Investigating the Changes in Spatial Pattern of Rural Settlement Network of Qazvin Province with the Emphasis on the Role of Ecological Elements During the Period ۱۹۷۶-۲۰۱۶

Purpose- Initial and preliminary review of distribution of rural settlements of Qazvin province indicates a special pattern in this province (the densely populated villages in some areas of the province and being devoid of population in some other villages) which has been changed during different census periods and it raises the following questions: what factors have created such a pattern? Do ecological factors play a role in the formation of this pattern? Hence, the purpose of the present study is to answer these questions.Design/methodology/approach- The present study was conducted using a descriptive-analytical method. First, the Getis-Ord Gi* statistic was used to review the spatial pattern of rural residents' network in Qazvin province, then k'luster analysis method through edge removal (SKATER) was used for grouping rural areas based on ecological conditions, and finally using the obtained results, the correlation coefficients between the ecological factors and the spatial distribution of the population in the obtained ecological groups were calculated. Findings- examining the spatial distribution pattern of rural settlements of Qazvin province according to Getis-Ord statistic indicates a cluster pattern of population spatial distribution in rural areas of Qazvin province. This pattern has high density in some areas and low density in other areas. The central parts of the province which include the Qazvin plain, have hot spots, and the northern areas of the province which include the mountainous areas, have cold spots. Based on the ecological grouping of villages through SKATER method and calculated correlation coefficients, the highest impact belonged to the grouping related to access to underground waters (existence of aquifer) and the next ranks belong to the distance from the river and slope. This shows the high impact of ecological variables on the distribution of rural population of the province during different periods.