Exploring the relationship between spatial driving forces of urban expansion and socioeconomic segregation: The case of Shiraz

As socioeconomic contexts of cities influence urban expansion and development, urban structures should be seen from both physical and socioeconomic perspectives. Therefore, this study seeks to investigate the relationship between urban socioeconomic segregation and spatial driving forces of expansion of Shiraz, a city in the south of Iran. To this end, the association of environmental, planning, neighborhood and accessibility factors with the expansion of different areas of Shiraz was investigated from 2006 to 2011. By using the geographically weighted logistic regression, the local effect of each driving force on urban growth was calculated and then, the relationship between urban growth factors and socioeconomic segregation was explored by averaging the parameters of independent variables in different socio-spatial classes of Shiraz categorized according to the occupation of the inhabitants and the state of informal settlements. Although the results obtained from spatial driving forces of urban expansion of Shiraz were mostly in accordance with the results of previous studies, the magnitude of the effects of driving forces changed across different socio-spatial classes. The results revealed that urban expansion of Shiraz was a reflection of socioeconomic segregation in a way that the poorer strata of Shiraz were seeking closer access to essential services such as schools, health centers, and major roads. However, at the same time, they were unable to live near major economic centers of the city and were pushed to rural areas. On the other hand, the affluent residents of Shiraz were more likely to reside near major urban centers and conservation areas that are far superior in terms of environmental features.