Urban Planning
Mohammad Mehdi Azizi; Bahare Bahra
Abstract
Highlights In the process of urban regeneration, the establishment and strengthening of decision-making should be through evaluation. The article has tried to achieve a generalizable structure for evaluation after the implementation of flagship development at neighborhood scale. In flagship development ...
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Highlights In the process of urban regeneration, the establishment and strengthening of decision-making should be through evaluation. The article has tried to achieve a generalizable structure for evaluation after the implementation of flagship development at neighborhood scale. In flagship development at the scale of neighborhood, more important notice should be given to the residential parameter. Introduction. Urban development through development of internal neighborhoods is an attempt to restore urban life to the deteriorated areas of cities. In order to facilitate this process, planning and implementation of flagship development has been considered as one of the policies used for urban neighborhood regeneration and provision of the requirements for the residents’ presence and concern for different dimensions of development.Regeneration of the historical and deteriorated areas in cities has been addressed in the recent literature on urban planning worldwide. Inefficiency is a major problem in historical and deteriorated urban areas, where automatic update and change is no longer possible.As in many other countries, the current process of extension of deteriorated urban areas in Iran indicates that problems will be complicated if no precautionary measures are taken, and no appropriate policies or operating plans are adopted.Implementation of flagship development has been considered as a solution.A main purpose of flagship development is to help achieve urban regeneration goals, an approach taken up as a comprehensive strategy for making positive changes in a place with signs of deterioration. This strategy is aimed at quality improvement, with integrated economic, social, and physical goals. Flagship development is applied in order to improve a place that is in the process of decaying and deteriorating, and its advocatesare agreed that an urban area will not achieve regeneration without such projects, since it causes a series of reactions that will lead to regeneration of the urban fabric. On the other hand, it is not the case that we hope to achieve development over a vast urban area simply by relying on this project, as many projects all around the world have failed to achieve their main purpose, i.e. to regenerate a decaying fabric. Theoretical Framework. Evaluation is possible throughout the urban regeneration process, from the stage of problem identification to the implementation of projects and the review of the decision-making process. Through presentation of mobility and development indicators, therefore, the present study has developed into an appropriate, generalizable structure for assessment of the impact of flagship development and catalyst projects after implementation at the neighborhood scale. It evaluates the effects of an example of these projects in the Gowdal Mosalla neighborhood in the historical city of Yazd, Iran. The theoretical framework of the research involves three main parameters based on the overall literature and practical experience: the physical parameter, the residential parameter, and the activity parameter. The activity parameter includes the indicators of dependency burden, percentage of active population, percentage of commercial use, active commercial use, employment rate, and men’s rate of immigration. The physical parameter includes the indicators of access to infrastructure, access to parking space, population density, residential renovation, percentage of non-arid land, sustainable buildings, new buildings, percentage of administrative use. The residential parameter includes the indicators of percentage of indigenous population, percentage of tenancy, active housing, single-family housing, home access to primary schools, access to local parks, access to sports venues, youth population, number of students, level of education, and coefficient of residence. Methodology. A research method based on the quantitative methodology, regression analysis was used in this study to analyze the effects of each indicator on each factor, and the matrix of impact assessment, known as Leopold Matrix, was used for evaluation after the implementation of the flagship development and the neighborhood regeneration. The final results were obtained after 25 evaluation indicators pertaining to urban regeneration and flagship development were extracted from the established overall literature and practical experience, and secondary data on 93 urban blocks of the Gowdal Mosalla neighborhood were analyzed in SPSS 21. Results and Discussion. The research findings demonstrate that the project performed at the Faculty of Arts and Architecture of Yazd has the greatest effects on the physical parameter, followed by the residential parameter and, eventually, the activity parameter at the scale of the Gowdal Mosalla neighborhood, and it can be approved as a positive flagship development through provision of modification options. The results indicate the closest relationships between the indicator of native quality and the residential status of the fabric, between the indicator of access to services and the status of the residential environment, and between the indicators of population at the age of activity and percentage of commercial land use and the activity and economic status of the neighborhood. Population density, administrative level, and the stability of buildings affect the mobility and physical development of the neighborhood. Conclusion. In future planning, it is necessary to consider indicators that focus on improvement of the residential parameter, especially through consolidation of the existing indigenous population and absorption of the young population. Moreover, the extracted theoretical framework will be effective for planning flagship developments and evaluating them in future practice and research.
Urban Planning
Hani Arbabi; Siyamak Alishahi; Mohammad-Hosein Sobhiyah; Sahar Taheripour
Abstract
Highlights: Comparing the findings of both empiricist and rationalist methods in identifying the most critical stakeholders is very convergent Map of stakeholder communication shows the most critical stakeholders based on the different index of SNA. Introduction. An important aspect of ...
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Highlights: Comparing the findings of both empiricist and rationalist methods in identifying the most critical stakeholders is very convergent Map of stakeholder communication shows the most critical stakeholders based on the different index of SNA. Introduction. An important aspect of improving the quality of urban life is existence of appropriate facilities and infrastructures on urban passages, including the design and construction of urban overpasses and underpasses, as a large-scale urban project. One of the goals of urban development projects is to reduce traffic load in cities and to address people’s demands and solve their problems in that regard. Implementation of such projects will undoubtedly be effective in improvement of the quality of urban furniture and provision of comfort and welfare for citizens. They involve a wide range of stakeholders with different levels of interest, and there is an essential need for adequate communication and exchange between them. The present study addresses stakeholders’ prioritization and communication in a project involving the construction of an intersection with multi-level crossroads in the city of Urmia, Iran using the interest-power matrix as an empirical method and social network analysis as a rationalist method. Theoretical framework. Improper management of stakeholders in an urban project can cause political, social, and cultural problems. The created challenges are not purely technical, and require the management of stakeholders based on their social, cultural, and political backgrounds with different strategies and goals (Aaltonen & Kujala, 2016). In the literature, methods of stakeholder analysis are divided into two categories: empirical and rational. Empiricists assert that knowledge is inductive and obtained through experience; therefore, the analysis of stakeholders is based on a small number of them (the key stakeholders). This model is based on the fact that the key stakeholders have a great deal of information about their expectations and other stakeholders. Decision-makers can make optimal decisions making subjective judgments in that regard. However, many researchers have criticized this approach for several reasons, including the negligence of some stakeholders and their mediating measures affecting other stakeholders and, ultimately, the project. Moreover, the accuracy of the results decreases as the complexity of the project increases, resulting in the formation of a rationalist approach to stakeholder analysis. The basis of knowledge acquisition in the rationalist approach is knowledge independent of experience. In this approach, trust in results is enhanced through an attempt to involve all stakeholders rather than to focus on the key ones. The decisions reflect the actual relationships between stakeholders, making up an excellent way to identify hidden stakeholders who may have little evident impact. However, they can cause overall disruptions in urban development projects (Yang, 2014). Methodology. In this qualitative research, which was performed using a one-sample case study, documents on the project and semi-structured interviews were used for data collection. The purposeful sampling method and the snowball technique were used, and 17 stakeholders were finally identified for the project. The data were analyzed using the interest-power matrix (with the brainstorming technique) and the NodeXL software (for social network analysis). Results and discussion. The results demonstrate that the primary stakeholders in the interest-power matrix include the municipality, people, city council, and residents, in that order. Moreover, the municipal stakeholder, who has gained the greatest interest and power to influence the project, has been the implementer as well. On the other hand, the Water and Wastewater Company, the Department of Electricity, and the Telecommunications Company have obtained the least interest and power in the project. As for the distribution of stakeholders in the interest-power matrix, no specific focal points were achieved in the upper quarters of the matrix. In the social networks analysis, however, people, municipalities, city councils, and contractors exhibited the highest priorities, and suppliers, the environment, and oil companies had the lowest priorities. The residents, city council, and municipality played the most crucial role in the communication between all the stakeholders. In terms of communication power, the military organization was highest, located adjacent to the project. Furthermore, the response times between the stakeholders and the frequency of response were relatively unfavorable. Finally, an urban development project could achieve different results in terms of its stakeholders’ importance and prioritization through changes in its use and framework although it has a significant impact on the city, and involves a wide range of stakeholders. Conclusion. The comparison between the findings of the empiricist and rationalist methods in the identification of the most crucial stakeholders exhibits high convergence. There are differences, however, in the identification of the least important stakeholders. Use of empiricist and rationalist methods can help identify, prioritize, and manage stakeholders. To some extent, they cover each other’s shortcomings, and use of a combination of the two methods to analyze stakeholders can perhaps be the right solution. The findings of this research can help the managers of urban transport development projects that involve large numbers of stakeholders to manage them as successfully as possible and to identify and analyze the positions and importance of the stakeholders involved in such large-scale projects, especially those who seem to have less prominent roles but greater influence. The project may gain better cost, time, and quality during the construction phases, which involve the greatest fund and longest time, by spending less time and cost but involving a wider range of effective stakeholders in the initial phases.
Urban Planning
Seyed Reza Azadeh; Jamal Mohammadi; Hamid Taher Neshat Doost
Abstract
Highlights Today cities serve as powerful forces in shaping the mental health of citizens. Treatment of mental disorders such as perceived stress requires an interdisciplinary approach. The relation between urban Planner and psychologists must be augmented in order to improve the variables of resident ...
