Abstract
Zahedan, one of the large south-eastern cities of Iran, has a hot and dry climate. Its overall per capita greenspace is much lower than the general standards for urban greenspaces; in addition, the spatial distribution of greenspace is not consistent across the city. In this research, for the first time, field survey and statistical analysis were used to compare the University of Sistan and Baluchestan (a site within the city with a high per capita greenspace resulting in a different microclimate) in terms of temperature with other sites across the city. The results obtained from the statistical interpolation of data from 29 sites collected at specific times of day (06:00, 12:00 and 18:00) during the week beginning second of July 2013 using a geographic information system showed a large difference in temperature between the university and other places in the city. The extent of the per capita green area of the University of Sistan and Baluchestan and the rest of the city of Zahedan also demonstrated a great difference. The conclusion is that planning to increase per capita greenspace around the city of Zahedan seems inevitable for better urban management and the welfare of its citizens.
Acknowledgements
The authors sincerely appreciate the assistance of all the students and citizens who actively helped to record temperatures in the city of Zahedan and University of Sistan and Baluchestan.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Samad Fotoohi
Dr Samad Fotoohi, assistant professor, is the head of physical geography in the Faculty of Geography and Environmental Planning at the University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Zahedan. He has written 16 journal papers, presented 12 conference papers and been involved with 3 research projects and 27 theses.
Hossein Negaresh
Dr Hossein Negaresh, associate professor is the dean of the faculty of Geography and Environmental Planning at the University of Sistan and Baluchestan in Zahedan. He has written 63 journal papers and 2 books and presented 38 conference papers. He has been involved with 7 research projects, and 34 theses.
Masoud Sistani
Masoud Sistani is an M.Sc. Student in Environmental Hazard at the University of Sistan and Baluchestan in Zahedan. He has published one journal paper and presented one conference paper.