The role of small towns in the stability of Nikshahr peripheral settlements

Extended Abstract

Introduction:

Today, urban and regional planners consider small cities as an important strategy for balancing and regional development. Small cities along with their surrounding environment have capabilities and obstacles and bottlenecks to realize development and sustainable development.

Small cities are among the most successful examples of settlements in order to resolve regional imbalances and spatial inequalities. Because they have often been able to be the link connecting the low levels with the middle and high levels of the settlement system, and in reducing the imbalances, attracting the population overflows of large and medium cities and positively directing the movements of the rural population, they have a special role and place. From the 1970s onward, due to the failure of development programs and the downward penetration mechanism and the problems caused by urbanization, especially in third world countries, the attention of planners was directed to the development and creation of small cities to respond to the needs of fair development. Small urban centers, the first urban cores in relation to rural areas, are considered as links between rural areas and big cities, which play an important role in the development of rural areas.

If they get their true identity in the settlement system, they can play a very important role as growth centers in the development of villages and provide services in the field of market creation, provision of agricultural inputs (fertilizer, improved seeds, agricultural machinery), provide urban services, education, health, etc. for their rural areas.

In the meantime, Nikshahr County in Sistan and Baluchistan province has 3 urban centers named Nikshahr, Espeke and Bent, and 4 districts named Central, Lashar, Bent and Ahoran, and 11 rural districts and 395 villages. The city of Nikshahr, with problems such as the weak communication network and the impossibility of proper access to the cities and villages of the region, the lack of facilities and equipment, Weakness of infrastructure services and low performance capacity in providing services to the region of this city has faced special problems in the sphere of its influence in the direction of service delivery. In the context of unequal interactions between urban and rural areas, the city of Nikshahr has led to the formation of an incoherent and disjointed network of rural settlements. These conditions make it necessary to create transformation in the settlements of this region. Thus, it is necessary to examine the role of the small town of Nikshahr and its position and function in the rural development of peripheral. Therefore, the aim of the current research is to the role of small towns in the stability of Nikshahr peripheral settlements.



Methodology:

This research is applied in terms of purpose and survey in terms of the nature and method of research. The data required for the research has been collected using the documentary-field method (questionnaire). In order to be sure of the validity of the questionnaire and also the knowledge selected to evaluate the functional role of the small city of Nikshahr in the development of sustainable indicators of the villages of peripheral, the opinions of the supervisors, the consultant professor and finally the opinions of the experts in this field have been used. The reliability of the questionnaire of this research was calculated by Cronbach's alpha method. The results of Cronbach's alpha coefficient were calculated as 0.890. Two statistical populations were used in this research. The first statistical population includes the residents of the rural villages of Nikshahr, which is 2740 people in 2021 (2740) using Kochran's formula according to rural villages (Tahrak, Khairabad and Zahak), and the sample population was determined to be 337 people. The second statistical population includes (managers, specialists, Islamic councils, etc.) at the level of Nikshahr County. Which was determined by using targeted sampling of 20 people as the sample size. SPSS software and Fuzzy Mamdani model were also used for data analysis.



Results and discussion:

The results of the sample T-Tech test, in the indicators presented in the dimensions (economic, physical and environmental), according to the obtained averages lower than the average number (3), showed that the role of the city Nikshahr is located in the villages of urban peripheral areas. But in the social dimension, this impact is positive and meaningful. The results of prioritizing the villages of urban peripheral, considering the impact of Nikshahr city on the dimensions of sustainability using F-Mamdani, showed that the village of Tahrek with a score of (0.70), average level, the village of Zahak with a score of (0.56), a low level, and finally the village of Khairabad with a score of (0.78), is at a high level. Keywords: functional role, small city, sustainability indicators, urban peripheral areas, Nikshahr.



Conclusion:

The peripheral villages of Nikshahr need to receive and create basic biological facilities and improve the level of development variables, and Nikshahr city has the capability and positive efficiency effect from this point of view. Therefore, if there is proper development planning and identifying the potentials of this city directly, there will be a possibility of influencing the dimensions of sustainability in the peripheral villages under study.