Paradigmatic Transition from Land-Oriented Planning to Maritime Geoeconomic Policymaking: A Spatial-Institutional Pathology and the Development of a Strategic Framework for Coastal Development in Bushehr Province
Keywords:
Maritime Geoeconomics, Coastal Development, Spatial Planning, Institutional Governance, Marine Spatial Planning, Blue Economy, Bushehr ProvinceAbstract
This study aimed to diagnose the spatial and institutional pathologies of the prevailing land-oriented development model in Bushehr Province and formulate a strategic framework for transitioning toward integrated maritime geoeconomic policymaking and sustainable coastal development. This applied qualitative study employed an integrative documentary review and spatial-institutional policy analysis. The study corpus consisted of 52 purposively selected documents, including peer-reviewed articles, national and provincial development plans, spatial planning documents, official reports, strategic policy documents, and specialized coastal and maritime studies. Data were extracted through a structured document analysis form covering spatial organization, port and logistics capacity, economic specialization, institutional governance, environmental constraints, coastal settlements, investment, and geoeconomic connectivity. The data were analyzed through qualitative content analysis, thematic synthesis, open and axial coding, and spatial-institutional diagnostic analysis. The analysis produced 186 initial codes, 47 axial codes, and four overarching analytical domains. The findings showed that Bushehr possesses substantial strategic maritime, port, energy, industrial, fisheries, tourism, and geoeconomic capacities, but these advantages are constrained by fragmented coastal spatial organization, weak port-hinterland integration, uneven concentration of investment, environmental pressures, fragmented governance, overlapping institutional mandates, weak vertical and horizontal policy coordination, and limited participation of local and private-sector actors. The strategic synthesis identified integrated maritime spatial planning, coordinated coastal governance, port-centered regional development, multimodal logistics connectivity, maritime economic diversification, environmental resilience, local participation, investment facilitation, and geoeconomic connectivity as the principal pillars of transition. Bushehr’s coastal development challenge is primarily one of spatial and institutional integration rather than resource scarcity.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Bahador Zarei; Seyed Abbas Ahmadi, Sadegh Boustani (Author)
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