Assessing the Impacts of New Town Development on the Spatial Organization of Metropolitan Regions (Case Study: Golbahar and Binalood New Towns in the Mashhad Metropolitan Area)
Subject Areas : شهرسازی اسلامی
Hooman Taherian
1
,
Mehrdad Rahmani
2
*
1 - M.A of Science, Department of Regional Planning, Faculty of Urban Planning, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
2 - Assistant Professor, Department of Urban Planning, Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
Keywords: New towns, spatial organization, metropolitan area, urban primacy, Mashhad.,
Abstract :
Assessing the Impacts of New Town Development
on the Spatial Organization of Metropolitan Regions
(Case Study: Golbahar and Binalood New Towns
in the Mashhad Metropolitan Area)
Hooman Taherian*
Mehrdad Rahmani**
The development of new towns in Iran has been pursued since the Islamic Revolution with the aim of promoting spatial balance and preventing excessive concentration in metropolitan areas—an objective that is also emphasized in Clause 10 of the national general policies on urban development. This study examines the effects of the development of the new towns of Golbahar and Binaloud on the spatial balance of the Mashhad metropolitan region and their role in curbing the trend toward concentration. Data collection and indicator selection are based on literature review, and the trend analysis is used as the main instrument. First, by reviewing the theoretical basis, the indicators influencing the spatial organization of metropolitan regions were identified; subsequently, the weight of each indicator was determined using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Two methods—the primacy index and a composite index—were employed to assess the impact of the new towns on the spatial organization of the Mashhad metropolitan area, thereby testing the validity and reliability of the findings. The results of both methods indicate that between 1996 and 2016, the level of concentration within the Mashhad metropolitan area decreased only marginally. This finding reflects the limited success of the new towns of Golbahar and Binaloud in achieving spatial balance and in preventing concentration within the Mashhad metropolitan region.
Keywords: New towns, spatial organization, metropolitan area, urban primacy, Mashhad.
Introduction
Following the Islamic Revolution, the establishment of New Towns in Iran has been pursued as a strategic policy to counteract over-concentration in major metropolises and to establish equilibrium within the national settlement system. This approach is also emphasized in the country's general urbanization policies. However, the experience of recent decades reveals a pattern of relative underperformance and significant shortcomings among many of these towns, particularly in achieving projected population targets and forming a robust, independent economic base distinct from their parent cities. This research specifically investigates the role and impact of two such New Towns, Golbahar and Binaloud, on the spatial organization and structural balance of the Mashhad metropolitan complex. The central research question is to what extent these satellite towns have succeeded in their primary objective of decentralizing population and activity from the core city and fostering a more polycentric and balanced regional spatial structure.
Theoretical Framework
The study is grounded upon two primary theoretical pillars. First, the concept and evolution of New Towns, encompassing their foundational objectives (decentralization, absorbing population overflow, providing affordable housing), their typology (independent, satellite, contiguous), and key criteria for their success, such as self-sufficiency and creating a jobs-housing balance. Second, the study engages with theories of spatial organization within metropolitan regions. It adopts a dual analytical lens: the "attribute-based" approach, which assesses hierarchy and primacy using quantitative indicators like population, employment, education level, and industrial output; and the "network-based" or relational approach, which focuses on flows, interactions, and functional linkages between settlements. Synthesizing these perspectives, the analytical framework for this study was constructed across three dimensions – socio-economic, demographic, and physical – and operationalized through six key indicators: population, literacy rate, employment, number of industrial units, housing units, and accessibility/transport connectivity.
Research Methodology
This study is applied in purpose and descriptive-analytical in nature. The required data were gathered through documentary and library research methods. To comprehensively analyze the impact of the New Towns, two complementary methodological approaches were employed:
- Primary City and Concentration Indices:A suite of classic urban primacy and distribution indices (including Two-City Index, Four-City Index [Mehta], Herfindahl-Hirschman Index [HHI], and Entropy Index) were calculated for the Mashhad urban complex over a 20-year period (1996-2016). This provided a longitudinal view of changes in urban hierarchy, concentration, and demographic balance.
- Composite Index Method:This technique involved weighting the six selected indicators using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). Weights were derived from structured interviews with five urban planning and development experts. Subsequently, standardized data for each city and each indicator were multiplied by their respective weights to calculate a final composite score for every settlement in the metropolitan area for the years 1996, 2006, and 2016. The convergence of findings from these two distinct methods enhances the validity and reliability of the research conclusions.
Findings
The results from both analytical strands converge on a central finding: while there has been a measurable reduction in the level of primacy and spatial concentration within the Mashhad metropolitan complex between 1996 and 2016, this decrease has been remarkably marginal and insignificant. For instance, the Four-City Index (Mehta) declined only from 0.968 to 0.963, remaining firmly in the "extreme primacy" range. Similarly, the composite index analysis showed that while Mashhad city's share of the total metropolitan score decreased slightly from 84.22% to 81.98%, its overwhelming dominance persisted. The New Towns of Golbahar and Binaloud, despite experiencing population growth, have failed to secure a meaningful or substantial share in rebalancing the spatial structure. Their impact, though positive in a strict numerical sense, is negligible within the broader metropolitan context. The final ranking of cities consistently places Mashhad in a dominant first tier, while the New Towns are relegated to lower tiers, even below older secondary cities like Chenaran and Torqabeh.
