درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

This article employs the theoretical framework of the conflict school to examine the role of economic reforms in consolidating neopatrimonialism in Saudi Arabia. The central hypothesis of the article is that the recent initiatives of Mohammed bin Salman, particularly through the Vision 2030 document, aimed at adapting the Saudi political system to internal and external changes, maintaining stability and continuity of the regime, and centralizing power in his hands, have contributed to the consolidation of neopatrimonialism in the country. While these economic and social reforms ostensibly aim to modernize Saudi Arabia's economy and society, they effectively function as tools to reinforce traditional power structures and solidify the dominance of the Al Saud family, particularly Mohammed bin Salman himself. By analyzing available data and recent political-economic trends in Saudi Arabia, the article addresses the question of how economic reforms have contributed to the consolidation of neopatrimonialism and what implications this has for the country's power structure. The findings reveal that these reforms, while creating superficial changes in the economy and society, act as mechanisms to preserve and strengthen the patrimonial system and perpetuate the dominance of the ruling elite.

This research examines the role of in-between spatial systems in enhancing presence quality, taking the Qeysarieh precinct of the Isfahan Bazaar—one of the principal connectors between Naqsh-e Jahan Square and the historic bazaar network—as the study area. The precinct was selected owing to its high density of pedestrian flows, adjacency to tourism–service–commercial land uses, and diversity of intermediary spatial elements. The study adopted a mixed-methods (quantitative–qualitative) approach. In the quantitative component, perceptual data from 351 users regarding four dimensions—environmental, physical, functional, and psychological—were collected through a standardized questionnaire and analyzed using the one-sample t-test and Friedman test. In the qualitative component, the spatial structure was evaluated through a space-syntax approach at four levels: axial analysis (Integration, Choice, Mean Depth), visibility analysis (VGA) and isovists, agent-based simulation, and assessment of overall intelligibility. Quantitative results indicated that psychological, functional, and environmental dimensions were assessed above baseline, whereas the physical variable showed no significant difference. Syntactic analysis showed that the Zarrabkhaneh route and Qeysarieh Chahar-Suq exhibited the highest centrality and distributive roles, and that chahar-suqs exerted greater influence on movement and stopping than corridors. The low coefficient of determination for intelligibility (R² = 0.11) indicates a need to improve perceptual guidance within secondary networks. Integrating quantitative and qualitative findings suggests three principal strategies whose implementation, by aligning form, function, and perception, can increase the sustainability of presence quality and enhance user experience within historic urban fabrics.

Transportation is a cornerstone of the tourism industry, which is considered one of the most important and lucrative global resources at the dawn of the third millennium. The primary assumption of public transportation development based on sustainable tourism is increasing tourist satisfaction. Additionally, one of the most advanced urban development perspectives that can initiate improvements in current urban conditions and serve as an effective step toward sustainable development is TOD. Suitable, reliable, comfortable, fast, and affordable transportation facilities are prerequisites for tourism development, as tourists consider both cost and time in their decisions. The choice of transportation system or the availability of an appropriate system affects these two factors when accessing tourist destinations. The objective of this research is to apply a transit-oriented development approach to enhance tourism in Tonekabon. The study is applied and descriptive-analytical, utilizing documentary research, observation, and questionnaires for data collection. Additionally, the Fuzzy IHWP method is employed to identify potential tourism zones, with a focus on transit-oriented development. The results indicate that the northern, central, and coastal areas of the city, which cover 29% of its total area, have high potential for locating public transportation stations, such as taxi stands, vans, bus terminals, and bicycle lanes. Finally, recommendations are provided, including widening streets, establishing bicycle lanes, and recreational-hospitality activities in the coastal area, improving taxi services to all areas, widening the main bridge connecting the east and west of the city, and constructing public parking near terminals and the coastline.