Investigating the role of the Islamic Revolution Housing Foundation projects on the development of small and medium-sized cities in Yazd province

In the past two hundred years, the world has faced an urban revolution. Since 1800, the urban population statistics graph has been steep throughout the world, especially in third world countries, which includes fundamental changes in the structure of the urban system, such as the disruption of the galactic order of the city and the creation of the first urban system, increasing migration from rural areas to cities, the transfer of wealth from the surrounding areas to the city limits, etc. (Chettry, 2024:20).Large cities, with a complete lack of connectivity with medium-sized and small cities, have taken over most of the high levels of service, social, and economic services, and small and medium-sized cities, with weak connections with the communities below them, have become peripheral, marginal, and dependent spaces. The growth of the urban population in the past decades is clearly visible. The main factors in the growth of the urbanization percentage include the natural population growth rate in cities, migration from rural to urban areas, settlement and concentration in newly founded cities, and the transformation of villages into cities as the population of large villages increases and reaches the population threshold of cities, the transformation of settlements around large cities, and the redefinition of the city in national divisions (Choudhury, 2024:170). According to the United Nations, by 2025, more than half of the world's population will live in cities, and it is predicted that 70% of the world's population will live in urban environments by 2050, and in fact, it can be said that the planet is moving towards urbanization (Fahmida et al., 2025).

Today, the challenges related to density, pollution, and social tensions in metropolises, etc., have made it necessary to pay attention to the physical development of small and medium-sized cities. Small and medium-sized cities are among the most successful examples of settlements in order to eliminate regional imbalances and development inequalities; because they have often been able to be the link between the lower levels and the middle and upper levels of the settlement system, and they have a special share and position in reducing imbalances, absorbing the population overflows of large and medium-sized cities, and positively directing the movements of the rural population. Since the 1970s, due to the failure of development programs and the trickle-down mechanism and the problems caused by urbanization, especially in third world countries, planners have focused their attention on the development and creation of small and medium-sized cities to meet the needs of equitable development. These cities contribute to sustainable development at regional, national and international levels around the world and play an important role in spatial distribution (Zhimeng et all, 2025: 380).In most parts of the world today, all development plans and projects are prepared based on an emphasis on the dynamics of small and medium-sized cities, because with similar facilities and services in medium-sized cities, the indiscriminate migration of rural people to metropolitan cities at the regional level will be prevented, and immigrants will choose second-tier cities for their lives. Therefore, in Iran, since the Fourth Development Plan of the Fourth Economic, Social and Cultural Development Plan (2005-2009), the development and construction of cities with a population of less than 25,000 has been entrusted to the Islamic Revolution Housing Foundation, and this study examines the role of the Islamic Revolution Housing Foundation's projects on the development of small and medium-sized cities in Yazd province. The present study is descriptive and survey in terms of its purpose and method. Data collection was carried out in two forms: documentary (articles, books, magazines, Internet websites, etc.) and survey (questionnaires, interviews and observations). The statistical sample in this study was 30 experts and specialists. Data analysis was performed using Excel software package and SECA decision-making method. The inferential and analytical findings of the research show that the role and effects of the Islamic Revolution Housing Foundation projects on development in the five cities studied (Ashkazar, Taft, Herat, Zarch, Marwast) are evaluated positively and according to the calculations, data mining and data analysis performed, among the main criteria, the physical development and land use criterion with a weight of 0.456 ranked first, the development of roads and transportation with a weight of 0.294 ranked second, and the development of facilities and equipment with a weight of 0.281 ranked third. The ranking of cities affected by the Housing Foundation's projects in Yazd province based on the Seka model also shows that Ashkzar city is in first place with a value of 0.9968, Taft city is in second place with a value of 0.9082, Herat city is in third place with a value of 0.8808, Zarch city is in fourth place with a value of 0.8177, and finally Marvast city is in last place with a calculated value of 0.7723.