Human settlements, as geographical systems and spatial realities, are shaped through a spatiotemporal process under the influence of space-forming agents and forces (Shamsi et al., 2015). Modern geography, adopting a systemic perspective, studies human societies as spatial systems (Saeedi, 2013, p. 12). These systems—whether urban or rural—are affected not only by internal dynamics but also by external processes in various forms (Sadeghi et al., 2018, p. 20). Moreover, multiple factors, including environmental factors (spatial realities and politico-administrative decisions) as well as locational attributes and communication networks, constitute internal determinants of physical-spatial transformations (Amin-Moghadam, 2011, p. 147).
The phenomenon of "rural sprawl" exemplifies this process, whereby agricultural lands and orchards surrounding cities are gradually converted into residential, commercial, and service uses, ultimately leading to the physical fusion of the village with the city (Saeedi & Sadough, 2006, p. 9; Lasemipour et al., 2021, p. 20). In the spatial context of Iran, urban sprawl is of considerable significance. However, in certain rural areas—such as the Qasemabad rural district—due to market economy mechanisms, including the flow of urban and rural capital and population movements from surrounding rural and urban settlements, demand for land acquisition aimed at constructing residential units and industrial-service workshops has intensified. The sprawl process in this area has reached a level that has resulted in the physical contiguity of the rural fabric of Qasemabad with the city of Hamedan.
What assumes importance in this context is the analysis of the impacts of such expansion on the host city. The present article aims to investigate the effects of the spatial-physical expansion of the Qasemabad rural core on the city of Hamedan within the framework of a structural-functional approach, with an emphasis on rural-urban linkages. It seeks to demonstrate the multiple and, at times, contradictory consequences that this expansion has entailed for the city.
- Research Method
The present study is descriptive-analytical in nature and method, and applied-developmental in terms of objective. Data were collected through library-based (documentary) and field (survey) methods. The data collection instrument in the field component was a researcher-designed questionnaire. The unit of analysis comprises the native population residing in the Qasemabad neighborhood (the former rural core). SPSS software was employed for data analysis, and the Bayesian paired t-test was utilized to assess the effects of expansion (by comparing pre- and post-annexation conditions). The key indicator in this analysis is the Bayes factor (BF₁₀), which measures the strength of evidence supporting the existence of significant changes between the two temporal periods.
- Discussion and Findings
The spatial-physical expansion of rural cores around cities is an escalating phenomenon within Iran’s urban system. Moving beyond a purely legal interpretation of "annexation," this research analyzes the impacts of this expansion on the city of Hamedan from the perspective of the annexed settlement (Qasemabad). The findings indicate that this expansion has introduced an unbalanced and dual transformation to the city. To ascertain the effects of the spatial-physical expansion of the Qasemabad rural core on Hamedan, the situation of this neighborhood across various dimensions—before and after the expansion process and its eventual annexation to the city—was compared and analyzed from the residents’ viewpoint. Data were analyzed using the Bayesian paired t-test, which evaluates the strength of evidence for significant differences between the "before" and "after" annexation conditions. The Bayes factor (BF₁₀) serves as the key indicator of this analysis, reflecting the robustness of evidence favoring change. Computational error percentages (error %) in all tests are negligible, indicating the reliability and consistency of the results.
- Conclusion
Although Qasemabad has physically merged with the city and gained access to its benefits, from a functional and social perspective it has transferred a considerable portion of its own problems and predicaments (such as density, pollution, dissatisfaction) to the city, while failing to achieve a desirable level of urban quality of life. This implies that the spatial-physical expansion of rural cores is not merely a matter of physical "attachment," but rather a complex process of reciprocal influence that can pave the way for the formation of an unstable and problematic neighborhood within the city.
In conclusion, the expansion of Qasemabad as a rural core, while serving as an instrument for the physical development of the city, has in practice injected a portion of its social and environmental instabilities into the urban system of Hamedan. The success of this process requires a comprehensive perspective that transcends mere physical development—one in which the enhancement of quality of life, the strengthening of social capital, and the preservation of the environment are prioritized alongside infrastructural development.
- Keywords: Rural-Urban Cores, Spatial System, Urban Settlements