Introduction
Nowadays, due to the ever-increasing growth of the population and the development of urbanization, the number of people living and working in the central parts of the cities has increased. With this increase, disasters such as earthquakes and wildfires will create more challenges for the residents, especially for safe emergency evacuation. At the same time, it is very necessary to provide innovative and optimal solutions to save human lives. Emergency evacuation is an immediate response to disasters. In fact, it is one of the first stages of crisis management, which should be done in the shortest possible time, because the speed in evacuation of the injured people can have a significant effect in reducing the death rate caused by disasters. For a safe emergency evacuation, there are two main factors, safe space and safe building. Identifying the safe place and building for emergency evacuation should be done according to the economic, social, and climatic conditions and other natural and human-related parameters. Therefore, in this study, considering the possible upcoming crises and the necessity of preparation for them, we aim to identify safe spaces and buildings for safe emergency evacuation during the crisis in Tabriz (District 8), Iran.

Methods
In this comparative survey study using a geographical information system (GIS), index-overlay method, and a questionnaire, 35 experts in urban planning from Tabriz City were selected to verify the study model and score of each variable. By examining the concepts of crisis, crisis management, and emergency evacuation, the dimensions were first identified. Finally, the conceptual framework of the study was presented based on the variables affecting safe emergency evacuation to be tested in a case study.

Results
By paying attention to the contextual features of Tabriz city, own experiences and the opinions of experts (theoretical field), the effective emergency evacuation criteria to identify the safe spaces and buildings in Tabriz City for emergency evacuation based on crisis management indicators, were extracted. In total, there were 11 factors for identifying safe spaces and safe buildings for emergency evacuation, including religious buildings, educational buildings, sports buildings, terminals, parking lots, green spaces, open spaces, distance from hazardous facilities, proximity to fire stations, distance from ravines, and distance from faults.
According to the results, places such as Arch of Alishah and Mosalla Mosque, the existing parks and green spaces, public spaces such as Kohan square (Mohagheghi Square), fire stations in Tabriz need to be prepared and equipped for future disasters. To increase the stability of the existing buildings in the central parts, incentive policies are needed. The central part of Tabriz city, like the central parts of many Iranian cities, has poor stability and quality for emergency evacuation. Therefore, the urban managers and decision makers should pay special attention to it. In addition, it is necessary to educate people and control the households at the time of disasters. The use of simple posters to explain and introduce safe spaces and buildings for citizens for emergency evacuation can be useful for education. 

Conclusion
By emergency evacuation to safe areas at the time of disasters, potential risks can be reduced and people’s lives be saved. In this regard, it is important to pay attention to the two important factors of a safe space and safe building. In the 8th district of Tabriz, there are spaces and buildings such as Arch of Alishah and Mosalla Mosque, parks and green spaces, public spaces such as Kohen Square (Mohagheghi Square), fire stations, and educational and religious centers that can be used for emergency evacuation, and their equipment with basic facilities is very important. It is necessary to consider incentive policies for unstable buildings. 

Ethical Considerations

Funding
This research did not receive any grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or non-profit sectors.

Authors' contributions
Conceptualization, validation, resources, investigation, data analysis, project administration and supervision: Masoumeh Ayashm; Analysis: All authors; Project administration and initial draft preparation: Masoumeh Ayashm and Asghar Molaei; Visualisation, review, editing and final approval: Mahya Hosni Marand.

Conflicts of interest
The authors declared no conflict of interest.


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