Investigating the promoting and inhibiting factors of the rural guide plan from the point of view of experts in Mazandaran province

Today, villages, with their unique settlement patterns and human livelihoods, require organization and development considering their roles in countries' economic and social aspects. For the preparation and implementation of the Guide (Hādi) plan as the most comprehensive and local rural development plan in Iran, huge costs are spent, and this plan has had significant effects on the physical, social, and economic structure of rural settlements. The multi-dimensional effect of the preparation and implementation of this plan on the area of rural settlements and the communities settled in them doubles the necessity of the pathology of guide's plan. Therefore, the main goal of this research was to investigate the pathology of rural development plans with an emphasis on the rural guide plan and also the factors affecting the advancement of the rural guide plans, which was conducted as a case study in Māzandarān province. The current research was descriptive-analytical; documentary research and a researcher-made questionnaire were used for data collection. The statistical population of the research was experts and specialists in the field of rural guide plan. The questionnaires were distributed among 30 of them. They were selected using snowball sampling. The pathological criteria of the studied rural development plans included (economic-social-environmental-psychological and content) in the form of 33 questions. Results showed that the criteria of eradicating poverty (3.26), lack of people's participation in the plan (2.93), not considering international laws (3.10), neglecting functions and activities (3.96), the role of private sector (3.46), common understanding of the issues (3.33), investment in the agricultural sector (3.23), identification of geological factors (3.36), are among the damages from viewpoint of experts of guide plan in Māzandarān province. Furthermore, according to experts, the results of exploratory factor analysis indicated that the influential factors in advancing rural development projects in Māzandarān province included three dimensions (economic, social, and content-related) within a framework of nine variables. Ultimately, solutions are proposed to address existing challenges and improve the effectiveness of the rural guide plans in enhancing the quality of life for residents in the region.
 
Extended Abstract
Introduction
One of the characteristics of human settlements is their development and dynamism, which takes its morphology according to each settlement's economic, social, political, and cultural conditions. Rural development is a comprehensive and systemic concept that includes all aspects of the village's economic, social, and cultural life, in addition to the construction and improvement of the village. Ideal and purposeful planning in rural areas requires a comprehensive approach that considers and covers these features. In the past few decades, given the significance of rural development in the national development process, Iranian villages have continuously seen relatively large changes in their lives and residents. In this regard, various approaches have been considered to achieve rural development goals, placing them at the center of attention. A qualitative approach has become widely prevalent in recent decades for critically analyzing various programs and projects. This approach is generally based on engaging stakeholders and transparently elucidating the actual dimensions and consequences of implementing development plans, including rural guide plans. Pathology includes careful consideration of all systems in the investigation of individual problems. Usually, problems and issues are diagnosed with pathology and then investigated.
Methodology
The aim of this study was applied that has been done using the descriptive-analytical method based on library sources and field studies using questionnaires. Considering that little research has been done in this field, the opinions of professors and experts were used to confirm the validity of the questionnaire. Cronbach's alpha was used to check the reliability of the questionnaire (α=0.939), which showed the high reliability of the questionnaire. The statistical population included experts and specialists in the rural guide plan. This society included all the people (at Māzandarān province) who had scientific expertise and executive experience in the preparation and implementation of guide plans. They included officials, senior managers, Islamic Revolution Housing Foundation experts, surveyors, consultants for preparing guide plans, contractors, consulting engineering companies, etc. The snowball sampling method was used to determine the sample size (the first sample determines the following sample in a chain), and 30 specialists of the guide plan were selected as the research sample.
Results and discussion
A one-sample t-test was used to determine the impact of vulnerability indicators on the rural guide plan in Māzandarān province. The test results were rejected because the significant value in most indicators was less than the standard level (0.05). As a result, hypothesis H1 is rejected at a confidence level of 95%, and H0, which implies a significant relationship between the indicators of vulnerability of rural development plans, was confirmed. Unfortunately, in the rural guide plans, the people of the villages, as the owners of the village and the plan, have been neglected. Regardless of the people's wishes and rural potential, the plan is written by authorities holistically. Also, international laws are not considered in the rural guide plans. And it is limited to the old designs that are obsolete in most parts of the world.
The results of exploratory factor analysis of 33 components in the field of factors influencing the advancement of the goals of rural guide plans in Māzandarān province in different dimensions, 9 components were identified, which included three factors (economic, social, and content):
S9 All organizations and institutions of the ministries participate in preparing and implementing rural plans.
S15 International laws are considered in preparing and implementing rural plans.
S13 The private and public sector participate in preparing and implementing rural plans.
S8 People play an important role in preparing, implementing and evaluating rural plans
S12 The private sector plays an effective role in empowering the villagers
S17 The government supports rural institutions
S11 Human factors affecting internal (local, regional, national) are considered in rural plans.
S24 We think that understanding how the chain of events and events occurs in the implementation of these plans is very important.
S25 Professional people of the organization are asked to find a solution to identify the problems of the desired plans.
Conclusion
As the most popular local and rural development plan, the rural guide plan has brought about significant physical changes in the country's rural settlements in recent years. With its physical approach, this plan tries to organize the physical fabric of rural areas, control its future developments, and guide it in the right direction. Despite the valuable achievements of this plan, such as the increase in the economic value of the lands within the rural fabric, the trend towards seasonal settlements in the villages, and the development of construction, etc.,  there are negative consequences, such as the increase in requests related to the change of land use or the request to annex lands to the boundaries of the rural fabric, which is indicative of the effects and negative consequences of the mentioned plan in some villages of the country. Sometimes, the factors affecting the occurrence of damages in the preparation and implementation of the rural guide plan (especially the weak participation of villagers and local institutions in the process of preparing plans, emphasizing a uniform pattern in the physical intervention of rural settlements regardless of the diversity and differences of their natural-ecological and socio-economic environment, etc.) and comparing them to the assumptions of the theory of functionalism emphasize the point that transformation and rethinking in the thinking governing guide plan is inevitable. Many theories and intellectual approaches need to be more responsive and open to explaining and solving problems and needs (due to the inherent dynamism of human societies) due to various and all-around developments. The emergence of theories and approaches such as post-structuralism, post-modernism, sustainable development, etc., is proof of this claim.
Funding
There is no financial sponsor of the research, but experts from the program and budget organization, municipality, and consulting engineers have cooperated in this research.
Authors’ Contribution
Authors contributed equally to the conceptualization and writing of the article. All of the authors approved the content of the manuscript and agreed on all aspects of the work.
Conflict of Interest
Authors declared no conflict of interest.
Acknowledgments
We are grateful to all the persons for scientific consulting in this paper.