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Highlights Today cities serve as powerful forces in shaping the mental health of citizens. Treatment of mental disorders such as perceived stress requires an interdisciplinary approach. The relation between urban Planner and psychologists must be augmented in order to improve the variables of resident mental health. Introduction There are growing concerns worldwide about the interdependencies between city life and mental well-being. Perceived stress is a mental disorder induced by urbanization. Today, the quality of the environment that is built and the neighborhood in which residents live is recognized as the main source of stress. In addition, recent research in the context of psychology suggests that urban life is stressful.The main purpose of this research is to evaluate the relationship between neighborhood quality and perceived stress. For that purpose, two neighborhoods in the city of Isfahan, Iran are selected. Theoretical Framework Perceived stress is affected by numerous factors such as individual characteristics, lifestyles, life events, and job variables. The physical quality of the built environment is a factor which is generally underestimated (Beil & Hanes, 2013). Green space is a physical quality of the built environment which affects mental health, and decreases residents’ stress (Roe et al., 2013; Wolch et al., 2014). Another environmental variable which affects the mental health of residents is the transportation pattern. The walkability and bikeability of a neighborhood is strongly correlated with the residents’ mental health (Nieuwenhuijsen et al., 2016). There is a great deal of evidence that the accessibility of a walking or bicycling route is significantly effective on the general health of residents (Frank & Engelke, 2001). In addition, availability of public spaces is another variable of physical quality which affects residents’ mental health (Knöll et al., 2018). Public spaces provide opportunities for residents to interact with each other. On the other hand, the increase in interaction among residents leads to a rise in their confidence, and, eventually, improves the physiological capability of residents when confronted with changes. Finally, appropriate physiological reactions decrease stress. A variable which can be considered here is environmental security. Studies have demonstrated that the violence present in urban communities and residential neighborhoods threatens mental health, and deeply affects psychological behavior (Clark et al., 2008). Moreover, another variable of environment quality is environmental comfort. For instance, living in neighborhoods which are highly polluted, whether with noise or light pollution, influences the sleep quality of residents, and eventually increases stress. In addition, non-standard houses with improper cooling or heating systems can influence the variables of mental health (Hale et al., 2013). The conceptual model of this paper expresses the relationship between the built environment variable and the mental health variable. In this model, environment beauty, functional attraction, physical form, and environmental comfort indicate the quality of the built environment as independent variables. Moreover, perceived stress is evaluated as a dependent variable from the viewpoint of mental health. Methodology In this study, two questionnaires were used. One is the researcher-made questionnaire of built environment quality, and the other is the perceived stress scale (PSS-14). Two neighborhoods were selected for the study. The survey was conducted via face-to-face structured interviews, and yielded a total of 434 valid samples. Then, 203 individuals in the Moftabad neighborhood and 231 in the Mardavij neighborhood filled out the questionnaires as participants. The data has been analysed using normal and partial correlation coefficients and linear regression. Result and Discussion The descriptive statistics on the dependent and independent variables in the examined neighborhoods were compared. Moftabad and Mardavij scored 0.78 and 2.98 in average on environmental beauty. The functional attraction in Moftabad and Mardavij was 0.77 and 2.81, respectively. The median scores on the variables of physical form and environmental comfort were 0.71 and 1.58 in Moftabad and 2.94 and 2.92 in Mardavij. In fact, all the environmental variables were scored on significantly lower by the Moftabad neighborhood than by Mardavij. The total scores on built environment quality were 0.96 in Moftabad and 2.91 in Mardavij. According to the results, it is concluded that the dependent variable, i.e. the level of perceived stress, is higher in the Moftabad neighborhood than in the Mardavij neighborhood. The median scores of stress are 2.07 in Moftabad and 1.04 in Mardavij. The findings indicate significant inverse relationships between the independent and dependent variables of the research. When the control variables are considered, however, the relationship is preserved, but its intensity decreases. Based on the results, the significance level of F-statistic is 0.000 in all the three models. This finding, which is obtained through regression analysis and analysis of variance, indicates that the conceptual model of the research is well-fitted. In Moftabad, two variables (environmental beauty and environmental comfort) are capable of predicting the changes in the dependent variable. In this case, the standard coefficients of the above variables are -0.537 and -0.181, respectively. These statistics mean that environmental beauty predicts 53.7%, and environmental comfort predicts 18.1% of the changes in perceived stress in Moftabad. In the Mardavij neighborhood, environmental beauty, functional attraction, and environmental comfort exhibit the highest capability of predicting the dependent variable. They predict 22.6%, 28.9%, and 14.3% of the changes in perceived stress, respectively. Moreover, in the proposed model for the full sample, environmental beauty, functional attraction, and environmental comfort predict 45.9%, 26.8%, and 24.4% of the changes in perceived stress, respectively. In the second phase of modeling the changes in the dependent variable, the relationship between the built environment quality, i.e. the independent variable, and perceived stress, i.e. the dependent variable, was evaluated. Moreover, three models were proposed in this phase. According to the obtained results, ANOVA provides one significant F-statistic for each of the three models. The adjusted R-squared of the proposed model is greater in Moftabad than in the Mardavij neighborhood. On that basis, it can be stated that the effect of the built environment on stress is more in Moftabad residents than those of the Mardavij neighborhood. Based on the standard coefficient (Beta), the built environment quality of Moftabad predicts 67% of the changes in perceived stress, while the value of this variable in Mardavij is 46.4%. Finally, the built environment quality determines 78.3% of the changes in perceived stress in the full sample. Conclusion The results of the present study introduced new aspects of the environmental factors effective on perceived stress. The main finding is that cities serve as powerful forces today in shaping the mental health of citizens. Therefore, treatment of mental disorders requires an interdisciplinary approach. In other words, the living environments of individuals, along with many personal, social, economic, personality, and family issues, are the major sources of mental disorders. To treat mental disorders, therefore, psychologists should interact with urban planners. Lastly, we conducted this research in one Iranian city, i.e. Isfahan. Researchers studying other cities and countries may report different results. The conclusion agreed on by all researchers, however, is that the relationship between urban planning and psychologists should be enhanced more than ever before to reduce the negative impacts of urban neighborhoods on mental disorders.
Urban Planning
mohammad ghaffari; mohammad nematpour
Abstract
Market segmentation is a prerequisite of tourism planning success. Tourist segmentation based on psychological variables is in turn one of the most important, most operational methods in tourism market segmentation. Therefore, the purpose of this descriptive-analytical applied study was to segment the ...
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Market segmentation is a prerequisite of tourism planning success. Tourist segmentation based on psychological variables is in turn one of the most important, most operational methods in tourism market segmentation. Therefore, the purpose of this descriptive-analytical applied study was to segment the tourism market of Tehran, Iran through identification of the travel incentives and lifestyle characteristics of inbound tourists visiting the ancient Grand Bazaar of the city. The research population consisted of inbound tourists who visited Tehran Grand Bazaar from March 2017 to May 2018. A sample of 394 tourists was selected from the population through convenience sampling. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire composed of 67 questions. To assess the validity and reliability of the questionnaire, content validity and Cronbach’s alpha were used. Data analysis was made in SPSS using factor analysis, cluster analysis, and K-square. To specify the number of samples required for factor analysis, the model presented by Everrit was used. In this study, fifteen incentive and lifestyle factors were identified, and four segments of inbound visitors were demonstrated. Based on the results of the analysis, the four clusters appeared to be appropriate, significant, and interpretational. To interpret and name the clusters, mean values were used. In accordance with the employed five-point Likert scale, mean values above or below 3.00 indicated the significance and insignificance of tourist incentive and lifestyle. The results demonstrated that the 394 respondents could be classified into four clusters: ideal seekers, behavioral fundamentalists, moderators, and special seekers. The cluster analysis indicated that the mean values for the factors relationship orientation, accessibility, special-seeking, self-valuation, conservativeness, cultural heritage, and occupational attachment were higher than 3.00 in all the clusters. This demonstrated that visitors in all the four segments were highly interested in interaction with other people, exploration of the local culture and the way of life therein, and visit to sights that their friends had never seen when traveling abroad. Specifically, ideal seekers would like to visit cultural and historic sites, to socialize with people, to do interesting activities, or to go the movies, the theater, an amusement park, a common party, or a festival or to a restaurant to have local cuisines. Behavioral fundamentalists included sociable, optimistic people interested in healthy, safe routines when traveling. Moderators exhibited moderate tendency to everything, but were unmotivated, careless buyers in their selection of products and services and their shopping behavior. Special seekers, who made up the second largest cluster in this study, were highly motivated and interested in exploration of different culture-nations, exposing themselves to different situations and interacting with other people. The results also indicated a significant positive relationship between demographic variables and clusters.
Urban Planning
parvaneh jalerajabi; reza ahmadian; Zahra sadat saiedeh Zarabadi
Abstract
This research was conducted mainly to provide a method based on artificial intelligence algorithms in order to obtain optimal urban land use allocation, subjected to mathematical modeling from the perspective of spatial justice using multi-criteria decision analysis concepts, both parcel-based and floor-based. ...
