Assessment of Spatial Equity Index in Tourism Villages (Case Study: East Azerbaijan Province)

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Professor of Geography and Urban Planning, University of Urmia, Urmia, Iran

2 Lecturor in Art & Architecture, University of Bonab, Bonab, Iran

3 PhD Candidate in Geography and Urban Planning, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Iran

Abstract

Introduction
Paying attention to the approach of spatial equity in distribiution of land use in any community, and the way of which the citizens take advantage, represents the social, economic and environmental development. The necessity of paying attention to spatial equity in distribiution of land use in touristic villages in comparison with Nontouristic areas is of great importance, because these areas have a great potential for comprehensive development and especially the development of rural areas. This factor has doubled the necessity of paying attention to spatial equity in these villages. Actually, the use of land and space as a public resource and public wealth is crucial in tourism villages which should be based on scientific principles of land use planning. East Azarbaijan provience due to climatic and cultural diversity and also because of its historical background contains numerous touristic villages. Despite all these features, due to mismanagement and lack of optimal allocation of resources and services, they are exposed to a numerous problems such as lack of service centers, lack of green spaces and lack of compatibility of land use for the welfare and requirements of tourists. Given the importance and sensitivity of spatial equity in tourism villages, this research seeks to answer the following basic questions:
- To what extent the spatial equity is considered in spatial distribiution of land use in touristic villages of East Azerbaijan province?
- How great is the correlation between geographic conditions and spatial equity in touristic villages of East Azerbaijan province?
- How can we prioritize touristic villages of the province in terms of spatial equity?
- What are the suggested guidelines for the optimal distribiution of land use and achieving spatial equity?
Methodology
This is a descriptive-analytic research. Data have been collected in document and survey methods. Review and selection of reseach variables, theoretical framework and research backgrounds is conducted using documental method. we have investigated 42 variables of residentail, cultural-religious, communicational, educational, hygience, physical, structural-institutional and service dimensions in this research. In surveys, the data related to land use of touristic villages of the province were derived from Islamic Revolution Housing Foundation, the Cultural Heritage Organization of the provience, and Iran's statistics center. Delphi technique is used to determine the weight of functions. Then, the list of functions were given to 30 of urban planners (including academics and experts of Housing Foundation and the Cultural Heritage Organization). After analysis of the comments, the weight of functions were extracted. The study population is 48 touristic villages of East Azerbaijan provience.  They are tourism target villages and the best touristic destinations according to the rules and regulations of the Islamic Revolution Housing Foundation and Cultural Heritage Organization. Vikor model was used to perform the analysis, after calculating the gap between current and ideal situation. The one way ANOVA analysis test and Duncan's post hoc test are used to evaluate the difference between different functions. The cluster analysis test is used for grading and finally the multivariate regression test is used to explain the changes of this index.
Results and discussion
According to the results of Vikor model, the biggest gap with the amount of 0.829 is for 8 variables related to the touristic services functions. Also residential indexies with the amount of 0.162 are in the best situation of spacial justice. The highest amount of frequency is about the suitable situation with the amount of 45.5%. Also the results of statistical tests shows that there is a correlation between population, beneficary index, fullfilment of guide plans and the typology of village with the amount of spacial justice in touristic villages.
The results of Vikor test showed that the lowest gap of spatial equity is related to the villages of Ina Lu (0.150), Savar (0.276) and Darband (0.293) in residential and street network functions. In addition, the largest gap is related to the villages of Kandovan (0.475), Bezujiq (0.463), Lighavan (0.415) and Oshtabin (0.412). According to the results of cluster analysis 19.6% of the villages in terms of spatial equity are in very low level, 16.4% are in low level,  17. 2% are in intermediate level and only 45.5% are in high level and 1.3% are in very high level. The results of correlation analysis showed that only the variables of the civil projects in form of rural guide plans, possessing index and type of village have a significant correlation with the dependent variable.
Conclusion
Due to the need for spatial equity in distribiution of land use in touristic villages, this research aimed to analyze the spatial equity in land use in touristic villages of East Azerbaijan provience. The results showed that only 3% of villages are in good and very good condition in terms of spatial equity. Therefore, based on the results of the research, it can be concluded that there are the need to understand the demands and needs of villagers and tourists before creating functions and also the number of tourists entering the village and also their economic and social characteristics. It is required to pay more attention to rural green spaces, rural passways, parks and open sport spaces. There is a need for serious attention to the completion of rural guide plans in villages and disregarding this plans can reduce efficiency in the environmental variables in rural land uses. Adopting comprehensive and integrated approach in the management of land use in touristic villages can be helpful for the management. It is required to integrate system approach in land use management in tourist villages. The officials and planners have to rely on management strategies to create more gaps between different applications.

