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While there is a large body of research on sustainable development and urban resilience, the interaction between urban densification and urban resilience remains understudied. This study aims to investigate several facets of urban resilience and densification before analyzing their mutual relationship. Focusing on ecological, social, economic, and physical elements of urban resilience on the one hand and population density, residential density, built-up area ratio (BAR), and parcel density on the other, a combination of spatial and quantitative methodologies is applied. Our empirical investigation revealed that the spatial distribution of all resilience indicators is varied. In other words, the cumulative form of urban resilience indicators has a different significance than the individual version. Similarly, different types of density have varying orientations and degrees of connection with measures of resilience that should be evaluated in empirical investigations. In addition, our research revealed that density has a stronger relationship with social and physical resilience than with ecological and economic resilience. The findings drawn from this research have the potential to inform the design of secure, resilient cities across a range of spatial dimensions Refereed/Peer-reviewed

Objectives: This study aimed to measure upper and lower limb dimensions among female students of Tehran University of Medical Sciences and determine the relationship between brachial and crural indices as anthropometric indices of limbs and Body Mass Index (BMI). Methods: In this descriptive-cross-sectional study, anthropometric parameters of the upper and lower limbs were evaluated among 200 Iranian female student volunteers aged 18-38 with no physical or developmental deformity. Results: The collected data were analyzed by GraphPad Prism software. Pearson correlation and simple linear regression tests were used to find the relationship between measured anthropometric indices. Mean± Standard deviation (SD) of age and BMI were 23.65 ± 4.97 and 24.59± 4.14, respectively. The brachial and crural indices were 89.47± 9.352 and 76.37± 5.320, respectively. No statistically significant association was found between brachial and crural indices and BMI. In addition, we found a significant positive correlation between wrist dimensions and BMI. The results of the present article determined the relationship between BMI and anthropometric parameters of the upper and lower limbs. Conclusions: Our findings supported the close relationship between wrist dimension and BMI.

Soon after its emergence, COVID-19 became a global problem. While different types of vaccines and treatments are now available, still non-pharmacological policies play a critical role in managing the pandemic. The literature is enriched enough to provide comprehensive, practical, and scientific insights to better deal with the pandemic. This research aims to find out how the built environment and human factors have affected the transmission of COVID-19 on different scales, including country, state, county, city, and urban district. This is done through a systematic literature review of papers indexed on the Web of Science and Scopus. Initially, these databases returned 4264 papers, and after different stages of screening, we found 166 relevant papers and reviewed them. The empirical papers that had at least one case study and analyzed the effects of at least one built environment factor on the spread of COVID-19 were selected. Results showed that the driving forces can be divided into seven main categories: density, land use, transportation and mobility, housing conditions, demographic factors, socio-economic factors, and health-related factors. We found that among other things, overcrowding, public transport use, proximity to public spaces, the share of health and services workers, levels of poverty, and the share of minorities and vulnerable populations are major predictors of the spread of the pandemic. As the most studied factor, density was associated with mixed results on different scales, but about 58 % of the papers reported that it is linked with a higher number of cases. This study provides insights for policymakers and academics to better understand the dynamic roles of the non-pharmacological driving forces of COVID-19 at different levels.

Is the compact city more likely to materialize if development is guided by the “invisible hand” of the market or the government’s “iron fist”? This article explores this question in the context of Shiraz, a medium-sized, medium-density city in south-central Iran. Through a series of longitudinal analyses, we examine the roles of the market and planning along thirty years, from the mid-1980s through the mid-2010s. The study reveals that since the mid-2000s, market forces have superseded government planning in guiding urban development in Shiraz. The government has reduced its interventions in the market: it no longer issues public land for housing development. Combined with natural constraints and sociodemographic pressures, this new planning/market balance has produced a denser and more compact city than ever before. Shiraz has been transformed from a city of villas, nightingales, and gardens into one dominated by mid- and high-rise apartment towers. The direction and intensity of development have not followed the recommendations of local planners and plans. Rather, they have been driven primarily by developers and residents. Regardless, density and compactness are generally positive—as long as housing and infrastructure quality are sustained, and residents have good access to parks, open spaces, and natural sunlight.

Sustainable development and urban resilience are dominant urban planning paradigms that have become buzzwords in urban planning and policy domains over the past 2–3 decades. While these two paradigms have been analyzed and scrutinized in different studies, the interconnection between them in policy realms is understudied. Compact development policy is expected to contribute to a variety of sustainability goals. However, these goals’ alignment with the principles and goals of urban resilience is under question. This research tries to shed some light on this issue. A critical review method is employed to understand how compactness as a sustainable urban development policy relates to different principles and dimensions of urban resilience. First, the conceptual and theoretical relationship between urban resilience and compact city is established. Next, the resulting framework is used to critically analyze 124 articles to understand how the compact city policy relates to urban resilience from different dimensions and principles. Densification and intensification, mixed land use and diversity, and spatial connectivity and public transportation are identified as principles of the compact city. Finally, the interconnection between compact city policy and urban resilience dimensions and principles is explored and assessed through examining the selected literature. The results of the review show some alignments between compact city policy outcomes and urban resilience. However, the level of alignment may vary depending on the context, scale, or dimension. In other words, while compact city in one scale/dimension can increase urban resilience to a specific adverse event or stressor, it might increase vulnerability to others in another scale/dimension. From the policy perspective, compact development policy and urban resilience principles should clearly be defined a priori to reach favorable outcomes.