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This research was conducted mainly to provide a method based on artificial intelligence algorithms in order to obtain optimal urban land use allocation, subjected to mathematical modeling from the perspective of spatial justice using multi-criteria decision analysis concepts, both parcel-based and floor-based. For that purpose, objective functions were considered for land use allocation, including mixed use, suitability, dependency, compatibility, and access to services, in terms of both floors and neighbors. For achievement of the main purpose, parameters effective on urban land use planning were examined to optimize urban land use allocation from the spatial justice perspective. This led to a presentation and classification of the spatial parameters effective on land use allocation based on sustainability and, more specifically, spatial justice concerns. The main part of the research, named “land use allocation modeling with NSGA-II” focused on development of a land use allocation model and its optimization. The main stage in the modeling procedure was to adapt multi-objective optimization algorithms to land use allocation and, then, to define it as desired. The adaptation of the multi-objective optimization algorithm involved the definition of the solution structure, objective functions, and problem constraints and their calculation for use in the second version of the Non-dominant Genetic Ranking Algorithm (NSGA-II). The objective functions were defined based on criteria and indexes extracted in the second part of the research, including maximization of accessibility to the facilities, of service efficiency (compatibility), of mixed uses, of land suitability, and of spatial dependency. Moreover, seven constraints were introduced for land use allocation, including avoidance of allocating wasteland to the first floor of the parcel, allocation of a land use to the third floor provided that the second one already has a defined land use, possibility of land use allocation to various floors of the same parcel, consideration of maximum and minimum land parceling, avoidance of exceeding the per capita standards in neighborhoods and districts, and, finally, allocation of the necessary land uses to each of the neighborhoods. The models were then implemented, where the main purpose was to optimize urban land use allocation according to all the criteria and constraints. In other words, these criteria had to be defined in terms of the model objectives and with an extensive search space (many of the possible land use allocations) at the same time. Therefore, a set of solutions, which included Pareto front, i.e. optimal, solutions, was obtained rather than a single solution to the problem. As decision-makers prefer to examine the corresponding scenarios after introducing their own decision priorities, the AHP method was used finally after the optimal Pareto solutions were obtained for selection of one of the four possible land use allocations and its presentation in a land use plan given spatial justice concerns. For that purpose, weights were assigned to the objective functions based on spatial justice. Once the objective function values were normalized, the desired weights were multiplied by the normal values. After the calculation of total weight, the solutions corresponding to the objective functions being addressed were converted to land use plans in ArcGIS. The results of land use allocation in floors were compared to the actual conditions. It could be stated in general that the most important achievement of the study involved the introduction and presentation of an efficient model that was appropriate for addressing multi-criteria decision-making problems for allocation of urban land use. The presented model performs simultaneous optimization, and helps decision makers to select one desired solution from among multiple optimized ones according to their priorities, although it is in contradiction with some of the objective functions. The results of the model designed for land use allocation given spatial justice concerns improved the spatial distribution of facilities at the level of the area under study. Moreover, a quantitative evaluation of the allocation results demonstrated that the commercial, academic, health, sport, and cultural land uses were allocated properly per capita, increasing the level of enjoyment in neighborhoods across the area under investigation. Land use allocation, Spatial justice, Multi-objective optimization method, NSGA-II.
Urban Planning
Arastoo Yari hesar; samira saeidi zarangi; zhila Farzane sadat zaranji; Hadi eskandarieynadin
Abstract
Individuals’ characteristics and those of age, sex, and social groups should help provide a safe, healthy, sustainable, and attractive environment that can properly respond to the different needs of all groups in the community. The population of the disabled, including people with physical and ...
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Individuals’ characteristics and those of age, sex, and social groups should help provide a safe, healthy, sustainable, and attractive environment that can properly respond to the different needs of all groups in the community. The population of the disabled, including people with physical and mobility disabilities, is among those who are deprived of ordinary lives, and the social planning system has led them to physical and social seclusion. All around the world, people with physical and mobility disabilities constitute a significant part of the population who, like other people, should be able to move around the city to satisfy their needs, strive, and not be deprived of their right to live a social life. It is a necessity for the development of the society to adapt urban spaces in order to provide all individuals and segments of the society with equal opportunities to move around the city and access all urban spaces. According to Article 5 of the Charter of Civil Rights of the Iranian Government, all the disabled and the elderly hold the right to benefit from medical and rehabilitation facilities for recovery or empowerment to be able to live independently and participate in different aspects of life. The research population included 4430 disabled people (physically disabled, blind, or partially sighted) in the city of Ardabil, Iran. Sample size was estimated to be 354 using Cochran’s formula, and a questionnaire was distributed among as many disabled participants and filled out. Interview methods were used for the blind and visually impaired who were not able to fill out the questionnaire. The sampling method employed in the study was simple random sampling, and data analysis was performed in SPSS using one-sample t-test and analysis of variance. As members of the society, the disabled have rights and entitlements that must be taken into account. One such issue concerns the design and adaptation of urban spaces for this group. If a disabled citizen is unable to access the places he needs to visit due to inappropriate urban spaces, he will be faced with many problems and barriers. The results of this study demonstrated that the physical zone of Ardabil, sidewalks, and construction equipment could not be used by the disabled. Urban administrators and officials have tried to adapt urban spaces by observing relevant principles in the central part of the city. On average, the status of the indicators was better in the group with physical and mobility impairment than in the blind. For example, the physical and socio-economic indicators exhibited higher averages in the group with physical and mobility impairment than in the blind. Although there were employment restrictions in both groups, they were more common among the blind and visually impaired. Furthermore, higher transportation costs were imposed on the blind and visually impaired than on those with physical and mobility disabilities. Despite the measures taken to adapt the environment for the active presence of the physically disabled and the blind, it is still impossible in the current socio-economic and physical conditions to adequately meet the needs of the disabled. Moreover, the urban management authorities in Ardabil have not formulated a clear plan for adaptation of urban spaces, and have therefore failed to exhibit acceptable performance in the field.
Urban Planning
Mohammad Mahdi Ghajar Khosravi; Gholam Reza Haghighat Naeeni
Abstract
The position and importance of urban development plans and their evaluation through various methods remains a significant issue in theoretical and practical areas. Plan quality evaluation is known as an emerging methodology for examination of whether a plan holds certain desirable features, and is aimed ...
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The position and importance of urban development plans and their evaluation through various methods remains a significant issue in theoretical and practical areas. Plan quality evaluation is known as an emerging methodology for examination of whether a plan holds certain desirable features, and is aimed at answering questions about the suitability of plans and application of methods and theories of planning and their strengths and weaknesses with respect to the ideal conditions in different fields. During the past two decades, researchers have successfully formulated a conceptual consensus based on the preliminary principles of plan quality. The purpose of this study was to introduce concepts and methods for plan quality evaluation and to present an appropriate systematic conceptual model for quality evaluation of urban development plans in Iran. For specification of the theoretical framework of this explanatory-analytical research, a range of methods and studies related to the subject were comprehensively examined and analyzed, and the consequent appropriate model for evaluation of the quality of urban development plans in Iran was clearly established and adapted to the entire country. A conceptual model for evaluating the quality of comprehensive plans consists of seven basic components (factual basis, analysis and inference, plans and programs, implementation, inter-organizational coordination, presentation, and planning methods) and three progressive components (participation, sustainable development, and monitoring and evaluation). This study evaluated 29 plans from medium-sized Iranian cities and 5 from large ones. The results demonstrated that the overall quality score of the comprehensive plans in both groups was moderate (The average score was 4.95 out of 10). Among the seven basic components of plan quality, factual basis, analysis and inference, organization, and presentation exhibited proper conditions, and the components of plans and programs, inter-organizational coordination, implementation, and planning methods were found to be inappropriate. The progressive component of sustainable development exhibited potentials for advancement despite the low score, while participation and monitoring and evaluation were generally disregarded in the plans. The findings also indicated the incapability of the plans (at least in the present conditions) of correctly completing the planning process. The most important drawbacks of the plans included the reduction of the capability of presenting and implementing the plans and the lack of a mechanism for monitoring and evaluating them. Among all the evaluated plans, the plan from the city of Rasht was identified as the best, followed by those of Mahabad, Bojnord, Amol, Sabzevar, Kerman, and Birjand, all of which could be regarded as plans with potentials for advancement. In a study of the internal consistency of the plan components, plans and programs was found to be the most important, most influential component of plan quality, which could be considered as the main indicator of comprehensive plan quality. Moreover, there was no significant difference between the plan quality of the large and medium-sized cities. However, the quality of the plans has increased over the past two decades, and the dates of their approval were found to be effective on their quality. The future conditions of plan quality in the country seem to be promising, and better quality is expected to be provided by the urban development plans. Future plans are likely to be capable of addressing issues such as justice in urban development, environmental quality, transportation, and sustainability. This study sought to provide incentives for reconsideration of how plans are developed and to prevent discouragement of planners and unnecessary underestimation of their ability to inject creativity, new methods, and new planning challenges into their plans, so that they can present better plans to which they are committed. The value of the capacity to assess the quality of plans in order to highlight their strengths and weaknesses in analysis of the controversial or innovative effects of urban development plans and land use planning in various fields was demonstrated in this research, requiring those in charge of development and implementation of plans to have greater concern for to their quality indicators.
Urban Planning
Seyed Meysam Rezaee; Seyed Hamidreza Tabibi
Abstract
After the Industrial Revolution, advancement in industry and technology was coupled with population growth, and rural-urban immigration caused the extreme expansion of cities. Moreover, the rapid growth of urbanization in coastal areas and conflict of interest between the stakeholders has imposed extreme ...
