Urban Scape
Hajar Assadpour; Mahmoud Ghalehnoee; Armin Bahramian
Abstract
Although many years have passed since the introduction of the concept of landscape in the Iranian architecture and urban planning literature, there is still no semantic agreement on its concept through theorists and researchers. However, it can be said that the urban landscape has an objective aspect ...
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Although many years have passed since the introduction of the concept of landscape in the Iranian architecture and urban planning literature, there is still no semantic agreement on its concept through theorists and researchers. However, it can be said that the urban landscape has an objective aspect of the city that urban users encounter and experience, and the representations formed in the mind that are the result of the experience of the environment refer to the mental aspect of the landscape. In general, the urban landscape is formed from the interaction of objectivity and subjectivity. Like any other concept, Research in the field of the urban landscape has methods and processes. However, a comprehensive model of the research process in the urban landscape is an issue that is less mentioned and raises the need for current research. Research onion as a research design guide is a tool that helps to organize and develop the research project following its layers step by step. Because the research onion presented by Saunders et al. does not cover all urban landscape research methods/approaches, this article tries to develop an urban landscape research onion model to make changes in it. Therefore, after conducting a systematic review of articles published in this field, the research process has been advanced by using a qualitative method and content analysis, and the structure and content of articles in the field of urban landscape have been reviewed. In the end, the results showed that the onion model of urban landscape research has seven layers as follows: philosophy (first two layers), approach, Methodological choice and process, strategy, time horizon, techniques and procedures. Following the research path through this model can answer the research question and issue more efficiency and purposeful.
Urban Design
Parissa Mahvari; Mahmoud Ghalehnoee; Safoora Mokhtarzadeh
Abstract
In most Iranian cities, people regard an urban space as a way to pass through, and these spaces encourage them to flee instead of inviting them to pause and socialize. However, urban spaces are basically where social interaction takes shape, and attempts to improve their quality is one of the most important ...
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In most Iranian cities, people regard an urban space as a way to pass through, and these spaces encourage them to flee instead of inviting them to pause and socialize. However, urban spaces are basically where social interaction takes shape, and attempts to improve their quality is one of the most important goals of urban design knowledge in the contemporary era. In the past, sidewalks and squares had a particular position in the central parts of cities. With the expansion of cities and the emergence of cars travelling around them, sidewalks and squares have suffered plenty of damage through the imposed vehicle access networks. Imam Ali Square in the city of Isfahan, Iran is a space that has lost its value and significance throughout history due to the changes in its spatial structure. These changes have resulted in the destruction or reconstruction of spaces that were once considered as parts of the area of the square. Proper access is one of the most important characteristics of a good public space, and it is a main purpose of the placemaking approach to enhance access to urban spaces to improve their quality. According to the principles of placemaking, it is a priority for an urban designer and planner to provide all social classes with access to urban centers and spaces in a variety of ways in order to increase their power of choice with respect to their needs and conditions. This study aimed to evaluate the quality of access as a well-known capability of the placemaking approach. It measured the quality of access at Imam Ali Square through assessment and analysis of six indicators: physical access (connectivity), continuity, accessibility (depth), inclusiveness, easy access to public transportation, and spatial resolution. These indicators were analyzed through field research and descriptive-analytical tools such as SPSS, GIS, and space syntax. According to the findings, easy access to public transportation (scoring 9.6), continuity (scoring 7.02), inclusiveness (scoring 5.4), physical access (scoring 2.42), and resolution (scoring 1.93) exhibited the highest to lowest scores. The final score for the quality of access was 5.41 out of 10, based on the calculation of mean indicator values, which indicated a moderate quality of access to the square as it is close to the median and range of scoring (8-10 for very good, 6-8 for good, 4-6 for moderate, 2-4 for poor, and 1-2 for very poor). Finally, it was inferred that the main problem with the square in terms of quality of access was the lack of concern for resolution, connectivity, and accessibility. It could thus be concluded that the resolution and depth of spaces created following the demolition of old urban structures has dropped due to the decrease in the significance of the surrounding old spaces although they have turned out to be more powerful interconnectors than their surrounding areas. Despite the recent attention paid to Imam Ali Square, the quality of access in the area is still not optimal, and greater concern for the examined indicators is expected in order to turn the square into an urban place.
Urban Ecology
Salahaldin Shoshtari; Mahmoud Ghalehnoee; Victoria Ezzatian; Aida Maleki; Mostafa Paknejad; raofeh rahpou
Volume 7, Issue 28 , November 2018, , Pages 41-54
Abstract
The urban heat island phenomenon is one of the challenges with which most metropolises have been struggling due to unplanned city expansions. Multiple factors have led to the emergence and escalation of this phenomenon, which can be classified into three main categories: the macro-climate of the region, ...
