Shahid Beheshti University

The Center for Regional/Spatial Studies (CRSR) was established in 2019 by the Department of Geography and Spatial Planning at SBU, with the approval of the Iranian Higher Education Development and Planning Council. Today, CRSR is a premier research center devoted to the academic/scientific study of regional and spatial development issues through dialogue and exchange of ideas, research and scholarships, and engagement with national and international scholars, managers and politicians, opinion makers, communities, practitioners, and activists. The center was created in response to long time demand and necessity for a comprehensive spatial planning in the country. The main goal was to educate students and train them in a way that they could fill the gap between the employment market and students’ skills.

The center consists of two research groups: Regional/Spatial Studies, and Strategic Spatial Planning. CRSR is a community of faculty and students associated to advance regional/spatial science through research and training. The center has 15 active members from various fields of economics, statistics, physical and human geography, urban planning, environment, demography, agriculture and rural planning. This center has unique facilities such as workshops, laboratories and libraries, as well as a large and desirable space for participants to conduct their research.

The main research and activities of CRSR are focused on the following:

• Developing regional/spatial plans in various scales and settings
• Developing and implementing empowerment and capacity building plans in rural areas and deprived, less developed areas
• Conducting feasibility studies for public and private organizations
• Developing futures research or futurology and territorial scenario plans in various fields
• Preparing environmental impact assessments and strategic environmental assessments
• Preparing social plans, demographic and cultural studies
• Developing marine/maritime spatial plans in various scales and settings
• Designing systems and dashboards for monitoring and evaluating plans and programs
• Developing tourism and ecotourism plans and programs
• Supervising and reviewing the plans of private and government organizations
• Preparing and developing spatial databases for various organizations
• Developing urban regeneration and revitalization plans and projects
• Preparing and developing resilience plans against risks and crisis management
• Cooperating scientifically with international institutions and creating new knowledge
• Organizing courses, workshops and scientific conferences