GIS-based Land suitability evaluation for building height construction using an analytical process in the Mashhad city, NE Iran

In the present study, a GIS-based land evaluation for building height construction was done considering to environmental factors in Mashhad city, NE Iran. By preparing effective criteria and sub-criteria, final super-matrix of weight values was achieved by using analytic network process in super decisions software. Then by corresponding the weights of each criteria cluster to spatial layers in GIS, a land suitability evaluation (LSE) map was produced for building height construction. The examined results revealed that among 13 municipality districts of Mashhad, about 2 districts (8 and 9) have a low suitability and about 9 districts (1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 11, 12 and CBD) have a moderate suitability for building height construction. Among the districts, districts 5 and 10 with high suitability values were the suit regions for height development due to low potential of natural hazards and ecological pollutions. Based on the assessment of LSE map, the low suitable prone of districts 8 and 9 comprising seismic faults, steep slopes and high potential of flood risk in the southwestern Mashhad were correspond with increasing trend of tower building constructions approximately to 40% of existing towers. This current trend is severely in opposite of natural sustainability in these areas.