Spatial Justice and Accessibility: Optimizing Sports Facility Allocation in Tehran

Rohollah Asgari Gandomani (), Amir Rahimi, Leila Shahbazpour and Jamal Jokar Arsanjani
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Rohollah Asgari Gandomani: Department of Sports Coaching, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health, University of Tehran, Tehran 1439813117, Iran
Amir Rahimi: Department of Sports Management, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health, University of Tehran, Tehran 1439813117, Iran
Leila Shahbazpour: Department of Sports Management, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Guilan, Rasht 4199613116, Iran
Jamal Jokar Arsanjani: Geoinformatics and Earth Observation Research Group, Department of Sustainability and Planning, Aalborg University Copenhagen, A.C. Meyers Vænge 15, DK-2450 Copenhagen, Denmark

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 7, 1-26

Abstract: The optimal allocation of sport facilities is crucial for urban management, as it enhances public health and improves citizens’ quality of life. This study proposed a novel decision-making approach for optimizing the allocation of sports facilities in a megacity in which accessibility to sports facilities is a major challenge. To achieve this, 23 criteria in three categories of compatibility, environmental, and infrastructural criteria were analyzed. The analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method determined the criterion weights, while the weighted linear combination (WLC) method integrated them. The results showed that the current spatial distribution of sports facilities in Tehran follows a clustered pattern, and the compatibility criterion, with a weight of 0.45, has the greatest impact on the sports facility location selection process. A spatial analysis identified 48.58 km 2 as being highly suitable for facility development, mainly in central and southern Tehran. These findings can assist urban managers and planners in improving spatial justice, increasing accessibility to sports facilities, and promoting sustainable urban development.

Keywords: sports facilities management; location-allocation; GIS; SMCDA; Tehran (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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