Regional Transport Development and Urban Economic Isolation; Analysis of Paradoxical Consequences in Qazvin- Rasht Highway Construction:Loshan City, Iran

ABSTRACT: Contrary to the past approaches, as the transportation speed and the number of vehicles have increased, nowadays, the major roads do not go through the cities and are laid out on the brink with a particular distance instead and linked with the city’s network through a set of connecting roads instead. Construction of these connecting roads can have diverse effects on economic, social and cultural states of cities. The residents of Loshan have encountered numerous problems since the city was downgraded after the construction of Qazvin-Rasht highway in 2009 which has vastly decreased the flow of passing regional traffic through the city. Durability, survival, continuation, development, stable income and in general, the city’s economy were dependent on the passengers who were crossing the city. As a result, many of existing traveler-service related employment opportunities are threatened and this sector has practically lost its economic viability. In this paper, the effects of the construction of Qazvin-Rasht highway on residents of Loshan have been assessed. In doing so, we have referred to the results of field studies and traffic data of Iran’s Road Maintenance and Transportation Organization. In the end, by having accepted the necessity of constructing the highway outside the city, a few suggestions about compensating the anti-development effects of the highway and restoring the city’s former livelihood have been put forward.