The role of Rural-urban flows in spatial changes of rural settlements (Case study: peripheral villages of Zahedan city)

Authors

1 PhD Student in Geography and Rural Planning, Shahid Beheshti

2 Associate Professor, Faculty of Earth Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.

3 Assistant Professor of Earth Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Spatial flows between rural and urban settlements are defined as the flow of people, capital, goods, information and technology and the like. Spatial flows between the city and the village over time are key factors in the spatial changesof rural settlements. The main purpose of the present study is to investigate the role of spatial flows in spatial changes of rural settlements around Zahedan. The present study is a descriptive-analytic. The statistical population of the study consists of 218 Zahedan villages. Have been. According to the purpose of the study, 348 households were sampled using Cochran formula. Inferential statistics (Kendall Taubi test and multivariate regression test) were used for data analysis. The results showed that there is a significant relationship between Spatial flows and spatial changes with correlation coefficient of 0.594 according to Kendall-Taobey test. Also, based on the results of regression test show that 58.9% of the spatial changes of the studied rural settlements are explained by the spatial flows. Capital and people flows individuals with Beta coefficient of 0.508 and 0.412 had the greatest impact on the spatial changes of the rural settlements studied. The spatial changes of rural settlements are not the same in all dimensions as more changes are taking place in the physical-infrastructural and non-productive sectors of rural areas around Zahedan. Finally, in the study area due to structural and functional reasons an incomplete link has been formed between Zahedan city and the surrounding villages, which has led to the lack of development at the regional level.
Extended Abstract
Introduction
Flows, including spatial flows (flows of people, goods, capital, technology, knowledge, information, and waste) and partial flows (including flows of agriculture to the city and suburban areas and commodities flowing from urban industrial areas to areas). And consequently, the rural-urban links play an important role in the processes of rural-urban changes. Studies in the field of rural-urban ties in various countries, including Iran and around large cities such as Zahedan, show that rural-urban interaction can have positive effects on the population centers around it, in addition to the positive effects. In other words, the formation of past and present links to the economic development of rural settlements requires the availability of basic resources, a dynamic production system, and appropriate infrastructure. Due to water scarcity and climate change, agricultural activity is very limited in the study area and capital flow from town to village is concentrated in service and construction sectors and is out of production. Accordingly, the spatial changes created by the spatial flows in rural settlements are a question that can be sought in different regions. Thus, the present study seeks to answer the following question.
-          Is there a significant relationship between spatial flows and spatial changes of rural settlements in the study area?
-          Which of the spatial flows has the greatest impact on the spatial changes of rural settlements in the study area?
-          There is a direct and significant relationship between the spatial flows and the spatial changes of the rural settlements in the study area.
-          The flow of capital and people has the greatest impact on the spatial evolution of the rural settlements under study.
Methodology
The present study is descriptive and analytical based on the nature of the problem and the subject under study. Data collection has been done by library and field methods. The population of the study is 218 villages of Zahedan. To select the sample from these villages, at first 30 villages were estimated by estimation method and then classified using two criteria of distance and population of the area. Finally, based on the use of stratified sampling method, based on the share of each class, sample villages were randomly selected. Next, due to the nature of the research variables that could not be extracted from the village questionnaire, 348 households were identified as sample households using Cochran method and household questionnaires were used as sample method. Simple random sampling was distributed among them. Cronbach's alpha was used to test the reliability of the instrument, with a value of 0.765. 6 indices and 39 items were used to measure the spatial flows and 6 indices and 20 items were used to measure spatial changes. To investigate the significant relationship between spatial flows and spatial changes, Kendall Taubi test and the effect of spatial flows on spatial changes of sample villages were used. Finally, the villages are categorized according to the severity of economic changes based on the Vikor model.
Results and discussion
Based on the findings of the study, it can be said that the results of Kendall Taoobi test with significant level (0.000) and correlation coefficient of 0.594 show a strong significant relationship between spatial flows and spatial changes of villages. On this basis, the first hypothesis is confirmed. Bivariate regression between spatial flows and spatial changes shows that this relationship is positive with a significant coefficient (0.000) and a positive coefficient of 0.641. Based on the regression model, the coefficient of determination was 0.661 and adjusted coefficient of determination was 0.589. This means that about 58.9 percent of the variance of spatial changes is explained by the indicators of the spatial flows in the villages around the city of Zahedan. According to Beta values ​​in regression model, capital flow with coefficient of 0.508, people flow with coefficient of 0.412 and commodity flow with coefficient of 0.312 had the most impact on spatial changes of rural settlements, respectively. In contrast, information flow with coefficient of 0.142, residual flow with coefficient of 0. 113 and cultural flow with coefficient of 0.192 had the least effect on spatial changes of rural settlements. Therefore, the second hypothesis is confirmed. The results of the Vikor technique show that there are 11 highly evolved villages, 1 highly evolved, 3 highly evolved and 15 very low evolved.
Conclusion
The results of the present study are in line with the findings of Douglass (1998), Tacoli (2002, 1998) so that in the studies of these researchers locally, rather than emphasizing the hierarchy of different centers of settlements with different functions, a set of centers The level creates a network based on key activities that interact with other centers. While the results of the study show that some of the spatial flows such as information and technology flow and waste are incomplete and inadequate in the study area while forming the network in the study area. In other words, the spatial changes of rural settlements are not the same in all dimensions, so that further developments have an impact on the physical-infrastructural and non-productive sectors of the villages around Zahedan. Finally in the study area for structural and functional reasons such as a centralized view of the city, the lack of basic resources for the first part activities and the role of rural settlements in meeting urban needs, commodification of land, land use change and concentration of capital flows in the sector. Unproductive, inadequate links have been formed between Zahedan and surrounding villages, which has made development at the regional level impossible.

Keywords


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