Discussion and Conclusion
The evidence strongly indicates the limited success and underwhelming performance of Golbahar and Binaloud New Towns in achieving their fundamental goal of bringing spatial balance to the Mashhad metropolitan region. This outcome aligns with a substantial body of prior research highlighting the systemic challenges and frequent underachievement of New Towns in Iran. The primary reasons for this shortfall can be attributed to their predominantly dormitory-town character, the failure to cultivate an independent and diversified economic base, severe deficiencies in high-quality service infrastructure (educational, healthcare, recreational) and efficient public transportation links to the core city, and consequently, a persistent and profound functional dependency on Mashhad. Far from alleviating pressure on the metropolis, these New Towns have, in some aspects, exacerbated it by attracting lower-income groups and adding to the demand for regional services centered in Mashhad. The study concludes by proposing strategic recommendations for future New Town planning, including functional specialization within the regional division of labor, promotion of small-scale industries and knowledge-based jobs, investment in high-capacity public transport corridors, enhancement of service quality and urban branding, and provision of diverse housing typologies. Ultimately, this research underscores the critical necessity for a fundamental reassessment and strategic revision of New Town development policies in Iran, drawing clear lessons from the evaluated experiences of the past decades to inform more effective and sustainable urban development models in the future.
References
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Basirat, M., & Arbab, P. (2022) Analysing new town development in Iran: International Review for Spatial Planning and Sustainable Development, 10(3), 84–107.
Cai, X., De Meulder, B., et al. (2020) "New Towns’ Planning and Construction in the PreUrbanization or Post-Urbanization Period: A Case Study of the New Towns’ Development Process of Beijing". Sustainability, 12(9), 3721.
DE GOEI B., BURGER M. J., VAN OORT F. and KITSON M. (2010) Functional polycentrism and urban network developsient in the Greater South East, United Kingdom: evidence from commuting patterns, 1981-2001, Regional Studies 44, 1149-1170.
Etemad, Giti.(1997) Difference between the primary goal and result of the construction of new towns and its causes, Articles Collections of the new towns seminar, Tehran: Publisher of New Towns Development Company.
Giuliano, G., & Small, K. A. (1993) Is the Journey to Work Explained by Urban Structure? Urban Studies, 30(9), 1485-1500.
He, S. Y., Wu, D., et al. (2020) "New Towns and the Local Agglomeration Economy". Habitat International, 98, 102153.
Iranmanesh, N. and Bigdeli, E. (2012) "Hyper Dynamic Growth in New Towns of Iran". Proceedings of The case study “Parand New Town”, the paper presented in 48th ISOCARP Congress.
Lee, C.-M., Ahn, K.-H. (2005) Five new towns in the Seoul metropolitan area and their attractions in non-working trips: Implications on self-containment of new towns. Habitat International, 647–666.
Majedi, Hamid and Habib, Farah and Ahmadi, Fereshte, Strategic Analysis of Past Experiences of New Towns in Iran for the Purpose of Achieving New Approaches in the Future (June 30, 2015). OIDA International Journal of Sustainable Development, Vol. 08, No. 06, pp. 33-50.
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Meijers, E, 2007, From Central Place to Network Model: Theory and Evidence of Paradigm Change, Economic and Social Geography, Vol. 98, No. 2, PP. 245-259.
Nakhaei, M., Rezal, M. R., et al. (2015) "An Analysis of the Development of New Towns as a Driving Force in Response to Metropolitan Needs". Cumhuriyet Üniversitesi Fen Edebiyat Fakültesi Fen Bilimleri Dergisi, 36(3), 3791-3799.
Panait, A. (2013) "New Towns in Modern Urbanism: Concept & History". Urbanism. Arhitectură. Construcţii, 4(4), 57-78.
Kloosterman, Robert C. & Lambregts, Bart, (2001) "Clustering of Economic Activities in Polycentric Urban Regions: The Case of the Randstad," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 38(4), pages 717-732.
Van Der Knaap, B., Wall, R. (2002) Linking Scale and Urban Network Development. The European Metropolis 1920-2000, European Science Foundation, Berlin.
Vongpraseuth, T., Seong, E.Y., Shin, S., Kim, S.H., & Choi, C.G. (2020) Hope and reality of new towns under greenbelt regulation: The case of self-containment or transit-oriented metropolises of the first-generation new towns in the Seoul Metropolitan Area, South Korea. Cities, Vol. 102, 102699.
Ziari, K., (2004) New Towns Planning. Samt Press, Tehran.
* M.A of Science, Department of Regional Planning, Faculty of Urban Planning, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5323-8902
** Corresponding Author: Assistant Professor, Department of Urban Planning, Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5323-9301
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