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After the Industrial Revolution, advancement in industry and technology was coupled with population growth, and rural-urban immigration caused the extreme expansion of cities. Moreover, the rapid growth of urbanization in coastal areas and conflict of interest between the stakeholders has imposed extreme ecological pressure on this fragile ecosystem, which indicates the contrast between cities and coastal environments. According to records from the Statistical Centre of Iran, the coastal city of Deylam, Iran, located in Bushehr Province, has been struggling with population and immigration growth during the past six decades. Since the common expansion pattern of coastal cities is linear, where they are distributed along the coast, any attempt against the urban sprawl of coastal cities will clearly benefit the coastal ecosystem. In this research, the urban sprawl of Deylam was investigated for an approximate time span of ten years using quantitative data and a descriptive-analytical method. For this purpose, the prevalence of urban sprawl in the area under investigation was first verified using Shannon’s entropy method. Subsequently, the share of horizontal urban growth, which has faced Deylam with urban sprawl, was specified using the Holdren model. Next, the rate of horizontal growth for the period of investigation was calculated for the first time through application of the Digital Shoreline Analysis System to a study of horizontal urban growth. Eventually, the optimum size of Deylam for the investigation period was obtained through subtraction of the share of growth calculated by the Holdren model from the total growth of the city, provided then through maps generated using ArcGIS 10. According to the calculations made using Shannon’s entropy, Deylam was expanded extensively at the beginning of the investigation period (i.e., February 16, 2005), undergoing 80.14 percent its maximum possible urban sprawl. Moreover, 62.9 percent of the urban growth of the city in the investigation period resulted from the population growth, based on the Holdren model; therefore, 37.1 percent of the total growth is responsible for the urban sprawl of the city. The results demonstrated that Deylam has experienced growth rates of 19.08 and 23.11 m/year at its northern and southern edges with standard deviations of 4.5 and 4.1, respectively. At the northern edge, the growth rate of 7.08 m/year is due to the urban sprawl, and the 12-m/year rate has resulted from the population growth. Along the same lines at the southern edge of the city, the growth rate of 8.57 m/year is due to the urban sprawl, and the 14.54-m/year rate has resulted from the population growth. The western and eastern edges of Deylam have not developed during the investigation period, because there have been natural barriers in these parts. Since the presented framework, implemented in this study, is easy to apply, and the procedure of calculation is clear, it may provide contributions in projects involving prevention of urban sprawl.
Urban Planning
Seyyed Jamal Seyyed Hashemi; Hamidreza Jayhani
Abstract
In the second half of the past century, urban development programs, including master and comprehensive plans, have led to extensive intervention in ancient cities, while the construction of streets had already led to substantial changes therein. An examination of the interventions indicates their inefficiency ...
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In the second half of the past century, urban development programs, including master and comprehensive plans, have led to extensive intervention in ancient cities, while the construction of streets had already led to substantial changes therein. An examination of the interventions indicates their inefficiency in solving urban problems. At the same time, these interventions have led to new issues, including a lack of integrity in the historic urban areas and their fabrics. In this article, the impact of the new streets in the Sultan Mir Ahmad neighborhood in the city of Kashan, Iran was investigated. The process of urban changes in Kashan was organic until the early 20th century, limited to areas around the heart of the city, the historic bazaar, and the governmentcitadel. Subsequently, the pattern of urban development changed, and construction of straight, long streets was prioritized in line with the growing trend of modernization and the expansion of automobile use. The two streets of Fazel Naraqi and Alavi have been constructed with an interval of about two decades near the Sultan Mir Ahmad neighborhood. One is located to the north of the neighborhood, and the other separates a part of the area from its larger part. This article sought to study how the two streets influence the spatial structure of the Sultan Mir Ahmad neighborhood. For a thorough analysis of the changes that have occurred, the space syntax method was used. Therefore, axial maps of Kashan were provided for three periods: the 1920s, 1960s, and 2010s. Then, the area under investigation was analyzed using integration, depth, and choice as indicators. The results demonstrated an enhancement in global integration as a result of the construction of the Fazel Naraqi and Alavi streets. It should be noted, however, that the impacts of the two streets are different. Alavi Street has had a greater influence due to its proximity to the center of the neighborhood and intersection with its main paths. Subsequently, it was found through an investigation of the local integration and choice indicators that the center of the region had lost its original position, and that Alavi Street had come to be known as the most crowded, most accessible route in the region as the new center of the urban area, with the old heart of the neighborhood turned into a sub-center. In fact, two events have occurred along with the emergence of the development plans and construction of straight streets at the heart of the fabric. Firstly, the construction of streets nearthe neighborhood intersecting its major paths has led to an increase in accessibility and integrity and a decrease in the depth of the urban area. At the same time, however, part of the neighborhood that is adjacent to new communication routes has experienced increased permeability and accessibility. This has caused the inner parts of the neighborhood, including the historic center, to lose their positions in the urban spatial structure and turn into sub-centers.
Urban Planning
boshra mohajer; zahed shafiee; alireza khaje ahmad attari; mohammad taghi toghraee
Abstract
Tourism is an inclusive, public industry that needs to consider all the sectors of the society regardless of age, race, or gender. Tourism and travel must be accessible to all people, including those with disabilities, the elderly, and children. Therefore, it must be an intrinsic part of any responsible, ...
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Tourism is an inclusive, public industry that needs to consider all the sectors of the society regardless of age, race, or gender. Tourism and travel must be accessible to all people, including those with disabilities, the elderly, and children. Therefore, it must be an intrinsic part of any responsible, sustainable tourism policy or strategy. Children are the present and future tourists, who play an important role in destination management. Since they are an important part of the society, it is a requirement to pay attention to the promotion of their creativity, where art can play an important role. Art is a means for creative self-expression. For children, art can be a wonderful emotional outlet that promotes personal reflection, communication skills, and self-esteem. Promotion of creativity and engagement in artistic activities has been shown to stimulate growth in important cognitive areas. On the other hand, tourism has been redirected from cultural tourism, as the second generation, towards creative tourism, as the third generation. Creative tourism has turned away from tangible heritage and sightseeing towards more intangible cultural and authentic experiences. Therefore, it has attracted more attention, as tourists are looking for more authentic, meaningful experiences. Tourist destinations compete to introduce themselves as creative ones in order to meet the needs of travelers, accelerate their economy, and restructure themselves through cultural regeneration. The present paper sought to identify children as emerging markets for creative tourism and specify its key components and to examine the factors effective on child-based creative tourism. Creative tourists are the creators of their own experiences; therefore, they must act as a homogeneous group of producers with creative ideas about their creative experiences. A creative city in the field of crafts, the city of Isfahan, Iran has the potential to become a creative tourism destination based on handicrafts and folk arts, which also seeks to join child-friendly cities. Local authorities believe that tailoring the notion of child-friendly cities with arts and crafts will help Isfahan improve its image, turning the city into an attractive creative destination for children. As playing games and learning are children’s basic expectations from a child-friendly city, they prefer places that afford them opportunities to play and learn actively. Therefore, crafts and folk arts could play an important role in meeting children’s expectations from Isfahan as a creative destination, because the city is a point of reference in Iran and around the world, also nominated the “World City of Handicraft” by the World Crafts Council. As interaction with crafts is acknowledged as an appropriate tool for playing, it can boost children’s creativity, and provide an opportunity for active learning. The main purpose of this study was to obtain a single definition of child-centered creative tourism. The data were collected using snowball sampling and in-depth interviews with 31 tourism, art and handicraft, and children experts. The research used a qualitative method and the thematic theory approach for the identification of the components. The data were categorized based on open, axial, and selective coding. As a result, five distinct components were identified: travel content, children’s needs, creativity, environment, and stakeholders. Each component included several factors that could provide new information on creative tourism for children. This notion and the findings can help destinations to attract children as creative tourists, and their product update will lead to experience and creativity.
Urban Planning
Zahra Azad; Parvin Partovi; Susan Bastani
Abstract
With the paradigm change in urban planning in the 1980s, the community has assumed a central role. As a result, the community provides the smallest scale for urban planning in recent theories such as communicative planning theory, collaborative planning theory, multicultural planning, transactive planning, ...
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With the paradigm change in urban planning in the 1980s, the community has assumed a central role. As a result, the community provides the smallest scale for urban planning in recent theories such as communicative planning theory, collaborative planning theory, multicultural planning, transactive planning, and argumentative planning. Following the changes in urban planning throughout the world ever since 2000, particular attention has been paid to the community in urban planning around Iran, where the concept of community has been controversial. While some Iranian experts support the idea that the notion of neighborhood can be used instead of community, others deploy different conceptions of community in western urban sociology regardless of the social, cultural, economic, and political context of Iranian cities. As a result, neither community-based studies nor urban plans are sufficiently successful. For appropriate application of the notion of community, therefore, it is necessary to find out which conception of community can best be adapted to the Iranian urban planning system. Before this question can be answered, three fundamental inquiries need to be addressed: (1) what are the assumptions behind deployment of community theories in urban planning? (2) what does community mean in the new urban planning paradigm? and (3) what does community mean in the context of Iranian cities? This research was conducted to answer the first question. Thus, the study began with an account of community theories through an examination of accredited documents with an emphasis on urban sociology. The theories reviewed here included Tonnies’s Gemeinschaft and Gessellschaft, Durkheim’s Mechanical and Organic Solidarity, Urban Community of Chicago School, Network Community, Personal Community, Cultural Community, Political Community, Post-modern Community, and Virtual Community. The similarities and differences between the conceptions of community were identified through a variation-finding comparative analysis of the theories. Then, the reasons behind these similarities and differences were derived from both narrative reviews and comparative analyses using qualitative content analysis. According to the comparison results, the similarities and differences were rooted in three major factors: (1) the dominant theoretical bases of each theory, (2) the dominant paradigm and approach of each theory, and (3) the social, economic, cultural, and political changes in the world at the time when the theory had been developed. In other words, each theory gave an account of the community in a specific social, economic, and political context, deploying a particular paradigm and sociological approach; thus, a theory of the community should be used that best fitted both the expert theoretical insight and the context the community is located in. Based on these results, three factors need to be taken into consideration for deployment of the western conceptions of community: (1) the social, cultural, economic, and political context of the target city or neighborhood, (2) the urban planning theory of the research or the plan, and (3) the purposes of the research or plan development. A combination of these three factors could contribute to the process through which the appropriate theory of community could be selected for investigation of the notion in specific contexts.
