Analysis of urban spatial organization with an institutional-managerial approach (Case study: areas of Tehran metropolis)
Subject Areas : Urban planning
Mohammadreza Rezaei
1
*
,
zahra Hosseini
2
,
ali shakoor
3
1 - مدیر مسئول نشریه جغرافیا و برنامه ریزی شهری
2 - PhD student, Department of Humanities, Qeshm Branch, Islamic Azad College, Qeshm, Iran.
3 - Professor, Department of Human Geography, Marodasht Branch, Islamic Azad University, Marodasht, Iran.
Keywords: Urban spatial organization, urban management, institutional-managerial, Tehran metropolis,
Abstract :
The evolution of the space organization of cities shows the increasing importance of human factors over natural factors, and a successful management structure must take advantage of all the institutional opportunities available in its operational environment to the frameworks, norms, rules and actions that implement the action. They structure in social contexts to appear in the form of formal rules and structures, as well as norms, etc. in the daily affairs of collective life. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim of analyzing urban spatial organization with an institutional-managerial approach in the metropolis of Tehran and based on field evidence (study of Tehran municipal areas based on spatial organization) and various library documents. The statistical population of the study was determined using the Delphi method of 30 experts in the field of urban planning and architecture. The distribution of the sample among the respondents by random method and the tool used is a questionnaire. Using SPSS software, and chi-square test, two values of chi-square were obtained (SIG = 0.000) indicating the importance of prioritizing institutional-managerial indicators in the study areas. Decision-making and implementation in public affairs had the highest weight (0.15). Boolean logic model showed that only 0.6% of the area is suitable for policy and operational integration. These areas are mostly scattered in sections 10, 3 and 4 and separately. However, according to the results of the binary model and the overlap model of the multi-class index, 35% and 10% of the study area, respectively, are highly desirable, and these zones are more cohesive than the Boolean logic model. As it is obvious, the index overlap method (binary model and multi-class index overlap model) has more flexibility than Boolean logic model, and in this regard, solutions to improve urban organization with an institutional-managerial approach have been presented.
Extended Abstract
Introduction
The expansion of cities with an incoherent and disjointed spatial structure has created numerous problems for cities, the negative consequences of which are the lack of attention to the spatial structure of cities and disproportionate migration to the suburbs, traffic congestion, pollution and uneven development. Since these relationships in large cities are particularly complex and homogeneous, the importance of the spatial structure approach in them is doubly important. Therefore, spatial organization has always tried to provide a logical framework for understanding the principles governing the structure and function of space and analyzing its current configuration and current spatial effects. Accordingly, there is a need for strategic areas of spatial organization, which are as follows: 1. External strategic aspect of spatial organization (areas and strategies of spatial organization): Strategic peripheral areas of spatial organization: (position, location, relationships) 2. Internal strategy of spatial organization: (size, shape, internal arrangement of relationships and communication network, functional order, physical order, perceptual order). On the other hand, the development processes of human societies throughout history, especially the emergence of the concept of surplus production, by making social and economic relations more complex, have effectively empowered organizations in various fields resulting from urbanization and special relationships. This process requires a successful management structure to exploit all organizational opportunities available in their operational environment. Throughout history, people have created institutions to create order and reduce the uncertainty of exchanges. As institutions are frameworks of norms, rules, and actions that structure action in social contexts. Institutions mean "resources and rules", "signification and legitimacy", structures of meaning", "formal and informal work processes", "patterns of behavior", "routines" and "etiquette". Institutions provide ethical and cognitive patterns for interpretation and action. In the introduction and interpretation of institutions, there is no single definition and consensus among all institutional thinkers, and everyone has a different definition of institutions according to their thoughts and tastes. However, there is a commonality among institutionalists, which is the importance of institutions. In analyzing the problems, it is economic, social and political. Accordingly, in this research, with the aim of analyzing the spatial organization of Tehran city with an emphasis on the institutional-managerial approach, to examine the status of the studied areas in terms of the major issues that exist in the spatial organization system of the Tehran metropolis, it should be done based on the studies conducted. The spatial organization and institutional management of Tehran city is faced with two structural and functional problems. From the structural perspective of the components and elements of urban management, as well as the interaction and relationship between them, and from the functional perspective of the product and purpose of spatial organization in the lives of urban residents, the problems and questions are analyzed. Accordingly, these two questions are raised: what is the contribution of the institutional-managerial system of Tehran in the developments of the spatial organization of this metropolis? And the other is what are the differences between the spatial organization and the institutional-managerial system governing the regions (2,3,4,10,19,22,20) of the Tehran metropolis?
Methodology
Materials and Research Methods The method used in the present study is descriptive-analytical and applied in terms of targeting strategy. Two library and documentary methods (detailed design) were used to collect data. The geographical area under study is the regions (2, 3, 4, 10, 19, 20, 22) of Tehran Metropolitan Municipality, and to evaluate the regions and test the hypotheses, the normal distribution test method or the chi-square test or the chi-square test, which is written as 2, is a statistical test and is used to evaluate the degree of relationship between nominal variables. Also, in the overlap model, the correspondence between environmental and human sub-criteria with effective spatial organization indicators is used to weight managerial-institutional factors, modeling the quality of spatial organization indicators.
Results and discussion
The analysis reveals that the institutional index (regulatory, normative, and cognitive) received the highest average rank (4), indicating its primary importance in the institutional-management approach across selected regions (2, 3, 4, 10, 19, 20, 22) of Tehran. Following this, institutional indicators in economic (2.94), social (1.95), and political (1.11) policies were ranked next in importance. The Friedman test results (chi-square = 181.192, significance = 0.000) confirm that the differences in rankings are statistically meaningful. Eight policy integration criteria—covering both political decentralization and functional fragmentation—were analyzed to identify suitable areas for institutional integration in Tehran. These included elements like delegation of authority, constitutional clarity, local council impact, and spatial disparities in infrastructure and transportation. Three modeling approaches were used: Boolean logic, binary index overlap, and multi-class index overlap. The Boolean model, being rigid, identified only 0.6% of suitable areas, which were scattered. In contrast, the binary model found 35% and the multi-class model 10% of the area suitable for policy and functional integration, with better spatial continuity. Expert-assigned weights showed the highest priority (0.15) was given to the degree of authority delegation. Overall, the index overlap models demonstrated greater flexibility and provided more coherent outputs compared to the Boolean model. Maps illustrating land suitability for integration are presented in Figures 2 and 3.
Conclusion
Given the country's current financial constraints, transformation is inevitable. Institutional understanding of change supports the design of effective transition strategies, though such changes are gradual. Urban management plays a key role in guiding spatial organization, requiring efficient tools. For Tehran, essential actions include institutional capacity building, spatial planning through zoning, balanced urban development, anti-rent and anti-corruption policies, and promoting human-centered spaces over profit-driven models. Further priorities involve restoring neighborhood identity, minimizing high-rise development, addressing legal deficiencies in urban laws, managing spaces efficiently, reducing rentier practices, enabling decentralization for better governance, and removing overlapping functions and legal complexities. Additionally, urban development should align with foundational cultural, social, and economic theories.
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