Keywords

Main Subjects


  1. ابراهیمی، محمدصادق، 1393، بررسی وضعیت خدمات زیربنایی و روبنایی طرح هادی روستایی در شهرستان آمل، فصلنامة چشم‌انداز جغرافیایی، سال نهم، شمارة 26، صص 105-119.
  2. زیاری کرامت‌الله، 1381، برنامه‌ریزی کاربری اراضی شهری (مورد: میناب)، تحقیقات جغرافیایی، 63-78 (پیاپی 66-65)، صص 63-78.
  3. شریفی، عبدالنبی، 1385، عدالت اجتماعی و شهر:‌ تحلیلی بر نابرابری‌های منطقه‌ای در شهر اهواز، پایان‌نامة دکتری جغرافیا و برنامه‌ریزی شهری، دانشگاه تهران.
  4. شکویی، حسین، 1382، فلسفه‌های محیطی و مکتب‌های جغرافیایی، تهران، مؤسسة جغرافیا و کارتوگرافی.
  5. شکویی، حسین و مهدی موسی کاظمی، 1378، مؤلفه‌های اجتماعی-اقتصادی توسعة پایدار شهری، پژوهش موردی قم، تبریز، اولین همایش مدیریت توسعة پایدار در نواحی شهری، دانشگاه تبریز، صص 120-129.
  6. ضیاءآبادی، مریم، زارع مهرجردی، محمدرضا، جلائی عبدالمجید و حسین مهرابی، 1395، سنجش گردشگری پایدار با استفاده از شاخص ترکیبی پایداری و مدل برنامه‌ریزی ریاضی، فصلنامة نظریه‌های کاربردی اقتصاد، دورة سوم، شمارة 2، صص 77-100.
  7. فاضل‌نیا، غریب و الهام افشار عمرانی، 1392، تحلیل تأثیر تقاضای اجتماعی بر کاربری اراضی روستاهای شهرستان تنکابن، فصلنامة جغرافیا و توسعه، دورة یازدهم، شمارة 33، صص 27-38.
  8. قربانی، مهدی، مهرابی، علی‌اکبر، ثروتی، محمدرضا و علی‌اکبر نظری سامانی، 1389، بررسی تغییرات جمعیتی و اثرگذاری‌های آن بر تغییرات کاربری اراضی (مطالعة موردی: منطقة بالاطالقان)، مرتع و آبخیزداری (منابع طبیعی ایران)، دورة شصت‌و‌سه، شمارة 1، صص 75-88.
  9. محمدی، محمد، مهرابی، علی‌اکبر، قربانی، مهدی و محمدامین خراسانی، 1391، نیروهای انسانی مؤثر بر تغییرات کاربری اراضی در حاشیة مناطق روستایی (نمونة موردی: روستاهای آلکله و سی بن-شهرستان تنکابن)، فصلنامة جغرافیا، دورة دهم، شمارة 35، صص 79-98.
  10. مرصوصی، نفیسه، 1382، تحلیل فضایی عدالت اجتماعی در شهر تهران، پایان‌نامة دورة دکتری جغرافیا و برنامه‌ریزی شهری، دانشگاه تربیت‌مدرس.
  11. مرصوصی، نفیسه، 1386، تحلیلیجغرافیاییازتئوری‌هایعدالتاجتماعی، نشریة علوم جغرافیایی، دورة هفتم، شمارة 10، صص 107-124.
  12. منشی‌زاده، رحمت‌اله و فرهاد خوشحال، 1393، تأثیر توریسم در تغییر کاربری اراضی در شهرستان لاهیجان (با تأکید بر اراضی روستایی)، علوم جغرافیایی، دورة چهارم، شمارة 5، صص 89-108.
  13. هاروی، دیوید، 1376، عدالت اجتماعی و شهر، ترجمة فرخ حسامیان و همکاران، انتشارات پردازش و برنامه‌ریزی شهری، تهران.
  14. یاری حصار، ارسطو و سهیلا باختر، 1395، ارزیابی شاخص‌های گردشگری پایدار روستایی از منظر جامعة محلی و گردشگران (مطالعة موردی: شهرستان نیر)، فصلنامة برنامه‌ریزی منطقه‌ای، دورة ششم، شمارة 22، صص 111-134.

15. Acocella, N., 2002, Theories of Justice, Social Condition and Personal Responsibility in Roemer’s Contribution, University of Rome’ La, Sapienza.

16. Alberts, H. C., 2009, Berlin's Failed Bid to Host the 2000 Summer Olympic Games: Urban Development and the Improvement of Sports Facilities, International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Vol. 33, No. 2, PP. 502-516.

17. Argersinger, J. A. E., 2010, Contested Visions of American Democracy: Citizenship, Public Housing, and the International Arena, Journal of Urban History, Vol. 36, No. 6, PP. 792-813.

