Prioritizing Iranian metropolises based on urban good governance indicators

 A B S T R A C T
Urbanization is one of the biggest challenges facing society, politicians, and planners in the 21st century. The fundamental issue in cities is how to utilize the important role of the main stakeholders of a city, namely citizens, which fortunately, the urban governance model has successfully responded to this challenge. The article aims to prioritize 7 metropolitan cities of Tehran, Mashhad, Isfahan, Tabriz, Shiraz, Kermanshah, and Ahvaz based on good urban governance indicators. This research is applied in terms of purpose and description, and the survey is conducted in terms of nature. The library-documentary method is used for theoretical studies and thematic research and the survey method is used to collect the required data. The present research was conducted using a questionnaire completed by 30 experts using a snowball sampling method. The results of the VIKOR model show that Tehran is the priority with a weight of 0.000 and ranks first among metropolitan cities in terms of good urban governance indicators. Mashhad City with a weight of 0.115 is in the second priority, Isfahan City with a weight of 0.328 is in the third priority, Tabriz City with a weight of 0.467 is in the fourth priority, Shiraz City with a weight of 0.557 is in the fifth priority, Kermanshah city with a weight of 0.609 is in sixth priority, and Ahvaz city with a weight of 0.787 is in seventh priority.
Extended Abstract
Introduction
Today, urban management plays an important role in the success of urban development programs and plans. Urban management in the country's metropolises is also currently facing numerous, complex, and multifaceted problems and issues, but with the top-down and centralized urban management model based on the paradigms of classical management and modern public management, it does not have the necessary efficiency to respond and solve them. Also, in the digital revolution, information technology, and social networks, public expectations of urban management have increased sharply, due to the lack of sufficient attention to the opinions and capabilities and the desire for the participation of people, experts, and private and public sectors in decision-making and implementation in the city management space, as well as the lack of sufficient attention to vulnerable segments of society such as marginalized groups, women, the disabled, etc., public dissatisfaction with the urban management complex has also increased. The fundamental issue in cities is how to utilize the important role of the main stakeholders of a city, namely citizens, which fortunately, the urban governance model has successfully responded to this challenge. Development studies and statistics from global organizations indicate that one of the most important factors in the growth and development of societies, along with economic growth and development, is “good governance”; as good governance has been called the foundation of development. Good urban governance is an ideal point that seems very difficult to achieve, and so far, few societies have come close to its standards. In general, this approach is created by the public and private sectors with the help of complex networks of mutual relationships and creates a kind of invisible bureaucracy that entails a broader concept of responsibility, accountability, and transparency. Urban governance seeks collective action through the mobilization of cooperation, consensus, participation, networks, mutual relations, social capital, empowerment, and accountability in the urban policy-making process. Given that the country's metropolises (Tehran, Mashhad, Isfahan, Tabriz, Shiraz, Kermanshah, and Ahvaz) are considered the most populous and important metropolises in the country, tthis research aimsto prioritize these metropolises based on good urban governance indicators.
 
Methodology
This research is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive and survey in nature. The library-documentary method is used for theoretical studies and thematic research and the survey method is used to collect the required data. To collect the research data, a number of these expert experts were used as a sample to achieve theoretical saturation. In the present study, a snowball sampling method was used by completing a questionnaire by 30 expert experts. Finally, according to the background and subject literature of the research, the factors listed in Table 1 were extracted as urban governance indicators for prioritizing the metropolises of Tehran, Mashhad, Isfahan, Tabriz, Shiraz, Ahvaz and Kermanshah. The data were analyzed with VIKOR and FAHP models.
 
Results and discussion
To prioritize the country's metropolises in terms of good urban governance, the VIKOR model has been used. Initially, the initial matrix of each of the indicators and cities has been calculated. According to the statistics obtained from the five existing indicators for each of the metropolises, the initial matrix has been formed. The findings show that Tehran city with a weight of 0.000 is the priority and is in the best condition among the metropolises in terms of good urban governance indicators. A Mashhad city with a weight of 0.115 is in the second priority, Isfahan city with a weight of 0.328 is in the third priority, Tabriz city with a weight of 0.467 is in the fourth priority, Shiraz city with a weight of 0.557 is in the fifth priority, Kermanshah city with a weight of 0.609 is in the sixth priority and Ahvaz city with a weight of 0.787 is in the last priority.
 
 
Conclusion
This research aimed to prioritize Iranian metropolises based on urban good governance indicators. The selection and identification of indicators and variables were carried out according to the background and literature of the research, and then the data analysis was carried out using the VIKOR model. Finally, the indicators for prioritizing urban good governance in metropolises were identified as: consensus-based, justice, effectiveness, and participatory accountability. The findings showed that Tehran city with a weight of 0.000 is the priority and ranks first among metropolises in terms of urban good governance indicators. A Mashhad City with a weight of 0.115 is in the second priority, Isfahan City with a weight of 0.328 is in the third priority, Tabriz City with a weight of 0.467 is in the fourth priority, Shiraz City with a weight of 0.557 is in the fifth priority, Kermanshah city with a weight of 0.609 is in the sixth priority, and Ahvaz city with a weight of 0.787 is in the seventh priority. The approach of good urban governance in the discussion of human societies in developing countries can be very helpful and can create remarkable changes in the discussion of factors such as organizational-institutional corruption, education and communication with the people, and empowerment of strategic policies through participation in these areas. So it is clear that in addition to internal changes in relationships, behaviour and external relations, how important is urban management in this perspective?
 
Funding
There is no funding support.
 
Authors’ Contribution
Authors contributed equally to the conceptualization and writing of the article. All of the authors approved thecontent of the manuscript and agreed on all aspects of the work declaration of competing interest none.
 
Conflict of Interest
Authors declared no conflict of interest.
 
Acknowledgments
We are grateful to all the scientific consultants of this paper.