attention to historical and cultural heritage is the least important measure in this section.. In the following, the final score of each criterion is obtained from the product of the importance factor in the scores of each criterion. Then, it is calculated from the sum of the final scores quantitatively and qualitatively. This score for Najvan's special plan was calculated as 4.45 quantitatively and 3.31 qualitatively out of 5 points.

 

Conclusion

In quantitative measurement, the "Najwan Special Plan" report is included in points if it is mentioned only in each of the sections of diagnosis, analysis and proposal, and in qualitative measurement, in addition to mentioning, its quality and degree of realism are also included. Details and the possibility of scoring each criterion are considered. Scores were entered into a Likert scale and then data were obtained using Swara's method. The results showed that the final weight of the plan is 4.45 out of 5 in the quantitative measurement method and 3.31 out of 5 in the qualitative measurement method. But in terms of quality, it is an average planwill be evaluated. Considering the importance of the environmental dimension and its quantitative investigation method, it is possible to mention the preservation and maintenance of agricultural usages, attention to the state of cultivation and water consumption, as well as the protection and maintenance of water resources on purpose. To attract tourists in terms of two livability and ecoutourism approaches  as a strong point and not paying attention to the high impact of pollution caused by undesirable usages is one of the weak points of the plan. Also, from the perspective of the qualitative review method, proper attention to the plan along with mention of details in order to preserve agricultural and garden lands as the strong point of the plan and the idealism of the plan in presenting the proposal for preservation and maintenance is the weak point of the plan. The complete freezing of agricultural land is the weak point of the plan. The suggestions presented in the field of improving the quality of this area can be 1- The attention of managers and consulting engineers to the feasibility and feasibility of the project, 2- Considering the interests of all stakeholders before drafting laws, 3- Paying as much attention as possible to financial instruments in order to preserving agricultural lands and preventing their destruction, such as providing facilities for the expansion of mechanized agriculture and...

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