مروری بر کاربرد و روش‌‌های اولویت‌بندی در حفاظت روستا‌های باارزش

Introduction

The concept of prioritization is a critical step in planning and decision-making, carried out with various goals and approaches across different disciplines. In heritage conservation, prioritization aims to identify priority options for budget allocation to achieve economic efficiency. The prioritization of the conservation of buildings and historical fabrics is undertaken with diverse approaches and criteria worldwide. Global experiences show that prioritization in the form of planning conservation actions has focused more on achieving order and structure to identify the most valuable items. With the help of several criteria, it aims to create a systematic structure for arranging priorities. Although this approach is used in many conservation practices, giving special attention to prioritization and defining specific approaches and objectives is crucial and essential in planning.

Village habitation in Iran has a long history. Through interviews with experts from the Housing Foundation of Islamic Revolution and the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts, and by reviewing documents, records, and working group studies on valuable villages, a total of about 900 valuable villages have been identified. The plan for improving valuable rural fabrics was first approved in the third development plan in 2000, and by the sixth development plan, 120 villages were selected for the improvement project. Among these, the plan has only been completed in 56 villages so far; in each development plan period, some villages are added to those from previous periods. Without proper planning and with economic challenges in funding, villages remain in a waiting queue. Thus, this research aims to examine prioritization in conserving valuable villages and identify scientific steps and methods for prioritization. By applying scientific decision-making methods, prioritization in conserving valuable villages can be conducted more purposefully and practically. Additionally, this research seeks to examine the strengths and weaknesses of each method and identify the appropriate method for prioritization.



Methodology

This research was conducted using library studies and analytical-comparative methods. In reviewing previous studies, the essential steps for prioritizing architectural heritage conservation were identified, and the advantages and disadvantages of these methods were examined. Finally, through evaluation and analysis, the most suitable method for prioritizing historical villages in Iran is proposed. In the second part, statistical and descriptive methods have been used. To validate the method, 55 samples of selected villages were evaluated and prioritized in the improvement plan for valuable rural fabric (this plan is one of the essential rural protection plans in Iran).



Results and discussion

A general review of experiences and theoretical studies indicates that prioritization has been conducted based on different approaches, components, and criteria. Prioritization is a practical method that, with the use of mathematical knowledge, leads to more precise planning. To achieve the goal of prioritization, three essential steps must be taken as determining the approach, the criteria and indicators, and the method. According to research, prioritization can be carried out using various approaches, such as the at-risk heritage approach. There is a direct relationship between the approach and the research objective, and the research objective determines the approach. Criteria and indicators are also determined based on and in accordance with the approach. In prioritization, mixed methods can be used according to the research needs. Additionally, the research might employ mixed approaches, requiring the selected criteria and methods to align with the research approach. In determining the prioritization method, attention to the features of each method is essential since some methods are suitable for multi-objective and multi-criteria research, while others are single-objective. The methods also have different ranking capabilities, and recognizing the most appropriate method based on the research objective and approach is crucial. Applying the prioritization method for conserving valuable villages allows for determining the selection order for valuable villages for implementation and other conservation actions.

Types of multi-criteria prioritization methods can be divided into two main categories:

a) Primary Methods: AHP؛ANP؛WSM؛ TOPSIS؛ ELECTRE؛ PROMETHEE؛ ARAS؛ VIKOR؛ DEA؛ MDBD.

b) Hybrid Methods Based on Fuzzy Theory.



The issue of prioritizing valuable villages is inherently complex. Therefore, WSM, ARAS, and VIKOR methods are not sufficiently adequate for determining the solution. On the other hand, prioritizing valuable villages is a multifaceted issue with diverse goals and numerous options. Consequently, methods like WPM, AHP, ANP, ELECTRE, and PROMETHEE face challenges with extensive calculations and reduced accuracy when dealing with problems that involve many options and criteria. Conversely, the TOPSIS and DEA methods can address the prioritization of valuable villages because they can solve complex, multi-criteria, multi-option, multi-objective, multi-dimensional, and multi-scale problems. However, the DEA method requires knowledge of the impact of criteria on the goal, and finding the quantitative value that represents the criteria's impact on the goal is a challenge that limits the application of DEA in solving the prioritization issue of valuable villages. Ultimately, the TOPSIS method is a suitable approach for solving the given problem, but it also has drawbacks, such as the complexity of the decision-making process and the need to set weight coefficients (criteria prioritization coefficients).

Finally, it is suggested that the challenge of weight coefficients be addressed by drawing inspiration from the TOPSIS method and incorporating a search algorithm to determine the valuable village for each criterion. On the other hand, the MDBD method is a newer approach for solving multi-criteria decision-making problems and is considered an enhanced version of the TOPSIS method. Compared to TOPSIS, it offers advantages such as simplicity in decision-making, no need for prioritization coefficients, and the ability to solve multi-objective problems.

The MDBD method does not require setting weight coefficients, as precise adjustment of weight coefficients is another challenge in solving multi-criteria decision-making problems that directly affects the decision-making process.



Conclusion

Considering villages' valuable attributes, the appropriate methods for prioritizing them in sequence are the MDBD, the TOPSIS, and the DEA methods. Utilizing these methodologies enables the resolution of complex, multi-criteria, multi-option, multi-scale, multi-objective, and multi-dimensional prioritization challenges.