Selection of Optimal Zones for Construction of Public Parking Lots in Ilam City

Introduction  Selection of parking lots is influenced by a number of various criteria and variables in traditional models. This is while in the GIS environment, we can utilize the selected criteria in the form of various layers for selecting the optimal zones for parking lots. Using the Geographical Information System (GIS), we can apply the new changes immediately on the obtained model. Ilam City is one of those cities have a very limited potential on urban development surrounded by mountains from three geographical directions. The necessity to correctly select optimal locations for the construction of parking lots in Ilam City is very significant for the city. Thus, the aim of the current study is to analyze and select the optimal zones for the construction of public parking lots in Ilam City. This study is trying to answer the following questions: (1) what are the criteria for site selection for the construction of public parking lots in Ilam City? (2) What are the most suitable zones for the construction of parking lots in Ilam City based on site selection standard and criteria?   Methodology The scheme used in the current study is a fundamental applicable methodology. The statistical population of the study includes all the university professors and experts in the field of urban management, among which 40 participants were selected as the sample of the study. Based on the consensus of six groups of experts, the specific criteria for the selection of the best sites for the construction of parking lots were calculated using stratified Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) in Expert Choice software. In this scheme, the higher the coefficient of a selected site is, the more optimal the site will be. The identified criteria were reviewed by the experts. Cronbach’s Alpha coefficients were calculated as 0.706 and 0.950 which indicate the acceptable correlation and compatibility among the experts’ opinions, respectively. Finally, the integration of opinions was carried out using the average method. Pearson’s test and the T-test in LISREL software were used to calculate the relationship between the variables. We combined fuzzy AHP and GIS to determine suitable zones for construction of public parking lots. After completing the steps and the integration of layers, the status quo was analyzed, suitable zones were obtained, and the most optimal sites for the construction of public parking lots were selected.    Results and discussion  Based on the opinions of the experts, eight criteria were selected for site selection of public parking lots in Ilam City. These criteria are as following: availability of funds, public access, size of the area for parking, compatibility with urban high-traffic routes, landuse of the site, sales and revenue, administrative bureaucracy, and other sections. The results of the correlation analyses show that there is a significant relationship between the selected criteria and the selection of the optimal sites for the construction of parking lots. Another result of the current study was the identification of the zones suitable for the construction of public parking lots. Through combining the fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) with digital layers, and finally by analyzing the sensitivity of each one of the sites, only two sites were determined as the most optimal locations for the construction of urban parking lots in Ilam City. These two sites are located near Payam-e-Nour Intersection and Saadi Intersection. This is because of spatial conditions, geographical location, access level, demand level, effectiveness, and impacts on above-mentioned trends. These locations have the highest potential for development and expansion.    Conclusions The selection of the two above-mentioned locations as the appropriate zones for construction of the parking lots is important because Saadi Intersection is located in the oldest physical texture of the city and it is in fact the main core of Ilam City. Therefore, urban applications are not compatible with the infrastructural conditions of this area to create traffic congestions in this zone. Payam-e-Nour Intersection has also with the problems of traffic congestion at all times, particularly at the beginning of the education in fall, due to the presence of multiple educational centers and the high concentration of school and university students as well as lack of a suitable parking lot. Therefore, based on the above-mentioned considerations, due to the high interference of functionalities and the high levels of public traffic in these two sites during day, the construction of parking lots in these two sites is highly required. Therefore, in order to prevent disruptions and the formation of traffic congestion points as well as the well-being of citizens, public parking lots should be built in these two optimal sites.