Site selection of riverside parks around the Sufi-Chay river, Maragheh

Document Type : Original Research Articles

Authors

1 Associate Professor, Department of Geography and Urban Planning, Faculty of Humanities, Maragheh University, Maragheh, Iran.

2 Department of Geography, Faculty of Humanities; Maragheh University, Maragheh, Iran

Abstract

The construction of riverside parks is a fundamental step towards protecting urban rivers. These types of parks have multiple ecological, social and economic functions and play a significant role in increasing the sustainability of cities. In the present study, the feasibility of constructing riverside parks along the Sufi-Chay River in Maragheh was examined. In line with the research objectives, AHP and SWOT models were used. The analytic hierarchy process showed that land use criteria with a coefficient of 0.331 and land ownership with a coefficient of 0.231 are the most important effective criteria in site selection of Sufi-Chay riverside parks. More than 3.4 percent of the region with an area of ​​about 30.9 hectares is located in a class with very high suitability for the construction of riverside parks. A major part of these areas (about 21 hectares) is located in the southern part of the Maragheh suburb. This site was proposed for the construction of a riverside park in the south of Maragheh city and between Pehrabad and the railway. The mentioned site has favorable conditions for the construction of a riverside park due to a set of factors. In this regard, we can mention the large width of the floodplain, the significant extent of the riverside lands, public ownership, proper access to the river, favorable access to the main communication networks and the possibility of ecological connection with the green infrastructure along the Sufi-chay River. The assessment of the proposed site using the SWOT model also showed that the strengths and opportunities of this site far outweigh the weaknesses and threats. Accordingly, the construction of riverside Park on the proposed site can bring positive results such as the protection of the Sufi-Chay River, ecological connectivity, boost of social interactions, green space justice, and tourism promotion.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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Geography and Regional Future Studies
Volume 3, Issue 3 - Serial Number 11
Autumn
December 2025
Pages 19-40

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