© 2023 (Moslem Zarghamfard, Behnaz Bahadori, Robab Hoseinzadeh and Esmaiel Safaralizadeh) Tis is an open access article licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). journal homepages: https://apcz.umk.pl/BGSS/index https://www.bulletinofgeography.umk.pl/ BULLETIN OF GEOGRAPHY. SOCIO–ECONOMIC SERIES Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series, No. 59 (2023): 7–23 http://doi.org/10.12775/bgss-2023-0001 An analysis of spatial inequality in Tehran Metropolis: applying selected residential quality indicators to its 22 urban districts Moslem Zarghamfard 1, CR , Behnaz Bahadori 2, DFR , Robab Hoseinzadeh 3, M , Esmaiel Safaralizadeh 4, M 1 University of Tarbiat Modares, Department of Geography and Urban Planning, Tehran, Iran, e-mail: Zarghamfard.moslem@ gmail.com (corresponding author), https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3955-9755; 2 University of Tehran, Departament of Geography and Urban Planning, Tehran, Iran, e-mail: Bahadorimahnam95@gmail.com; 3,4 Payame Noor University, Department of Geography, Tehran, Iran; 3 e-mail: R.hos@pnu.ac.ir , https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6933-2703; 4 e-mail: Es54@pnu.ac.ir How to cite: Zarghamfard M., Bahadori, B., Hoseinzadeh R. & Safaralizadeh E. (2023). An analysis of spatial inequality in Tehran Metropolis: applying selected residential quality indicators to its 22 urban districts. Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series, 59(59): 7-23. DOI: http://doi.org/10.12775/bgss-2023-0001 Abstract. Te purpose of this paper is to investigate the distribution of residential quality indicators in the 22 districts of Tehran with emphasis on the urban inequality approach. Te research method is descriptive-analytical and prescriptive with its scope being the 22 districts of Tehran in 2016. Te TOPSIS model, Coefcient of Variation (CV), Moran's spatial autocorrelation, and Gi statistic (hot-spot analysis) have been used to analyze the data. Data were collected using library and documentary methods. Te fndings indicate that the 22 districts of Tehran have heterogeneity and divergence in terms of the selected residential quality indicators. Tis paper found a signifcant relationship between the quality of residence and social classes in Tehran. Troughout its development, the social classes of Tehran have become more distinct and its rich and poor districts – in the north, center and south of the metropolis – have separated more vividly. To solve the detrimental spatial inequality of Tehran and achieve sustainable development, the paper suggests the importance of applying the true nature of urban planning , especially in terms of residential planning primarily in the parts of the metropolis that inequality is predominantly observed. Contents: 1. Introduction .................................................................................................. 8 1.1. Spatial inequality: an overview ............................................................................. 8 1.2. Spatial inequality in Tehran: the problem under study ........................................................ 9 2. Methodology .................................................................................................. 10 2.1. Study area................................................................................................ 10 2.2. Introducing the indicators ................................................................................. 11 2.3. Analysis of the residential quality indicators: TOPSIS analysis ................................................. 12 2.4. Classifcation of districts based on a combination of indicators ................................................ 13 2.5. Classifcation of districts based on a combination of indicators ................................................ 14 3. Discussion ................................................................................................... 16 4. Conclusion.................................................................................................... 19 References ...................................................................................................... 20 Article details: Received: 28 June 2022 Revised: 05 September 2022 Accepted: 12 December 2022 Key words: urban studies, residential quality indicators, TOPSIS, spatial inequality, geography, planning and development Tehran metropolis