Urban Planning
Mehdi Moeini; Bahareh Ebrahimpour
Abstract
Following the industrial revolution, the development of urbanization, and the expansion of cities, the oldest form of human movement, i.e. walking, was replaced with the use of automobiles. Therefore, the ease of traverse for pedestrians around cities is less significant now than a century ago. Today, ...
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Following the industrial revolution, the development of urbanization, and the expansion of cities, the oldest form of human movement, i.e. walking, was replaced with the use of automobiles. Therefore, the ease of traverse for pedestrians around cities is less significant now than a century ago. Today, there is a growing interest in enhancement of walking habits in urban areas in order to reduce pollution and other problems associated with motor transportation and to improve public health. Therefore, the issue of walking habits has been included on the agendas of many cities. Highlighting its significance, a large number of studies have been conducted around the world and in Iran over the past few decades to address the issue. The increasing trend in the past decade in the publication of high-quality articles addressing the topic of pedestrians demonstrates its importance and the expert concern for it in the field of urban planning and design. The present article aimed to investigate the issue of pedestrians quantitatively and qualitatively, analyzing and interpreting research published in Iran as high-quality articles and to avoid unnecessary replication in the field. It involved meta-synthesis, using encoding to analyze and interpret previous studies. Thisprovided a valuable opportunity for researchers to access an overview of the existing research activity, which could be very useful and effective in definition of research projects and adoption of new orientations on specific topics. The present paper resulted from an investigation of 80 high-quality articles focused on pedestrians, and sought to draft a vision on pedestrian research by studying the structures and contents of relevant high-quality Persian papers. The results of the research indicated that the volume of pedestrian research has been growing rapidly in the past two decades, with orientations toward walkability and footpaths. In most articles focused excessively on footpaths, however, promotion of walkability in cities to a basic level with the aim of improving quality and meeting the needs of citizens has been neglected. In fact, pedestrian research should be focused not only on expansion of footpaths but also on flexibility in promotion of the basic principles of walkability and, consequently, the desire to walk around cities, of which footpaths are only a part. The most important issues found through a review of the existing pedestrian studies include the unnecessary replication of the contents of pedestrian research, repetitive selection of case studies, application of inconsistent terminology, and lack of concern for particular target groups including children, women, and the disabled. The review also indicated that the majority of the studies had been conducted only at the micro-scale (sidewalk-street), and no mention was found of other types of space used for pedestrians, such as neighborhoods. Many articles have dealt with the issue of pedestrians in isolation, while pedestrian studies are part of the research on transportation systems, and need to be linked to investigations of other modes of transportation. Finally, the most common topics associated with the issue of pedestrians were extracted, including activity-behavior, vision and perspective, social issues, environmental qualities, safety and security, health, and tourism. Thus, future research will need to disregard repetitive topics and focus instead on other relevant, influential issues in the area.
Urban Planning
pouya Joudi
Abstract
How does the framework of the planning research process define the elements of the ontology, epistemology, methodology, and methods continuum to employ a constructivist grounded theory method? This paper aimed to provide a rationale for use of such a method for urban and regional planning research. Embedded ...
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How does the framework of the planning research process define the elements of the ontology, epistemology, methodology, and methods continuum to employ a constructivist grounded theory method? This paper aimed to provide a rationale for use of such a method for urban and regional planning research. Embedded within the framework of the emic approach in planning research, the theory describes it from the participants’ points of view, generating a perspective on how they recognize it as a real, meaningful process. The underlying values and shared perceptions can be deciphered in urban and regional planning applications through recognition of the significance of stories and narratives on the factors involved in planning processes. In a constructivist grounded theory method, the researcher’s approach is explicitly based on the assumption that any theoretical interpretation suggests an interpretive image of the universe under investigation rather than a detailed image thereof. Constructivist inquiry begins with experience and how members construct it. In other words, constructivists recognize their interpretation of the studied phenomenon as a construction, a step forward in participants’ understanding of meaning. The application of the theory was described and analyzed in this research in accordance with the process proposed by Charmaz. The data for analysis of the participants’ mental elements were provided through semi-structured in-depth interviews. After the pre-coding steps, including data collection and implementation, were taken, the data analysis stage and the three phases of coding, i.e. initial coding, focused coding, and, finally, theoretical coding, were delineated.Furthermore, the conceptualization processes in constructivist grounded theory were highlighted using memo-writing and theoretical saturation. The recognition of this approach among those adopted to the theory and its successive process, which is applicable to planning research with a descriptive-analytic method, has resulted from extensive theoretical studies and the practical experience of applying the process as a survey. It can be concluded that the constructivist grounded theory method can be applied to arrangement of urban and regional planning, detection of planners’ understanding of the outcomes of planning, the planning environment, and the social context. Given the spatial nature of planning theories, middle-range content planning associated with a particular situation is applicable in their practice. In the present study, the scholar’s philosophical position was realized through adoption of constructivism. The ontological and epistemological bases of the research—the relativist ontological position and the subjectivist epistemological position—are consistent with the research purposes, plan, and methodology. The constructivist grounded theory was focused here on the measures, interactions, and social processes of planners.
Urban Planning
Elham Ghasemi; Mojtaba Rafieian
Abstract
Urban development is aimed at meeting public interest, but it sometimes leads to conflicts between the goals and accepted results of different groups and contributors. The significance of managing these conflicts as a methodological, practical approach is highlighted by the background of its impacts. ...
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Urban development is aimed at meeting public interest, but it sometimes leads to conflicts between the goals and accepted results of different groups and contributors. The significance of managing these conflicts as a methodological, practical approach is highlighted by the background of its impacts. Recent models of conflict management include public-private partnership in urban development (3P) and public-private-people partnership (partnership model) (4P). Public-private-people partnership is a new concept in urban planning, establishing new ways to improve the inclusion of various public-sector actors, private actors, residents, NGOs, and other civil-society actors in planning processes. The notion of 4P has arisen partly to respond to the criticism of public-private partnerships for insufficient inclusion of citizens, NGOs, and other actors in the civil society, and is used to refer to a variety of processes involving public actors, private actors, citizens, and NGOs in urban planning. For an understanding of 4Ps, it is useful to have a basic understanding of the background of public-private partnerships. In general, partnerships are urban development tools involving changes where strategic planning arises alongside more traditional land-use planning, and the roles of public- and private-sector actors, residents, and associations are reassessed and changed in a process that is perceived as a shift from government to governance. The concept of governance focuses on the interplay between the public sector and other actors in a situation where the public sector is no longer delivering all public goods and instead has the role of coordinating public actors at different levels and private actors and other partners. Central in the shift from government to governance is also the blending of public and private resources for delivery of public goods. In high-standard urban development projects, therefore, where common visions are created, and conflicting goals are managed, the strengths of each type of actor are utilized. The government provides the resources and a long-term development framework, and citizen initiatives organize and activate citizens to act, while companies provide the kinds of service that are demanded, and produce tax revenues for the government.This applied, perceptual research uses a qualitative method involving interpretation, and provides descriptions of the 3P and 4P aspects, addressing conflict management in the new 4P model using library documentation and a simple overview. For data collection in a case study of Jahan-Nama Citadel in the city of Isfahan, Iran, a semi-structured interview method was used to identify the problems with the project and to specify the conflicts between actors, including beneficiaries and stakeholders. Finally, the intergroup conflicts in the project were analyzed using the achievement matrix. The inter-organizational conflicts between the public and private sectors and the groups of people in the project were considered in three areas: land ownership (the land owners in the caravanserai), the type of land use proposed for the area (switching from green space to cultural and, ultimately, commercial uses), and the physical type of construction of the citadel, (regardless of the Naghshe Jahan Square skyline altitude). It was concluded that both the public and private sectors and different groups of people involved in the design and planning process have caused conflicts through their failure to recognize the actors in the Jahan-Nama Citadel project and to consider partnership in a wider sense (sharing the profits and losses and innovations of the plan), which has hindered achievement of the plan objectives.
Urban Planning
Mohammad Masoud; Shirzad Yazdani; Mostafa Behzadfar
Abstract
Iran’s urban planning system has undergone many changes in recent decades. An issue that has had a significant impact on the development of Iranian cities has been that of building density in urban development plans. In order to address the issue, the present article was aimed at specifying the ...
