Identifying the Financial and Economic Consequences of Urban Sprawl on Urban Management

A B S T R A C T
This study seeks to find the financial and economic consequences of urban sprawl on urban management. For this purpose, it uses an interpretive approach and a systematic Meta-synthesis method. The statistical population is the findings of other researchers in the field of urban sprawl in the period 1970-2022. The data were encoded and interpreted using MAXQDA software. The results show that the financial and economic benefits of urban sprawl fall into seven categories: 'real Estate Income; business, sales and services; government subsidies; reduction in security costs; reduction in the cost of environment and urban services; reduction in physical costs and urban development; and reduction in the cost of transportation and traffic. But the costs of urban sprawl include "social and cultural costs; transportation and traffic costs; physical and urban development costs; environmental and urban services costs; current and administrative services costs; security and emergency services costs”. Most researchers have acknowledged that the sprawl costs far more than the financial and economic benefits to the city, with most of the costs being borne by the environment and urban services, as well as transportation and traffic. Regarding the benefits of urban sprawl, researchers have emphasized the benefits of real estate. In many cities around the world, including cities in developing countries, extensive urban land ownership and physical assets mean that taxes and charges on them can significantly increase public revenues, which can continue to increase as urban productivity increases. It seems that until there is not a fundamental change in the financial structure of urban management; the process of urban sprawl is inevitable
 
Extended Abstract
Introduction
International literature on urban sprawl mainly emphasizes its environmental, social and economic effects on urban areas. Many studies have dealt with the environmental effects of urban sprawl. From a theoretical and empirical point of view, there are no clear answers about the impact of urban sprawl on the finances of municipalities and local governments. From a theoretical point of view, the potential impact of sprawl on the financial balance of local governments is unclear. On the one hand, municipalities can obtain more resources through construction, local economic activities, and property taxes. On the other hand, the cost of providing services and improving infrastructure can be incremental, thus significantly reducing productivity in sprawled areas. The available empirical literature shows that low-density areas have a negative impact on local service costs and financial stability, but at the same time, population attraction and construction activities can increase financial revenues. Researchers have examined the effects of different densities and urban developments and spatial patterns and have shown that revenue growth is associated with population growth and density, but the relationship between these variables is clearly dependent on local factors, such as local economic structure and urban service scope, and the conclusions may vary considerably from place to place. Therefore, considering the importance of the subject, this study intends to identify and draw the financial and economic consequences of urban sprawl in the revenue structure and expenditures of the municipalities using a Meta-synthesis approach and systematic review of research literature. In this research, two years are proposed that:
1- What are the financial and economic benefits of urban management due to urban sprawl?
1- What are the financial and economic costs of urban management due to urban sprawl?
 
Methodology
For this purpose, it uses an interpretive approach and a systematic Meta-synthesis method. The statistical population is the findings of other researchers in the field of urban sprawl in the period 1970-2022. The sampling method is systematic and the benefits and costs of horizontal urban distribution in the form of categories have been extracted by carefully studying 79 scientific sources out of 148 sources reviewed based on the title, abstract and content analysis. Data were coded and interpreted using MAXQDA ANALYTICS PRO 2020 software. In order to evaluate the reliability and quality control of the findings, an excellent agreement was reached between the two evaluators based on the index of "two coders".
 
Results and discussion
Based on sources, 434 primary codes have been reviewed and extracted. Of these codes, 86 codes were identified in a more abstract step in the form of important and selective categories for the financial and economic benefits of horizontal urban distribution. Through 3 categories "real estate, business, sales and services, government subsidies" to increase revenue and 4 categories "security, environment and urban services, physical and urban planning, transportation and traffic" to reduce costs, the first question was answered. But to answer the second question, the 348 codes were categorized into six categories: "social and cultural costs, transportation and traffic costs, physical and urban development costs, environmental and urban services costs, current and administrative services costs, security and emergency services costs". Based on the literature on the urban sprawl, most researchers have acknowledged that the urban sprawl costs far more than its financial and economic benefits to the city.
 
Conclusion
Most researchers have acknowledged that the sprawl costs far more than the financial and economic benefits to the city, with most of the costs being borne by the environment and urban services, as well as transportation and traffic. Regarding the benefits of urban sprawl, researchers have emphasized the benefits of real estate. In many cities around the world, including cities in developing countries, extensive urban land ownership and physical assets mean that taxes and charges on them can significantly increase public revenues, which can continue to increase as urban productivity increases. It seems that until there is not a fundamental change in the financial structure of urban management; the process of urban sprawl is inevitable. A review of the literature related to urban sprawl in Iran shows that researchers have mostly focused on urban distribution in different cities and no research has yet examined the financial and economic effects of urban distribution in Iranian cities. Most international researches have been done in developed countries with different urban management structures from Iran. Most of these researches have introduced the form of compact growth as an effective strategy by considering the costs of urban sprawl. Given the relatively high rate of urbanization in Iran and the horizontal expansion of many large cities and metropolises in recent years, a careful study of the financial and economic effects of urban sprawl on urban management and municipal budgets can help clarify this issue in the literature.
 
Funding
There is no funding support.
 
Authors’ Contribution
All of the authors approved thecontent 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 scientific consultants of this paper.