Stratification and analysis of housing indicators of rural areas of Isfahan province using factor and cluster analyses

Extended abstract1-IntroductionNowadays housing and its related issues are considered as a global issue and planners and policy makers in different countries are trying to solve its problems (Buckley, et al., 2005:237). Among different factors involved in rural settlement structures housing is one of the most important ones (Sartipipor, 2010:125). In Iran, the issue of rural housing, on different aspects, has been affected by urban housing. Despite the efforts made to improve it, and giving priority to it in rural development programs, housing provision has always been one of the problems of many people, especially low-income families in rural areas.Non-availability of suitable and standard housing, which is an index of rural development, causes psychological and social damage in rural people's lives, interruption and irregularity in rural housing structures, and ultimately social and economic crises in national level. Therefore, the issue of appropriate planning and policy making for housing and access to a desirable model for rural residents is a major concern of rural planners (Lotfi, 2010:105). One of the important ways of having knowledge of rural condition in the process of rural planning is the use of rural housing indicators (Azizi, 2006:26).2- Theoretical basesRural housing is a coordinated structure consistent with economic, social and cultural structure of rural area that has essential differences with urban housing. In fact, the expectations of two urban and rural societies from housing are not the same. In cities, nowadays, houses mostly have the role of dormitory or resort, while in rural areas people expect more from the housing. For a rural person, housing, besides being a resort unit, is also considered as an economic functional unit (Papoliyazdi, 1994:490). Based on the policies enforced and the amount of government intervention in the housing issue, there are two distinct lines of thought among housing scholars and researchers: market economy and planned economy. In view of market economy, housing problems are solved through the market mechanisms and housing needs are provided by private sector (Chadwick, 1987:88, Ziyari, et al., 210:4). In planned economy government has the role of planner, designer and manager (Aghasi, 1996:201, Chadwick, 1987:88, Shucksmith, 2003:213). In Islam's ideological system the importance of housing is as far as that the housing provision is considered as one of the bases of economic independency, and eradication of poverty in the society.3– DiscussionTo evaluate and analyze the housing indicators in the rur