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Iran’s urban planning system has undergone many changes in recent decades. An issue that has had a significant impact on the development of Iranian cities has been that of building density in urban development plans. In order to address the issue, the present article was aimed at specifying the density of residential buildings in comprehensive plans of Iran’s provincial capitals since the preparation of the first plan so far and providing a typology thereof and explaining its features. This original descriptive-analytical article adopted a documentary data collection method with direct reference to access the data, analyzed simply through description of the relationships between them. The findings indicated that five different types of residential building density specification method could be identified: Traditional Method (with three subtypes: Reduction, Incremental, and Three-Level), Floating Method, Strategic-Structural Method, Combined Method, and Other Methods. On that basis, a historical trend was identified in the proposed typology, where each type or subtype in a certain period of the timeline has the greatest impact in specification of the density of residential buildings in cities. Moreover, the study of the historical evolution of such types demonstrated that laws approved by the upper hand and regulations concerning the issue of building density have functioned as turning points for application of these methods in Iran’s comprehensive urban plans. The adoption of the Regulations for Increasing Density and High-Rise Buildings by the Iranian Supreme Council of Architecture and Urban Planning in 1990 turned the inverse relationship between the two variables of parcel size and building density into a direct relationship. This resulted in the development of open spaces and increase in building density in the municipal rules and regulations for construction and urban planning, considered particularly in the theoretical foundations and development patterns in plans. Another important factor in the shift from traditional to three-tier subtypes was the Rules and Regulations for Cities’ Residential Zoning to Apartment Complexes, Multi-households, and Single Units to Preserve Neighborhood Rights in Residential Units, ratified in 1992. Along with the earlier regulations, these induced a lasting change in the approach adopted in the plan to the issue of specifying building density. This approach causes the increase in the density of buildings to be conditioned upon increase in outdoor space, decrease in the level of residential infrastructure, avoidance of segregation, and observance of neighborhood rights through provision of light and sun and avoidance of overlook. Another influential factor that has led to the creation of a strategic-structural type involves the (Comprehensive) Strategic-Structural Plan of the city of Tehran, ratified in 2007, which was followed by nearly all the subsequent plans. Finally, the comprehensive plans of Tehran in 1969, 1991, and 2007 have played an important role in specification of density in other plans, where the widespread zoning of building density began from the comprehensive plan of Tehran ratified in 1969. In general, the study of density specification experiences in provincial capitals can provide urban planners and designers with guidelines for specification of the density of residential buildings. Thus, they can pathologize the existing methods and provide optimal density specification methods based on the requirements of each city and the internal and external advantages, so as to achieve the correct forecast in the use of resources, lands, natural environments, and infrastructures according to population capacity and upper-hand rules.
Urban Planning
hossein mosharaf dehkordi; esmail shieh
Abstract
Nowadays, it is one of the most important urban development strategies to increase the quality of the environment with the pedestrian approach. Pedestrian networks play an important role in urban regeneration by increasing social and cultural interaction. Sidewalks, which connect people to the environment, ...
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Nowadays, it is one of the most important urban development strategies to increase the quality of the environment with the pedestrian approach. Pedestrian networks play an important role in urban regeneration by increasing social and cultural interaction. Sidewalks, which connect people to the environment, can pave the way for public participation and facilitate the achievement of urban regeneration goals. Clearly, it is possible to enhance pedestrian axes and other urban spaces given users’ matching criteria and various needs. In this paper, the central texture of Shahrekord, which contains features such as proper access to natural resources, prominent historic monuments, specific behavior settings, and appropriate cultural communications, was selected as a case study. The aim of the paper was to identify areas that are prone to development of pedestrian networks with an emphasis on effective measures taken in the field. In this applied descriptive-analytical method, the data were collected and ranked using a questionnaire. In fact, what distinguishes this research from others is that planning was based here on criteria found by local experts as more important in the development of the sidewalk network. Given that it is effective in the physical, social, economic, and environmental fields to promote pedestrian indicators, the results of the present study could enhance certain sustainable urban development infrastructures, such as social security, the environment, and the urban economy. Studies have demonstrated that the traffic network in the central part of Shahrekord is composed of routes with relatively diverse structures, each with its own strengths and weaknesses for turning into a sidewalk. For evaluation and prioritization of the potential areas, therefore, it was necessary first to identify the appropriate criteria for such areas and then to estimate the level of availability of each criterion for different routes based on distressed-area studies, field observations, and interviews. First, the theoretical foundations were reviewed, the effective criteria for increasing pedestrianization were identified, and a questionnaire was developed according to the proposed components. Then, we measured the significance of the criteria using the Delphi method and the Likert scale. The average weight of each criterion after numerical normalization was between zero and one, which provided an effective measure in location of the pedestrian network. The results of the research indicated that safety, comfort, and attraction exhibited the greatest impacts among the fifteen selected criteria on the increase in pedestrianization in the area under study. For specification of the capability of each route, Expert Choice was used, where the score for each route was calculated through application of the coefficient of significance of each criterion. A comparison of the final scores indicated that the historical axes of Aghabozorg, Valiye Asr Street, and Mellat Street were the best options to turn into pedestrian axes. Finally, suggestions were made for enhancement of the pedestrian network in the area. These included reduction of traffic to increase pedestrian safety, change of land use on the main route to increase owners’ willingness to invest and participation, provision of new opportunities to increase citizens’ attendance through enhancement of supportive spaces over the pedestrian network, establishment of new construction laws to protect historic monuments and valuable public spaces.
Urban Planning
Arastoo Yari hesar; mohammadhasan yazdani; Asghar pashazadeh
Abstract
Introduction Robbery is a behavioral and social deviation that has been regarded as a crime and negative, abnormal behavior almost regardless of when and where it has been committed. It is one of the oldest human crimes, observed in various forms in different societies. It is a phenomenon of great importance ...
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Introduction Robbery is a behavioral and social deviation that has been regarded as a crime and negative, abnormal behavior almost regardless of when and where it has been committed. It is one of the oldest human crimes, observed in various forms in different societies. It is a phenomenon of great importance that disturbs the individual’s and society’s security in both financial and physical terms. Since robbery can take place in particular time and location ranges, the main aim of the current research was to identify factors effective on the time and location of committing the crime in the city of Ardabil, Iran, and the researcher sought to provide an answer to the basic question of when and where robbery is committed in Ardabil. Methodology This was an applied descriptive-analytical study in terms of aim and data collection methodology. The research population included all the robbers serving their sentences at Ardabil jail in Spring and Summer 2017, all 233 of whom filled out questionnaires based on the complete enumeration method. Data collection was carried out through documentary analysis and field elicitation (using a questionnaire). SPSS was used for description and analysis of the data and examination of the hypotheses in accordance with the scales of measurement of the research variables. Thus, the chi-square test was used for investigation of the frequency distributions of the temporal and spatial variables, and Kramers’ test for the relationship between robber’s place of residence and crime scene. The ArcGIS software was also used for analysis of the dispersion of robber’s place of residence and crime scene. Results Place of residence and crime scene were found to be dispersed for most robbers serving their sentences at Ardabil jail. However, the highest frequency of place of residence was observed for the northwestern part, including the suburban area (northwest) and the semi-organic area (central part). As for crime scene, the highest frequency concerned the central part and the newly-constructed area (newly-constructed neighborhoods located in the central part). Given the great similarity between robber’s place of residence and crime scene based on Kramers’ test results, it could be stated that there was a significant relationship between the two variables. Moreover, the chi-square test results demonstrated that most of the robberies had been committed in summer (September), during the night, on the weekend, and by the drug addict with criminal records and financial problems. Conclusion Statistical tests and dispersion maps were used in this research for investigation of the times and locations of committing robbery. It could be concluded based on the findings that the crime was committed at particular times; that is, temporal conditions were effective on the occurrence of robbery. Most of the robberies had taken place in newly-constructed, wealthy areas. In fact, the commitment of robbery followed a particular dispersion pattern in spatial terms, and there was similarity and accordance between robber’s place of residence and crime scene, as evidenced by the observations, hence the significant relationship between the two variables.
Urban Planning
esmaiil zarghami; abdolhamid ghanbaran; pooria saadati vaghar
Abstract
Lean construction has attracted plenty of attention during the past decade for provision of housing to the lower class. An important issue that has always appealed to large numbers of architecture and urban construction and planning researchers as post-planning assessments is to what extent and in what ...
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Lean construction has attracted plenty of attention during the past decade for provision of housing to the lower class. An important issue that has always appealed to large numbers of architecture and urban construction and planning researchers as post-planning assessments is to what extent and in what aspects the constructed condominiums satisfy their inhabitants once completed and utilized. Thus, useful suggestions can be made to decision-makers and planners of such projects for enhancement of the quality of life in the condominiums through identification of their strengths and weaknesses. An example of these lean construction projects is Mehr Housing, designed and implemented to meet the need for housing among the middle and lower classes of the Iranian society. It needs to be investigated, however, how successful the project has been, and to what extent it has satisfied the residents. Given the great diversity in the design of these condominiums in the city of Hamadan (in that some are enclosed, and others are connected to urban areas), Iran, little research has been focused on Mehr Housing. Therefore, the present research investigated three enclosed and unenclosed Mehr condominiums in Hamadan by focusing on the physical and spatial components governing such condominiums. These included the Ghadir, Farhangiyan, and Andishe (Kuy Reza) condominiums. Most global experiences suggest that the more favorable housing conditions that are expected in enclosed condominiums are not observed. This formed the basis of the research, a descriptive-analytical study in terms of the methodology adopted in the literature review and theoretical framework. ANOVA (with the Bonferroni method), independent t-test, Pearson correlation coefficient analysis, and linear regression were used for data analysis. The results demonstrated that there were significant differences in average satisfaction between the three neighborhoods, with the Madani neighborhood exhibiting the highest average satisfaction, followed by the Beheshti and Andishe neighborhoods, in that order. A prioritization of the physical and spatial components effective on residential satisfaction in the three condominiums also suggested that environmental health was highly effective in enclosed condominiums, accompanied by amenities, additional facilities, and flexibility. Furthermore, the results obtained from the investigation of the relationships between satisfaction with architectural components and individual, demographic, and residential components demonstrated that there were no significant relationships in any of the three neighborhoods between satisfaction on the one hand and age, gender, or academic degree on the other. However, the neighborhood factor (which distinguished enclosed and unenclosed neighborhoods) exhibited significance, where total satisfaction was generally higher in enclosed condominium residents, confirming the main hypothesis of the research.
