Spatial Organization

Purpose- In the hierarchical planning of central places, systematic and calculated settlement is based on the desired spatial system, and small cities play a major role in striking balance and equilibrium in the residential system. The role and function of this type of rural centers lay the theoretical basis for strategies of developing a balanced settlement model. The proponents of small towns point to importance of these settlements as service centers in rural development, stressing the construction of a cohesive settlement hierarchy and the effects of top-down distribution. According to their view, small towns are at the forefront of rural and regional development in terms of production and institutional structure, preventing the over-concentration of population and activities in large cities. It is an issue that has deprived these cities of proper economic returns and investment. Design/methodology/approach - In this study, the effect of Molkabad City on the spatial organization of rural settlements is investigated, and research hypotheses are tested using t-test, Wilcoxon, Kruskal-Wallis and WASP. Finding- Of the sample villages in various geographical areas located at varying distances, Derakht-e Sepidar Village has the highest Qi in WASPAS model and is ranked first, thus having the highest spatial development among the sample villages. It is true because this village is located in a plain area adjacent to a dirt road that leads to Molkabad City. In the same region, Razan Village has the lowest Qi in WASPAS model and is ranked last, mainly because this village is located on a plain, but far from communication routes. Further, this village is within the jurisdiction of Binalood Town rather than Molkabad or even the center of its county, Imam Taghi Village. In general, according to the results obtained from the WASPAS model, it can be mentioned that there is a slight difference between the first and the last village and the rate of spatial development in the studied villages is almost identical. That is, it is not pertained to the remoteness and proximity to Molkabad City.

Passive Defense is a set of civilian efforts performed to enhance deterrence, reduce vulnerability, sustain essential activities, promote national stability, and facilitate crisis management against military threats of an enemy. Since in battles, sensitive and critical areas of cities are of paramount importance,it is clear that in military agressions, a large part of threats are focused on cities and their urban facilities and equipment, especially fuel centers. As a result, consideration of passive defense while planning cities has a significant role in reducing the vulnerability of cities and their urban elements as well as facilitating the urban crisis management. It also provides the citizens resistance threshold under possible enemy invasion and natural malicious agents. Hence, this article reviews and analyzes the current situation of gas distribution centers and evaluates their positioning across the city of Mashhad with regard to passive defense approach. However, as far as there is no clear- cut criteria for organizing fuel centers with passive defense approach, the Delphi method is used to select the desired criteria in which on the basis of the final comments of the experts, four critera- performance, access, hazards and security election and spatial organization of the fuel tanks and petrol stations- are analyzed using AHP model and GIS spatial analyzes. Accordingly, it can be said that the assessment of the current status of the urban fuel stations in Mashhad indicates that no area of the city enjoys all measures of passive defense (performance, availability, security, and risks). Likewise, the results indicate that the distribution of these centers in the city are mostly consistent with the factor of access. taking into account all the criteria, it is the ​​North West of Mashhad which has the highest utility than other areas. It is followed by the east of Mashhad and ​​the Northeast and the middle east of the city, respectively. Accordingly, it could be stated that ignoring an efficient design for determining the optimum location of the site construction with a passive defense approach results in an inappropriate and naive spatial distribution of the stations leading to an increased security and environmental risks of the city.