| The theory of urban ecology is based on explaining urban spatial structure, studying and describing the reciprocal relationship between human societies in the urban areas and the environment, as well as analyzing the circumstances of urban population segregation and production of everyday life spaces. To study and explain urban ecological structure of Mashhad, the case study of the article, we used the theory of the Chicago school, concentric model, sector model, and multiple nuclei model. There are many similarities between today’s Iranian cities and Chicago in the early 20th century, similarities like urban population growth, rural migration to urban areas, increase in crime rate, informal settlement expansion, city center revitalization, spatial segregation and so on. Hence, the urban theory of the Chicago school was selected. To study the ecological structure of Mashhad, we used different data such as the census data in 1375 and 1385, municipality urban land use database and the social-GIS database of Mashhad, analyzed by ArcGIS 9.3 software. The results show that Mashhad is somehow similar to all the three models, but there is more conformity with multiple nuclei model. In other words, the major CBD has been formed around the Holy Shrine, while the minor CBD has been formed around Azadi square. The social class with high incomes seems to reside around the minor CBD, with linear expansion towards the major CBD, itself being surrounded by the middle class residents with medium incomes. Major business interactions seem to have concentrated around the major CBD. |