Urban Planning
taher parizadi; mahdi moradi; masoumeh saki
Abstract
Modern cities have turned into the main places for people to work and live in; therefore, they are confronted with many challenges from social, economic, environmental, and managerial aspects. The rapid growth of population, urban population in particular, and extensive immigration from the village to ...
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Modern cities have turned into the main places for people to work and live in; therefore, they are confronted with many challenges from social, economic, environmental, and managerial aspects. The rapid growth of population, urban population in particular, and extensive immigration from the village to the city, mainly to large cities, along with the need to meet the immigrants’ needs highlights the necessity of considering the existing districts and neighborhoods of the city in order to prevent its horizontal growth and decrease in the importance of its internal fabric. If the trend continues, it will lead to a decline in the quality of life and, consequently, in urban viability. A viable urban system is one where all the inhabitants’ social, economic, physical, and psychological health is considered. Viability can be seen as a way of achieving sustainable development, where urban viability can be obtained through viable neighborhoods. A viable city is one where you can live a healthy life, a city for everyone. It is regarded as a link between the past and the present. That is, it esteems the historical symbols on the one side, and acknowledges what has not yet been born on the other. The immethodical development of Iranian cities over the past few decades has confronted the urban areas with many problems, such as economic, social, and environmental ones. This research seeks to investigate the amount of viability in the central district of the city of Boroujerd. This district holds the greatest place identity in the area due to the availability of ancient, valuable elements including historical monuments such as Imam Mosque, the bazaar, squares, and several religious centers, location in the initial core and distressed area of the city, and several old passages with narrow alleys, which are characteristic of the historic fabric of a city. As the city has grown, some neighborhoods have thrived further, and others have lost their prosperity. As a result, viability and quality of life vary from neighborhood to neighborhood. The present research is a cognitive-heuristic in terms of purpose, involving a quantitative-qualitative study in terms of data and pursuing a descriptive-analytical approach in terms of nature and methodology. To achieve the purposes, the research was conducted in two parts: a documentary and a field study (questionnaire). The unit of analysis included the inhabitants of the central district of Boroujerd. Estimated sample size was calculated using the Cochran formula as 230 people aged between 15 and 70 years. GIS and SPSS (one-sample t test, ANOVA, and Friedman test) were used for data analysis, and Amos structural equation modeling for diagramming the analytical models of the structures. The research findings demonstrated that the aspects and indices of viability in the central district of Boroujerd are highly desirable. Furthermore, a comparison of the neighborhoods in the central district in terms of index and aspect mean indicated that the most viable neighborhood was Soufiyan, while the Dodange neighborhood exhibited the lowest amount of viability. According to Friedman’s prioritization, the aspects of urban services, activities, and amenities were ranked first, and urban economy was ranked last. In the structural equation model diagrammed in Amos, the aspect of urban economy exhibited the greatest impact on the environmental factors.
Urban Planning
Najma Esmailpoor; Zahra Heravi; Elham Heidari Hamane
Abstract
The growing trend in illegal construction of residential buildings is a problem that has impacted the urban planning and management system in Iran in the past few decades. Violation of urban planning and technical regulations is a fact that has existed long. Despite the penalties that have been considered ...
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The growing trend in illegal construction of residential buildings is a problem that has impacted the urban planning and management system in Iran in the past few decades. Violation of urban planning and technical regulations is a fact that has existed long. Despite the penalties that have been considered for infractions in construction, the phenomenon has been observed extensively in the city of Yazd, including the territory of Municipal District 3. For prevention of infractions in construction, it is necessary to study the nature and causes of the issue from different aspects. This is an applied survey with a descriptive, causal, and correlational methodology. The factor analysis technic was used for decreasing the large number of factors affecting the commitment of infractions in construction around cities. The research population was divided into two groups: a sample of size 161 of the municipality visitors over 20 years of age and all the expert officials of the municipality. The main purpose of the research was to organize, systematize, and regularize residential construction practices, and the operational objectives were to identify the major causes of infractions in the field of residential construction and to propose appropriate solutions for their reduction in the target municipality. The study involved an investigation of the relationship between the increase in the construction infractions committed by the citizens and three factors including the attitude of the municipality toward infractions as a source of revenue, inefficient monitoring of construction practices on the part of the municipality, and the bureaucracy dominant in the municipality issuing construction permits. Based on the findings from 12884 cases of infraction in construction committed within the territory under investigation between 1991 and 2016, 60% of the infractions concerned construction practices without permits, and 40% pertained to ones where the permit contents had been violated. The most frequent issued sentences involved demolition and penalization along with reconstruction in some cases. The following conclusions were made based on the obtained results. 1- Six major factors that account for about 60% of the tendency to commit infractions in residential construction practices within Municipal District 3 of Yazd include insufficient documentation, poor instruction plans, permit applicants’ incomplete knowledge of the construction regulations, bureaucracy, and violation of the decisions made by the municipality and poor monitoring. 2- The visitors’ opinion on the causes of infractions is not exactly the same as the experts’. 3- Being the committers of the infractions, the visitors regard the above items as the major causes, in that order. The experts, however, consider the following items: the high costs of obtaining construction permits and completion certificates, constructors’ unwillingness to obtain permits, long process of permit issuance, lack of correspondence between constructors’ authorities and responsibilities, low enforceability of the Article No. 100 Commission decisions, dependency of the municipal budget on the revenue from infractions, poor monitoring of construction practices, and limited sustainable financial resources for the municipality. 4- There is a relatively high correlation between the commitment of infractions in construction and the three factors of the attitude of the municipality toward infractions as a source of revenue, inefficient monitoring of residential construction practices on the part of the municipality, and the bureaucracy dominant in the municipality in the process of issuing construction permits. Therefore, it can help decrease infractions in construction within the territory of Municipal District 3 to enhance public awareness of urban construction regulations, lower the cost of issuing construction permits and simplify the procedure, provide sustainable sources of revenue, enhance the construction monitoring system of the municipality, and improve the relevant bureaucracy in the municipality.
Urban Planning
mohammadreza pourjafar; faramarz rostami
Abstract
Although the planning system has made plenty of theoretical and practical efforts in regard to the transformation of urbanization, it has failed to officially prevent the increasing trend of urban problems. While almost one-third of the urban population is living in poor conditions, and is stuck in a ...
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Although the planning system has made plenty of theoretical and practical efforts in regard to the transformation of urbanization, it has failed to officially prevent the increasing trend of urban problems. While almost one-third of the urban population is living in poor conditions, and is stuck in a socio-economic vicious circle accompanied by physical distress, the benefits of urban growth are gained by powerful informal roles or formal roles with informal practices. In effect, the planning system interferes with informal practices and roles subconsciously and non-transparently. These informalities have also received less attention in the conducted studies, where powerful, influential informal roles and credible, covert, useful informal practices have been neglected. These are roles that ignore the law and public interest, or cause changes in the law and policies for their own satisfaction and informal practices that allocate the greatest benefits within a short time exclusively to particular groups. Persistence of such conditions will result in irreparable costs for the country under investigation, namely Iran. Hence, the present study aims to investigate how formal and informal practices and roles interact with each other given their current concentration on distressed urban areas. It also seeks to present a conceptual framework for formal planning confronting the informalities in the domain. The study attempts to answer three important questions. 1) How does formal planning address informal practices and roles? 2) How do informal practices and roles utilize formal planning? 3) How can this interference and conflict be resolved? To answer these questions, we investigated the actual power and background of the planning action, interference of formal planning with informalities, informalities’ utilization of planning, and transformation of urbanization in the country. Instances of the four ways in which formal and informal roles and practices confront each other were also identified and analyzed. The study involved documentary and library investigation given the nature of the research questions. The methodology also included content analysis and logical reasoning. We analyzed scholars’ perspectives and experiences in regard to the issue, the planning background, and the effective factors in the confrontation given the country’s urbanization conditions, particularly the experiences and the results of the conducted studies in distressed areas. For explanation of the confrontation atmosphere, it could be suggested that there is an informal sector in the physical, economic, and social domains in the country along with the formal sector. The two sectors intersect in many events, functioning like a whirlpool that leads to endless distress. Inefficient confrontation has been the outcome of the formality-informality whirlpool, employed as a fact in the world of planning in confrontation with distressed areas through interaction with the country’s historical and political conditions and macroeconomic and social policies. In this destructive whirlpool, it is the social circle that initiates the discussed issues, which then enter into the economic circle, and are finally represented in the physical circle. Confrontation from formal planning to resolve the issues, however, conversely begins with the physical dimension. That is why planning ends without actually being started. To overcome these issues, a conceptual framework appropriate to the conditions dominant in the country was proposed, with an emphasis on a more serious consideration of the social aspect and its influence on the others in planning.
Urban Planning
zeynab aliabadi; mahmoud mohammdi
Abstract
This research was conducted to investigate the effects of the parameters pertaining to the spatial structure of passages on imperviousness in passages less than six meters wide, which has led to distressed areas in the city of Zanjan, Iran. The research questions inquired what factors in the spatial ...
