From Tehran to Makoran: Examining the Challenges of Relocating the Capital in Iran from a Spatial Planning Perspective

Relocating a capital city is a complex process that requires a comprehensive assessment of geopolitical, economic, social, environmental, security, and political dimensions. The success of such a relocation hinges on meticulous planning, public participation, and effective management. This action can contribute to the balanced distribution of resources, reduce regional disparities, and foster sustainable development at the national level. In this regard, this article endeavors to identify and categorize the significant challenges associated with relocating the capital from Tehran to the Makoran coast using a structural-interpretive approach. The research methodology is descriptive-analytical. To identify the factors, content analysis was employed. Data was collected through interviews and paired questionnaires. The relationships between key challenges were analyzed holistically using a novel analytical methodology known as Structural Interpretive Modeling (ISM). The findings of this research indicate that a shortage of freshwater with a penetration power of 13, climate change with a penetration power of 12, and a lack of basic infrastructure with a penetration power of 10 are the primary challenges related to relocating the capital from Tehran to the Makoran coast from a land-use planning perspective. These challenges serve as the foundation of the model, and for the relocation of Iran's capital to the Makoran coast, these challenges should be prioritized. Therefore, considering the identified challenges, it can be concluded that a complete relocation of the capital to the Makoran coast does not seem to be the most logical solution. Instead, relocating some of the capital's functions to other cities, along with internal reorganization of Tehran and balanced development of other regions of the country, is a better solution to reduce pressure on Tehran and address its problems.