Spatial-Temporal Analysis of Point Distribution Pattern of Schools Using Spatial Autocorrelation Indices in Bojnourd City

Mostafa Ghodousi,Abolghasem Sadeghi-Niaraki,Soo-Mi Choi,Farzaneh Rabiee

doi:10.3390/su12187755

Mostafa Ghodousi, Abolghasem Sadeghi-Niaraki + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su12187755

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Abstract

In recent years, attention has been given to the construction and development of new educational centers, but their spatial distribution across the cities has received less attention. In this study, the Average Nearest Neighbor (ANN) and the optimized hot spot analysis methods have been used to determine the general spatial distribution of the schools. Also, in order to investigate the spatial distribution of the schools based on the substructure variables, which include the school building area, the results of the general and local Moran and Getis Ord analyses have been investigated. A differential Moran index was also used to study the spatial-temporal variations of the schools’ distribution patterns based on the net per capita variable, which is the amount of school building area per student. The results of the Average Nearest Neighbor (ANN) analysis indicated that the general spatial patterns of the primary schools, the first high schools, and the secondary high schools in the years 2011, 2016, 2018, and 2021 are clustered. Applying the optimized hot spot analysis method also identified the southern areas and the suburbs as cold polygons with less-density. Also, the results of the differential Moran analysis showed the positive trend of the net per capita changes for the primary schools and first high schools. However, the result is different for the secondary high schools.

Highlights

The rapid growth of the urban population due to the migration of people from the rural regions to urban centers and the lack of a well-planned and systematic planning system has caused many problems in most cities in Iran
To investigate the overall distribution of the schools for years 2011, 2016, 2018, and 2021, the Average Nearest Neighbor was used. In this analysis, which does not include any variables, the Rate neighborhood (Rn) index is calculated throughout the city area based on the average distance of each point to its nearest neighbors
The results show that the substructure of the girls’ primary schools in the southwest of the city in the year 2018 was above average, and it was below average in a region of the downtown area, which indicates the presence of clusters in these areas

Summary

Introduction

The rapid growth of the urban population due to the migration of people from the rural regions to urban centers and the lack of a well-planned and systematic planning system has caused many problems in most cities in Iran. Due to the rapid growth of the population and the physical condition of the cities, issues, which include the lack of proper spatial distribution of the facilities, have arisen. One of the most important problems is the reduction of the per capita urban services, which include the educational services. The public services have different types and roles regarding the support of society functions [1]. The equal distribution of the service centers, which include the educational centers, is especially important because of the critical role they play in the knowledge, development, and culture of each society

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