Capital and Nodes of Spatial Governance: Designing a Conceptual Framework for Organizing Political Centrality

The capital is conceptualized as a spatial governance node, extending beyond a mere administrative center; it is an element that reflects the structure of power, the political organization, and the spatial order, and therefore occupies a central position in political geography. Employing a theoretical–analytical approach, the study offers a conceptual framework for the multidimensional analysis of the capital, encompassing four key dimensions: structural, functional, symbolic, and relational. This framework is constructed on the basis of space-oriented theories, including Lefebvre’s production of space, Foucault’s technologies of power, and the networked logic of multilevel governance. To assess the operational capacity of this framework, three distinct models of capital organization in France, Germany, and Iran are examined as illustrative cases. The findings reveal that the mode of capital organization not only shapes institutional efficiency and governance coordination but also affects political legitimacy, spatial cohesion, and citizens’ perceptions of justice and participation. The French model exemplifies a form of organized centralization that, through maintaining hierarchical order and coordinating mechanisms, enhances governance effectiveness. In contrast, the German model demonstrates that structurally designed decentralization, when implemented intelligently, can strengthen regional participation in decision-making and lead to political cohesion. Iran’s condition, characterized by the high concentration of governance structures in Tehran and the absence of stable interactive and distributive mechanisms, has resulted in spatial inequalities, weakened regional participation, and fragility in the political functioning of the center.