Assessing the Relationship between Forms of Spatial Inequalities and Sustainable Development in Iran

Document Type : Original Research

Authors
M. anbari 1
M. khaksari renani 2
1 Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Development, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
2 PhD Student, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Development, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
10.48311/psp.7.1.89
Abstract
Spatial inequalities and income and capital gaps between different areas of society are currently considered one of the most significant barriers to sustainable development. Disparities between disadvantaged regions (border or non-border) and developed regions, as well as urban-rural gaps, are the most important signs of spatial inequalities. This paper attempts to study the degree of integration or disparity between urban and rural areas in Iran over the past four decades using a secondary analysis method. Four variables will be analyzed: population distribution, dominant economic and production sectors, poverty levels and distribution, and income and expenditure gaps. Evaluation of the spatial planning system’s performance in the country reveals a sectoral and non-planning approach with an emphasis on centralization and urbanization, which has exacerbated inequalities and disparities between peripheral and central regions, as well as between urban and rural areas. The country has experienced rapid, unplanned, and sometimes uneven urbanization, to the detriment of the sustainability and population balance in small urban areas and rural ones, which has not necessarily been accompanied by balanced regional development. Large cities have attracted a labor force to their peripheries, leading to a life of poverty in marginal and rural areas. While absolute poverty has decreased, rural populations, especially in disadvantaged areas, continue to bear the brunt of poverty. Income and expenditure indicators have also favored urban dwellers. Overall, macro-level data in the country indicates the existence of spatial divisions. However, wherever urban-rural linkages have been established and strengthened, regional and urban-rural disparities have decreased.

Keywords

Subjects

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Political Organizing of Space
Volume 7, Issue 1 - Serial Number 25
February 2025
Pages 89-114