18. Barry, B., 1989, Theories of Justice, Harvester- Wheat Sheaf, London.

19. Barton, E., Williams, K., and Jens, M., 2001, Compact City and Urban Sustainability, Namaieh Magazine.

20. Bolary, J., Yves, P., and Adriana, R., 2005, Urban Environment Spatial Fragmentation and Social Segregation in Latin America: Where Does Innovation Lie? Habitat International, No. 29, PP. 627-645.

21. Carvalho, O. S. et al., 2010, The Estrada Real Project and Endemic Diseases: The Case of Schistosomiasis, Geoprocessing and Tourism, Memórias Do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Vol. 105, No. 4, PP. 532-536.

22. Chance, K. R., 2015, Transitory Citizens: Contentious Housing Practices in Contemporary South Africa, Social Analysis, Vol. 59, No. 3, PP. 62-84.

23. Choi, H. C., and Sirakaya, E., 2006, Sustainability Indicators for Managing Community Tourism, Tourism Management, Vol. 27, No. 6, PP. 1274-1289.

24. Chua, B. H., 2014, Navigating Between Limits: The Future of Public Housing In Singapore, Housing Studies, Vol. 29, No. 4, PP. 520-533.

25. Dimitrovski, D. D., et al., 2012, Rural Tourism and Regional Development: Case Study of Development of Rural Tourism in the Region of Gruţa, Serbia, Procedia Environmental Sciences, No. 14, PP. 288-297.

26. Ebrahimi, M. S., 2014, The Analysis of Infrastructural and Super Structural Services of Rural Guidance Plan in Amol City, Journal of Geographical Landscape, Vol. 9, No. 26, PP. 105-119. (In Persian)

27. Fazel Nia, G., and Afshar Omrani, E., 2013, The Analysis of the Impact of Social Demand on Rural Land Use in Tonekabon City, Journal of Geography and Development, Vol. 11, No. 33, PP. 27-38. (In Persian)

28. Ghorbani, M., Mehrabi, A. A., Servati, M. R., and Nazri Samani, A. A., 2010, Investigating Demographic Changes and Its Influence on Land Use Changes (Case Study: Bala Taleghan), Rangeland and Watershed Management (Natural Resources of Iran), Vol. 63, No. 1, PP. 75-88. (In Persian)

29. Hadjimichalis, C., 2011, Uneven Geographical Development and Socio-Spatial Justice and Solidarity: European Regions After the 2009 Financial Crisis, European Urban and Regional Studies, Vol. 18, No. 3, PP. 254-274.

30. Haravi, D., 1997, Social Justice and the Town, Translated by Farrokh Hesamyan, et al., Publication of Pardazesh and Urban Planning, Tehran. (In Persian)

31. Hu, R., et al., 2013, Assessing Potential Spatial Accessibility of Health Services in Rural China: A Case Study of Donghai County, International Journal for Equity in Health, Vol. 12, No. 1, P. 35.

32. Juan, Y. K., et al., 2010, A Hybrid Decision Support System for Sustainable Office Building Renovation and Energy Performance Improvement, Energy and Buildings, Vol. 42, No. 3, PP. 290-297.

33. KIM, K. K., et al., 2005, Natural Amenities and Rural Development: Understanding Spatial and Distributional Attributes, Growth and Change, Vol. 36, No. 2, PP. 273-297.

34. Lee, S., and Jamal, T., 2008, Environmental Justice and Environmental Equity in Tourism: Missing Links to Sustainability, Journal of Ecotourism, Vol. 7, No. 1, PP. 44-67.

35. Linch, A., 2007, Community and Contention in Early Modern England, Rutgers University-Graduate School-New Brunswick.

36. Marcuse, P., 2009, Spatial Justice: Derivative But Causal of Social Injustice, Spatial Justice, Vol. 1, No. 4, PP. 1-6..

37. Marsousi, N., 2007, Geographic Analysis of the Theories of Social Justice, Journal of Geographical Sciences, Vol. 7, No. 10, PP. 107-124. (In Persian)

38. Marsousi, N., 2003, Spatial Analysis of Social Justice in Tehran City, Phd Thesis of Geography and Urban Planning, University of Tarbiat Madares. (In Persian)

39. Mcareavey, R., and Mcdonagh, J., 2011, Sustainable Rural Tourism: Lessons for Rural Development, Sociologia Ruralis, Vol. 51, No. 2, PP. 175-194.

