فضای جغرافیایی و نقش آن در توسعه پایدار مخمور

Introduction

Geographical space can be regarded as a form of social production in place, playing a central role in shaping development pathways, the distribution of services, and urban resilience. It is a complex and dynamic system that organizes the relationships between cities and their natural environment. A deeper understanding of these complexities will greatly contribute to more mature geographic analysis. In general, geographical spaces affect sustainable development through mechanisms such as the distribution and accessibility of urban services, land-use structure and density, the quality and distribution of green space, and natural barriers and environmental hazards. Today, resource depletion on the one hand, and the increasing and diversifying of human needs on the other, increasingly compel human societies to optimize the policy-making, management, and planning of their geographical spaces at every scale, from the world to the country, province, city, and village. Therefore, effective management and planning for a space of such complexity requires a deeper understanding of its multifaceted nature.

Makhmour city, with its growing population and strategic location near the borders of Iran and Turkey, is a clear example of a Middle Eastern city whose sustainable development is directly affected by geographical characteristics such as plain topography, limited groundwater resources, and sensitive ecosystems. For this reason, this study seeks, through assessing and analyzing the geographical space of Makhmour city, to evaluate and analyze the role of this space in the city’s sustainable development.

Methodology

The data required for the theoretical framework and literature review sections were collected using library and documentary sources. In the next stage, the role of geographical space in sustainable development was evaluated and analyzed through content analysis, using in-depth interviews, group meetings, and data analysis methods.

Accordingly, the economic, social and cultural, physical-spatial, natural-ecological, and resilience and sustainability dimensions were identified as the most important indicators affecting sustainable development. After identifying these indicators, the corresponding sub-indicators were determined. In the second stage, weighting of the extracted indicators and sub-indicators was carried out using the Delphi technique by 30 specialists and experts in geography and spatial planning. Then, the indicators and sub-indicators were evaluated and analyzed using Chang’s fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP).



Results and discussion

The results of the study show that the role of geographical space in the sustainable development of Makhmour city is multidimensional, and among its components, some sub-criteria play a more decisive role in explaining the city’s development status. In the economic dimension, land productivity, with a weight of 0.398, ranked first; employment rate, with 0.184, ranked second; per capita income, with 0.162, ranked third; access to employment opportunities, with 0.134, ranked fourth; and diversity of economic activities, with 0.129, ranked last. This pattern indicates that in Makhmour, the efficiency of land use and employment conditions are more influential than other components in economic sustainability, but the weak diversity of economic activities may constrain the city’s long-term sustainability. In the social dimension, ethnic diversity, with a weight of 0.338, ranked first; social participation, with 0.262, ranked second; access to education and health services, with 0.239, ranked third; spatial justice in the distribution of services, with 0.129, ranked fourth; and quality of life, with 0.031, ranked last. These findings suggest that although Makhmour has favorable conditions in terms of social diversity and collective participation, these capacities have not yet fully translated into improved quality of life and equitable service distribution.

In the physical-spatial dimension, roads and street networks, with a weight of 0.292, ranked first; energy and internet, with 0.253, ranked second; water supply and wastewater systems, with 0.186, ranked third; population and building density, with 0.157, ranked fourth; and access to public transportation, with 0.112, ranked last. These results indicate that in Makhmour, communication infrastructure and spatial accessibility are the main pillars of physical sustainability, while weak public transportation is one of the major shortcomings of the urban structure.

In the natural-ecological dimension, the quality of water and soil resources, with 0.338, ranked first; diversity of the natural and climatic environment, with 0.197, ranked second; per capita green space, with 0.191, ranked third; per capita water and energy consumption, with 0.142, ranked fourth; and waste and solid waste management, with 0.132, ranked last. These results show that the sustainability of Makhmour city depends significantly on the quality of its natural base resources, while waste management remains one of its environmental challenges.

In the resilience and sustainability dimension, land-use diversity, with 0.233, ranked first; ecological connectivity, with 0.219, ranked second; crisis preparedness, with 0.209, ranked third; security, with 0.207, ranked fourth; and adaptation to climate change, with 0.132, ranked last. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that the sustainable development of Makhmour city depends above all on the organization of geographical space, the efficiency of land use, the quality of basic infrastructure, social cohesion, and the protection of natural resources.



Conclusion

The results show that the role of geographical space in the sustainable development of Makhmour city is multidimensional, and among its components, some sub-criteria have a more decisive influence on explaining the city’s development status. In the economic dimension, land productivity has the greatest impact with a weight of 0.398; in the social dimension, ethnic diversity with 0.338; in the physical-spatial dimension, roads and street networks with 0.292; in the natural-ecological dimension, the quality of water and soil resources with 0.338; and in the resilience and sustainability dimension, land-use diversity with 0.233 exert the strongest influence on the development of Makhmour city. Accordingly, the sustainable development of Makhmour city depends above all on the organization of geographical space, the efficiency of land use, the quality of basic infrastructure, social cohesion, and the protection of natural resources. However, the relatively low weight of economic activity diversity, quality of life, public transportation, waste management, and adaptation to climate change indicates that the city’s sustainability remains unbalanced and requires integrated policymaking in urban economy, spatial justice, public services, and climate resilience.