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This research was conducted to investigate the effects of the parameters pertaining to the spatial structure of passages on imperviousness in passages less than six meters wide, which has led to distressed areas in the city of Zanjan, Iran. The research questions inquired what factors in the spatial structure of the passage network affected the distress caused by imperviousness and how they could be examined. The above questions were addressed using a statistical method known as the logistic regression test, specifying the presence or absence of a relationship between imperviousness and space syntax indices, such as global and local integration, connection, selection, and depth. The results demonstrated that some of the spatial structure index variables could be effective on the amount of distress. According to the Wald statistic results and the relevant sig. values, the variables global integration and selection did not have a significant effect on the amount of distress in passages less than six meters wide in the distressed areas of Zanjan, because the values in the B column were positive, and the corresponding sig. values were not significant at the error level of 0.05. This indicated that there was proper global relationship and integration between the passage network in distressed areas and those in the surrounding areas. In other words, distressed area neighborhoods were not poorer than those around them in terms of global integration, and an increase in global integration would not have a considerable effect on distress in passages less than six meters wide. On the other hand, connection and local integration, in that order, had significant effects on distress in Zanjan in the present conditions, because the values in the B column were negative, and the corresponding sig. values were statistically significant at the error level of 0.05. This demonstrated that distress could be reduced with an increase in connection in successive dead ends and in local integration in passages within neighborhoods in distressed areas in Zanjan. The overall results of the analysis showed that poor internal structure (poor connection or local integration) in distressed areas in Zanjan was the main factor increasing the amount of distress, and such a weakness in interconnection in neighborhoods with several dead ends had made them difficult to access. These hardly accessible points on passages less than six meters wide within neighborhoods could be spatially isolated over time, increasing distress. Given the poor local structure, therefore, it was suggested for reduction of distress in infected areas in Zanjan that connection and local integration should be increased.
Urban Planning
sepideh taban tarashkar; parvin partovi
Abstract
Uncontrolled urban development in the present age has caused many problems that cannot be solved by traditional management and requires the participation of all citizens in the administration of urban affairs. Today, citizen participation and its application in urban planning, as one of the characteristics ...
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Uncontrolled urban development in the present age has caused many problems that cannot be solved by traditional management and requires the participation of all citizens in the administration of urban affairs. Today, citizen participation and its application in urban planning, as one of the characteristics of the development of a country, is considered by designers and urban planners. Citizen participation is effective in the success of local development plans, so it has become one of the main issues of urban planning today. The role of children, who make one third of urban population (citizens), is neglected in many cases. In recent years, there has been much research on children’s participation, but it can be said that, in practical terms, this concept faces many obstacles. Many of the issues we are facing today, such as leaving the neighborhood, lack of security, etc., are due to neglecting all citizens, especially children, in the city and, at a smaller scale, in the neighborhood. Accordingly, it is essential that children participate in local development planning. Undoubtedly, children’s participation needs a thorough perception of the concepts related to child. It requires a full understanding of the concepts of the child and the benefits and challenges of children’s participation. Finally, it is necessary to answer the question of what the methods of children’s participation in the process of preparing and implementing local development planning are. The theoretical foundation and global experiences related to children’s participation is presented to answer this question. Then, the case study of Sarshoor neighborhood is introduced and the results are presented. Finally, the conclusions are made based on the analysis of theoretical concepts, answering the main questions by Delphi method, and experts’ opinions. The results indicate that contextualization is the most influential factor in the planning process, as compared to other factors including culture-building, institutionalization and durability of participation. The two factors of institutionalization and participation control are the most influential factors in the implementation of plans. When these factors are realized, children tend to become more involved in the development process of the neighborhood because (1) their abilities focus on themselves in this process, (2) they are provided with an opportunity in this process, (3) participation methods become available to them, and (4) they become aware of their rights. At the end, the cycle of the process of neighborhood development projects is proposed based on the components of children’s participation in the Sarshoor neighborhood. The findings of this study will not only help planners and designers to better understand the way children are involved in planning and designing processes, but also provide an appropriate framework for using effective factors on the participation of children in local development projects. It is suggested that the factors proposed in this paper be applied according to the specific conditions and characteristics of each neighborhood.
Urban Planning
MH Y; A P; Maryam Jami
Abstract
Objectives Today, walking is one of the missing links in urban life. Thus, it is required to review the form and structure of today’s streets, which is a great concern for the urban experts and citizens. Therefore, it is crucial to consider urban pedestrians and find solutions to promote urban ...
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Objectives Today, walking is one of the missing links in urban life. Thus, it is required to review the form and structure of today’s streets, which is a great concern for the urban experts and citizens. Therefore, it is crucial to consider urban pedestrians and find solutions to promote urban environmental quality of life and to promote citizens’ satisfaction with the environment. The city of Sareyn is not an exception. Given the climatic conditions of Sareyn and its high traffic, it cannot attract tourists and residents. These circumstances may pose an obstacle to the development of Sareyn in terms of tourism. Thus, constructing pedestrian walkways could facilitate the revitalization and development process of the city. As a result, this research aims to introduce significant factors in constructing pedestrian walkways in Sareyn, which will be a suitable background to guide the development process of the city. Findings This paper applies the path analysis method to determine the factors affecting the construction of pedestrian walkways in Sareyn. The results of regression analysis method for direct effects indicate that about 64% variance in pedestrian walkways is likely to be explained by research indicators. Variables of walkways and transportation, security, economic functions and urban services and facilities are more significant than other variables in predicting the dependent variable. The second and later stages of the path analysis method measures indirect effects. The results of these stages show that the effect of urban services and amenities on the construction of a pedestrian walkway is 46.3%, it is 11.4% for the transportation criterion, 11% for economic performance, 3% for the socio-cultural criterion and 18.1% for the security factor. Sum of the direct and indirect effects of the independent variables on constructing pedestrian walkways shows that the most effective factor in Sareyn city is related to “Walkways and Transportation” factors. Walkways and transportation affect the dependent variable directly by 0.362% and indirectly by 0.091%. Other effective factors in order of importance are security, urban services and facilities, economic, socio-cultural and geographic functions. Results Path analysis method was used to determine the effective factors on making pedestrian walkways in Sareyn, as a pole of tourism in Iran. Due to the multiplicity of factors, multiple regression test was performed. The direct effects were analyzed in the first step and then the indirect effects were calculated. In the first step, it was observed that research factors explained pedestrian walkway construction by 64%. The most significant factors in this stage were urban services and facilities, transportation, security, socio-cultural and economic functions. The most significant indirect factors were determined to be geographic factors with an indirect path and security with two indirect paths. There were 5 direct and 8 indirect paths in this research. Finally, the most important factors were walkways and transportation, followed by security, urban services and facilities, economic, socio-cultural, and geographic factors. The results show that the improvement of the above factors would make good conditions for constructing pedestrian walkways. Furthermore, the improvement of these factors would have a positive effect on the number of pedestrians using walkways. Finally, improvement of other factors would also have such effects.
Urban Planning
A M; zeinab shahrokhy; hossein tahmasebi moghadam
Abstract
Introduction Housing, as the environment in which the family has formed and developed, plays an important role in many aspects of human life. However, millions of people live in cities without the security of enjoying the proper ownership of housing and related services. With ...
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Introduction Housing, as the environment in which the family has formed and developed, plays an important role in many aspects of human life. However, millions of people live in cities without the security of enjoying the proper ownership of housing and related services. With regard to this, governments should increase their efforts to promote, preserve and ensure the full realization of the right to adequate housing for those social strata. In this way, as the first measure expected of the governments, housing is provided for a decent life of the citizens. Depending on their views, governments apply policies and interventions. The problem of housing in Iran, as in most other societies in the world, is of particular importance. The government was obliged to meet this requirement in the form of a five-year development program. However, housing policies, as tools for proper development in accordance with Islamic principles, have not been able to meet the housing needs. Therefore, considering the housing problems in the city of Kermanshah and the continuation of these problems, this research is carried out to identify the factors affecting housing policies in the city and to present the necessary strategies in this area. Results Based on the strategic plan of housing policies in Kermanshah, the existence of a series of macroeconomic factors hinders the full realization of housing programs and policies. The contradictions, discrepancies and heterogeneity in the physical structure of the city were considered as the biggest obstacle on the macro level, which needs serious attention. It is necessary to pay attention to external macro factors such as managers’ ‘taste’ in looking at housing policies, lack of public sector facilities, housing market downturn due to lack of investment by the private sector with moderate importance, lack of adequate oversight on the implementation of national building regulations in designing and implementation of all urban and urban development projects, feeling of insecurity for public and private investments with little significance, inadequacy of government’s housing policy for the entire social strata of the community, non-establishment of factories in the industrial and agricultural sectors, and expensive materials and building materials. On the other hand, there is a range of effective factors on housing policies in Kermanshah. Using these factors, one can deal with some of these problems. Considering these factors, offering housing loans in accordance with the up-to-date requirements has the highest strategic appropriateness. Therefore, one should pay particular attention to these factors. Conclusion Regarding the plans and policies implemented in Kermanshah, as one of the metropolitan cities of Iran, there has been some difficulty in furthering development goals despite the improvement in the quality of residential units. The root of these problems is mainly in the regulation of residential development policies with a purely economic viewpoint without regard to target groups. Therefore, one has to find suitable strategies and solutions in order to resolve the housing problems of this city. Therefore, in this research, after understanding the city’s problems and the opinions of experts in the field of housing, with the consensus of the experts, it was concluded that the most influential programs were the housing mass production policy and Mehr housing plan. Despite all the quantitative measures, the city of Kermanshah needs about 20,000 houses for its citizens in the 2010s. Providing housing facilities for different income groups, encouraging the private sector to build and provide housing through industrial practices, education and culture, enforcing national building regulations and optimal monitoring of these regulations are the most important strategies for this research.