40. Mohammadi, M., Mehrabi, A. A., Ghorbani, M., and Khorasani, M. A., 2012, Human Forces Affecting Land Use Changes in the Sidelines of Rural Areas (Case Study: Alkaleh and Si Ben Villages in Tonekabon), Geoghraphy, Vol. 10, No. 35, PP. 79-298. (In Persian)

41. Monshizadeh, R., and Khoshhal, F., 2014, The Impact of Tourism on Land Use Changes in the City of LAHIJAN (With Emphasis on Rural Areas), Geographic Sciences, Vol. 4, No. 5, PP. 89-108. (In Persian)

42. Opricovic, S., and Tzeng, H., 2004, Decision Aiding Compromise Solution by MCDM Methods: A Comparative Analysis of VIKOR and TOPSIS, European Journal of Operational Research, No. 156, PP. 445-455.

43. Porter, G., 2002, Living in a Walking World: Rural Mobility and Social Equity Issues in Sub-Saharan Africa, World Development, Vol. 30, No. 2, PP. 285-300.

44. Pruitt, L. R., and Showman, B., 2014, Law Stretched Thin: Access to Justice in Rural America, South Dakota Law Review, Vol. 59, pp. 468-512.

45. Randelli, F., et al., 2014, An Evolutionary Approach to the Study of Rural Tourism: The Case of Tuscany, Land Use Policy, No. 38, PP. 276-281.

46. Rindfuss, R. R., et al, 2004, Developing a Science of Land Change: Challenges and Methodological Issues, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Vol. 101, No. 39, PP. 13976-13981.

47. Roberts, P., and Green, B., 2013, Researching Rural Places on Social Justice and Rural Education, Qualitative Inquiry, Vol. 19, No. 10, PP. 765-774.

48. Saxena, G., and Ilbery, B., 2010, Developing Integrated Rural Tourism: Actor Practices in the English/ Welsh Border, Journal of Rural Studies, Vol. 26, No. 3, PP. 260-271.

49. Saxena, G., et al, 2007, Conceptualizing Integrated Rural Tourism, Tourism Geographies, Vol. 9, No. 4, PP. 347-370.

50. Schellhorn, M., 2007, Rural Tourism in the'third World': The Dialectic of Development: The Case of Desa Senaru at Gunung Rinjani National Park in Lombok Island, Lincoln University.

51. Schellhorn, M., 2010, Development for Whom? Social Justice and the Business of Ecotourism, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, Vol. 18, No. 1, PP. 115-135.

52. Sharifi, A., 2006, Social Justice and the City: An Analysis of Regional Disparities in Ahvaz City, Phd Thesis of Geography and Urban Planning, University of Tehran. (In Persian)

53. Sharpley, R., 2002, Rural Tourism and the Challenge of Tourism Diversification: The Case of Cyprus, Tourism Management, Vol. 23, No. 3, PP. 233-244.

54. Shokuei, H., 2003, Environmental Philosophies and Geographical School, Tehran, Geography and Cartography Institution.

55. Shokuei, H., and Mousa Kazemi, M., 1999, The Socio-Economic Component of Sustainable Urban Development, Case Study: Qom, Tabriz, The First Conference of Sustainable Development Management in Urban Areas, Tabriz University, PP. 120-129.

56. Smith, M. D., and Krannich, R. S., 2000, Culture Clash Revisited: Newcomer and Longer-Term Residents' Attitudes Toward Land Use, Development, and Environmental Issues in Rural Communities in the Rocky Mountain West, Rural Sociology, Vol. 65, No. 3, PP. 396-421.

57. Soja, E. W., 2010, Seeking for Spatial Justice, University of Minnesota, USA.

58. Su, B., 2011, Rural Tourism in China, Tourism Management, Vol. 32, No. 6, PP. 1438-1441.

59. Tarrant, M. A., and Cordell, H. K., 2010, Environmental Justice and the Spatial Distribution of Outdoor Recreation Sites: An Application of Geographic Information Systems, Journal of Leisure Research, Vol. 31, No. 1, P. 18.

60. Thompson, C., 2014, Solving Housing Challenges: Examples from a Rural Non-Profit Housing Agency, Housing and Society, Vol. 41, No. 2, PP. 337-342.

61. Yari Hesar, A., and Bakhtar, S., 2016, Evaluation of Rural Sustainable Tourism Indicators From the Perspective of the Local Community and Tourists (Case Study: City of Nir), Journal of Regional Planning, Vol. 6, No. 22, PP. 11-134. (In Persian)

62. Ziaabadi, M., Zare Mehrjerdi, M. R., Jalali, A., and Mehrabi, H., 2016, The Measurement of Sustainable Tourism Using the Sustainability Compound Index and Mathematical Programming Models, Journal of Applied Economics Theories, Vol. 3, No. 2, PP. 77-100. (In Persian)

63. Ziari, K., 2002, Urban Landuse Planning (Case Study: Minab), Geographical Research of Autumn and Summer, , PP. 63-78. (In Persian).