The Role of Middle Cities in Regional Sustainable DevelopmentCase study: Iranshahr

At the present time, the tendency of planners in most developing countries shifted toward spatial decentralization, decreasing regional inequality, sustainable development and dichotomy of urban- rural areas. That is why different urbanization strategies have been developed. Strengthening middle cities is considered one of the most important strategies. The research method is an analytical-descriptive one and the role of Iranshahr as a middle city in the regional development has been evaluated, using quantities analysis and model such as rank - size, entropy, extended model, gravity and location quotient. Findings show that population density and social-economical services in the center of province has been increased. Therefore, the solution to the regional balance development is supporting middle cities and providing them with facilities. Consequently, development and supporting of middle cities can play a significant role in the sustainable development of peripheral regions of these cities.

کلیدواژه ها:

Regional development ، Sustainable development ، Middle cities ، Iranshahr