حمدالله سجاسی قیداری

Purpose - Today, tourism is mentioned as a suitable approach for socio-economic and physical development in rural areas. Therefore, rural areas have capabilities and potentials in terms of tourist attractions; however, not all areas have the same capabilities for development. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the ecological potential of the study area and to find the relationship and alignment between tourism capacity and ecological potential in rural areas of Mashhad tourism sphere of influence. Design/methodology/approach - The present theoretical study was conducted with applied purposes using the descriptive-analytical method. GIS and SPSS software and CoCoSo multi-criteria decision-making model were used to analyze the data. Findings- According to research findings the most influential indicator was the distance to tourism water resources and the least influential indicator was the distance to fault. Therefore, the highest ecological potential belongs to the foothill villages of the study area. Also, in terms of tourism capacity, the most effective factors have been the natural attractions of the village and its suburbs and the quality of village road. Original/value - On this basis, the highest tourism potentials belong to villages of Pivehzhan, Virani, and Radkan, respectively. According to the results of the study there is a significant positive relationship between ecological potential of the studied villages and their tourism capacity and there is no relationship between the number of tourists and ecological potential of the studied villages.

Purpose- Planning for optimum distribution of physical services and furniture in order to improve people’s welfare is one of the major purposes for rural planners. Rural furniture is the main purpose of developing rural settlements to decrease environmental side effects. The quality of human environments in villages highly depends on the quality of infrastructures of physical welfare including rural furniture. Rural furnitur e not only improves the quality of villages, but also keeps them consistent and permanent. The present study involves analyzing rural furniture and their effects on the environmental quality of rural settlements in Zoeram Dehestan, Shirvan. Design/methodology/approach- In this research we used an analytical-descriptive approach and data was gathered through library information and field study. Statistical population involves all rural families of Zoeram that equals to 258 families randomly selected through Cochran Formula with error level of 0.06. We used a questionnaire that its reliability was confirmed by a specific academic panel and its validity was calculated through α-Chronback coefficient. We also used SPSS software to analyze the data. Findings - The results obtained from Chi Square Test show that among all dimensions, aesthetic and visual beauty factors with mean of 2.70 and among all rural furniture, infrastructural furniture with mean of 3.17 are the most effective factors in increasing the quality of physical environment. Also, results from Spearman Correlation and Simple Linear Regression Models show that there is a strong, direct, and meaningful relationship (Sig: 0.000) between rural furniture and the quality of physical environment. In the end, using Gray Correlation Analysis and Vikor Method, we get the results that in these villages with different qualities in rural furniture, environmental quality is not the same level and according to Spearman Correlation there is a strong, meaningful relationship between the quality of rural furniture and the quality of environment. Practical implications- Today it is vital to consider and improve the quality of rural settlements, since it has been a major concern of local administrators and rural planners. In this respect, analyzing and measuring the level of available rural accommodations can be a helpful tool to understand and to show differences and inequalities in villages in order to provide better life quality in rural areas and be able to obtain more successful goals and objectives in establishing rural stable development and constant population growth. Originality/value- No direct research and study considering changes in the quality of rural settlements due to establishing rural accommodations have been done so far. Therefore, it is worth performing a thorough, comprehensive research and study regarding both rural accommodations and quality of environment to show the differences and innovations in this field.

Purpose- Social sustainability, especially in rural areas, is one of the most important goals of policymakers, planners and managers. However, social sustainability in local communities, such as villages, can be challenged through environmental instabilities. Accordingly, the purpose of this study is to analyze the tensions and social dangers in rural areas of Neyshabur, one of the provinces of Iran. Design/methodology/approach- In order to measure the relationship between the independent variable of drought and the dependent variable of social tension, 24 variables were identified in the context of drought, existing tensions and social damage caused by water scarcity in the study area. The required information was collected from documentary studies and also through interviews and questionnaires. One-sample t-test, Pearson correlation, single-variable regression, and VIKOR model were used to analyze the data. Findings- The results show that there is a relationship between water deficit deduced from drought and 22 social unsustainability variables. Based on the results of the regression test and the amount of obtained beta, respectively, the greatest effects of water shortages deduced from drought was on intensifying rural poverty (0.932), increasing living expenses (0.931), and the destruction of small crop and small cultivation (0.924). Also, the results of the VIKOR model showed that there is a difference between the studied villages in terms of the severity of social tensions. Originality/value- This study has been promising to focus on the effects of drought and water scarcity as an environmental unsustainability in shaping and exacerbating tensions and social injuries. Therefore, the results of this study can be effective in recognizing the social impacts of environmental changes in geographical areas and countries facing environmental changes.