City development and population change in Iran: A case study of Sari

This paper presents an empirical investigation on urban planning and development of a region located between Galugah to Noor in province of Sari located in north region of Iran. The study uses structural-functional approach as a strategic method for organizing space, at different levels and scales. To examine the descriptive analysis of demographic, social and physical environmental variables are studied. The validity of the models are accomplished using various techniques such as the Shannon entropy, Holdern, standardized scores, Williamson, HDI, and Spearman correlation coefficients. The results indicate that there was a weak correlation between HDI index and population of different regions. The study presents some useful comments and suggestions for development of the city.