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Analysis of architectural-economic strategies for rural business spaces from the view of experts (1st and 2nd order Q factor analysis)
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Morteza Maleki Charkovani   , Farhang Mozafar * , Mohammad Ali Khan Mohammadi , Bahram Saleh Sedghpour |
| Department of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran. , Mozaffar.farhang@gmail.com |
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Abstract: (1498 Views) |
Objective: Architecture, economy, and business are deeply intertwined. Architecture is not limited to design and construction but is an economic activity that interacts reciprocally with broader economic conditions. Major economic transformations have influenced rural business spaces. Land reform led to a reduction in large landowners, an increase in small landholdings and land fragmentation, and a rise in the number of buildings, providing the basis for the physical expansion of villages through the Hadi Plan. Although the Hadi Plan was initially evaluated positively, over time it was assessed as physically appropriate but economically and employment-wise ineffective. In the past decade, various rural economic development initiatives have emerged, the most comprehensive of which is the Sustainable Rural Network Employment Model; however, this model has not yet produced widespread impacts on rural development. This study examines the relationship between the Hadi Plan and sustainable employment, based on the assumption that the development of business spaces can lead to rural economic revitalization. The research question addresses the classification of expert perspectives in this field.
Method: This study employed the Delphi method using non-probability snowball sampling. The participants were faculty members from Iran University of Science and Technology, University of Tehran, Shahid Beheshti University, and Kharazmi University in the fields of rural development and/or architecture and urban planning, with a sample size of 27 experts. Data collection tools included an objective–content matrix and a questionnaire. After validating the matrix, Q-factor analysis was conducted to extract the results. Data adequacy was assessed using the KMO test and Bartlett’s test of sphericity, yielding a KMO value of 0.668, which indicates acceptable sampling adequacy.
Results: The results show that experts’ views on rural business architecture converge around three dominant perspectives: equipment and hygienic–economic development of agricultural and livestock spaces, accounting for 25.83% of the expert community; subsistence farm housing with a tourism-oriented livelihood approach, accounting for 19.10%; and decoration or construction of retail spaces for local rural products, representing 15.96% of expert viewpoints.
Conclusions: The findings are expected to be applicable to a wide range of mountainous villages in northern Iran, particularly in Mazandaran Province. However, it is recommended that this study be replicated within other sustainable rural employment network projects, such as those in Gachsaran, Zanjan, and Miami, to enhance the robustness and generalizability of the results.
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| Keywords: Economic strategy, Rearing house, Sales & tourism space, Rural business architecture, 1st and 2nd order Q factor analysis. |
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Full-Text [PDF 1465 kb]
(87 Downloads)
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Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
سکونتگاههای شهری و روستایی
Received: 2025/06/4 | Accepted: 2025/08/12 | Published: 2025/12/21
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