The main objective of this paper was to examine patterns of growth and change in Sydney over the time period from 1981 to 2006. To achieve this aim, the paper took employment density as a structural dimension, and modelled the linear and interactive effects of this dimension in order to better understand the dynamics of urban spatial structure change in the Sydney metropolitan area. The estimation of the traditional negative exponential models of mono-centricity and poly-centricity indicated a polycentric pattern at the beginning and end of the study period. Employment density distributions, suggest a system of polycentric nodes of varying importance between 1981 and 2006. The legacy of this paper for the planning community is the importance of developing an evidence base, and application of concepts and advanced spatial techniques for urban spatial structure analysis Refereed/Peer-reviewed

Urbanization process contributes to more urban climate changes, specifically the land surface temperature (LST). Higher LST of urban areas compared to the surroundings is regarded as the side effect of urban morphology and landscape structure features. The primary purpose of the study is to investigate the relationship between the pattern of built-up areas and land surface temperature in a semi-arid urban environment. In this study, spectral and landscape indices, such as Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Normalized Difference Built-up Index (NDBI), Shannon’s Diversity Index (SHDI), Landscape Shape Index (LSI), Fractal Dimension Index (FRAC), and Landscape Division Index (DIVISION), along with morphological variables (parcel density, housing density, road density, Floor area ratio, Mass-Space proportion, land use pattern, and distance to CBD) were applied to investigate the correlation of urban morphology with LST. Landscape and morphological variables are provided from Landsat 5, statistical center of Iran and Shiraz’s master plan and also gathered at the census district level. The results revealed that all the variables had a relatively strong correlation with LST except for distance to CBD. While landscape diversity and fragmentation had the highest correlation with LST, housing and parcel density were the most effective morphological variables. Also, while SHDI, DIVISION, FRAC, LSI, and road density had positive correlation coefficient, NDBI, housing and parcel density, FAR and Mass-Space proportion were negative. Moreover, examining land use pattern and its relation to LST revealed that bare lands, industrial and green spaces had a remarkable negative effect on LST. Also, residential areas with moderate and high building density alleviated the surface temperature. Alongside that, dense gardens, lower road density, and more developed districts declined LST in Shiraz, a semi-arid urban environment in Iran.

Employment and population spatial structure of metropolitan regions have evolved in the era of post-industrialization. Empirical and theoretical debates have consensus that monocentric model is no longer explaining the phenomenon of population and employment distribution. One argument regards polycentricity as a permanent spatial structure beyond monocentricity; another idea believes that dispersion can explain spatial variation of employment and population too. This study investigated the level of monocentricity and primacy of principal city in Tehran Metropolitan Region (TMR), in addition to sub-centering and level of polycentrism. Dispersion of employment and population in TMR was also analyzed. The results revealed that standard monocentric model is not able to explain evolution of Tehran although it is dominant core of the region. The polycentric models illustrated that although the changes from 2006 to 2011 were not considerable, employment was more concentrated than population; they also showed that there is no distinction between polycentric and dispersion and regions may have some levels of polycentricity and dispersion.

This research examines the spatial distribution of employment in Tehran metropolitan region as one of the most populated regions in West Asia. For this aim, our approach includes three steps; first, the paper investigates the level of monocentricity or the primacy of the main core, then, the paper utilises various methodologies to identify the employment subcenters in the region; and finally, the importance of identified centres is estimated by polycentric employment function. To do this, data obtained from Statistical Centre of Iran for 2006 and 2011 is provided in sub-district level, the smallest geographical unit. Results revealed that monocentric model is not able to explain the spatial distribution of employment in TMR; also, the main core loses its importance with the passage of time. Applying different methodologies for TMR identified 3 subcenters in 2006; whereas, it reached to 7 subcenters in 2011. In the last step, the deployed polycentric employment function explained 42% and 51% of tot...

COVID-19 shocked cities around the world and revealed the vulnerability of urban lives and functions. Most cities experienced a catastrophic disturbance that has lasted for a long time. Planning plays a critical role in responding efficiently to this crisis and enabling rapid functional recovery in the post-disaster era. Cities that have implemented digitalization initiatives and programs are likely to have more capacity to react appropriately. Specifically, digitalized cities could ensure the well-being of their residents and maintain continuity of urban functions. This research aims to analyze the role of technology in crisis management in the last two decades and provide appropriate policy recommendations for dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Systematic literature review and subjective content analysis are employed to investigate the effects of technology on community well-being and making cities more resilient in past crises. This study shows that different technology-driven policies and actions enable crisis management, enhance community well-being, and increase urban resilience. Technology has enhanced coping and recovery capacities by increasing participation and social connectedness, enhancing physical and mental health and maintaining the functionality of education and economic systems. These have been achieved through various solutions and technologies such as social media, telehealth, tracking and monitoring systems, sensors and locational applications, teleworking systems, etc. These solutions and technologies have also been used during the COVID-19 pandemic to enhance community well-being and sustain urban functions. However, technology deployment might have adverse effects such as social exclusion, digital divide, privacy and confidentiality violation, political bias and misinformation dissemination, and inefficient remote working and education. It is suggested that to mitigate these side effects, policymakers should liberate the process of digitalization, increase the accessibility to digital services, and enhance digital literacy.