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The urban heat island phenomenon is one of the challenges with which most metropolises have been struggling due to unplanned city expansions. Multiple factors have led to the emergence and escalation of this phenomenon, which can be classified into three main categories: the macro-climate of the region, materials used at urban fabric and urban texture. Various suggestions have been given by experts in this area to reduce the severity of this phenomenon and improve the urban microclimate. However, as the phenomenon is different in each city or metropolitan area, various location-specific solutions will be offered to reduce the factors contributing to the phenomenon. The study uses satellite data, including images of the Landsat satellite on July 18, 2015, as well as the overnight satellite images of Modis and the GIS, along with land data from the metropolitan weather stations closest to the selected simulation area where thermal islands were examined. In this regard, the extent of the impact of different uses on the formation and severity of thermal islands in Isfahan was investigated. Based on the findings, applicable suggestions in the field of urban activity are made with an emphasis on the green space. In this paper, on the city level, the main green spaces including green spaces of urban streets and different types of urban parks were examined with regard to their geographical location in terms of the three categories of surface temperature (approximate 24-35°C, 35-40°C, and 40-51°C) and the applied map of each of these categories were developed. Accordingly, at the city level, the temperature in 10% of urban green spaces was above the normal, the temperature in 15% of urban green spaces was in the normal range, and the temperature in 3% of these spaces was lower than the nornal range. The Abbas Abad area was studied in terms of urban usage through a simulation of the effect of green spaces, especially green spaces on the boundaries of the roads on the urban microclimate. This area is one of the areas with the most abundant, old green space in the city. In this regard, an urban green space with old trees was selected in the historical fabric of Isfahan and was modeled using Envi-Met. The simulation results for summer 2015 indicate that, despite the close proximity of the three selected points, about 1°C of difference is seen in the temperature of the three spots. The proximity of the water bodies, and green spaces in particular, is one of the main factors. Additionally, the ground data follows the pattern of simulations points as well. Therefore, different scenarios are proposed for the presence of green spaces and evaluated through simulation. The results of this paper show that small green spaces, if designed based on scientific principles, can have a good effect on the thermal effects of heat islands on the small scale. Also, because of the large scale of urban areas, the combined methods proposed in this study can lead to the application of measures to reduce the negative effects of heat islands for urban management.
Urban Sustainability
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Volume 6, Issue 24 , November 2017, , Pages 41-54
Abstract
Rapid progress in technology and, consequently, the increasing growth of urban population has inevitably led to the development of residential neighborhoods. Changes in the form of urban texture and their inconsistency with climatic features, together with the rise of energy demand, have had manifold ...
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Rapid progress in technology and, consequently, the increasing growth of urban population has inevitably led to the development of residential neighborhoods. Changes in the form of urban texture and their inconsistency with climatic features, together with the rise of energy demand, have had manifold adverse consequences such as global warming and climate change. According to previous research, most energy in cities is consumed by residential buildings which is highly affected by the city shape, an issue which needs to be amended. Therefore, since buildings account for a significant portion of energy consumption in cities, wise decisions should be made for designing new urban textures that reduce energy consumption. Research on urbanism and energy efficiency has offered different views. The vast majority of studies conducted on the optimization of energy consumption in urban areas have focused on the impact of urban shape on fuel consumption in transportation or have evaluated energy consumption in micro scales. But, as thermal performance changes in scales beyond the building scale, researchers must analyze the thermal performance of buildings in larger scales such as neighborhoods. The missing part in this field is the assessment of energy consumption in neighborhoods. To fill this gap, the present paper attempts to assess the primary energy consumption of cooling, heating and lighting systems in new patterns of residential texture on neighborhood scale. Afterwards, on the basis of primary energy criterion, efficient and inefficient patterns are identified and, finally, some strategies are provided for optimizing energy consumption in new residential areas. The present study is an applied research conducted using descriptive-analytical method. Data was collected by documentary and field methods. In the first step, the concepts of primary energy, energy efficiency, and typo-morphology approach are described and analyzed in order to formulate the theoretical framework of the research. The relationship between microclimate and morphology is also investigated. Then, following the typo-morphology approach, the residential texture of Sepahan Shahr, Esfahan, Iran, is categorized on the neighborhood scale. Finally, simulating the primary cooling, heating, and lighting equipments’ energy consumption in the residential textures via Design Builder software, results are analyzed based on the comparative approach and statistical tests. The results show that there is a strong correlation between primary energy consumption and indicators of design layout, mass placement, form of the building, height of the building, and open spaces. Also, there is a moderate correlation between primary energy consumption and block proportions. Moreover, based on the results from the variance analysis, common row patterns and square-shaped patterns are the most and least efficient patterns of new residential textures, respectively, though the lighting systems’ energy consumption is lower in square-shaped patterns. Other patterns, such as H, T, I, and L shapes are in mid-level for primary energy consumption. Among these patterns, the H-shape is the best choice for four-storey buildings with high-density.
Urban Design
Nima Ostovar; Mostafa behzadfar; bahador zamani; mahmood ghale noee
Volume 4, Issue 16 , November 2015, , Pages 39-54
Abstract
By design, some features of physical spaces can affect people’s image of time. Reviewing the literature shows a correlation between physical dimension of space and users’ time image; a number of place variables, affecting the duration estimation of time that also causes some environmental ...
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By design, some features of physical spaces can affect people’s image of time. Reviewing the literature shows a correlation between physical dimension of space and users’ time image; a number of place variables, affecting the duration estimation of time that also causes some environmental norms affecting the sense of place. Although, in urban design studies psychological and perceptional aspects of time image is neglected and there is no codified framework to study that, the present study aims to investigate the role of environmental elements in building and supporting the image of time. To achieve this aim, based on reviewing the related literature, a theoretical framework defined that includes some main variables: Time-quantitative variables, dynamic-time features, non-temporal variables, and normative variables. To approach a practical structure in study, "Naghsh-e-Jahan Square" as a case was studied using a mixed research method including storytelling for data collection and AHP for quantitative analysis. In one hand, a “semi-structure interview” technique employed that the analysis of interviews indicated a structure of temporal concepts in people's description of their daily life in "Naghsh-e-Jahan Square". On the other hand, quantifying norms and environmental elements (according to non-temporal variables) was conducted. AHP technique was used to compare the quantified environmental norms, with the impact level of environmental elements that concluded from Fuzzy questionnaires. The result indicates that square manifests different qualitative concepts in different times. Each one of these concepts are along with evidences as dynamic-time features and also quantitative & qualitative factors.
Urban Design
Mina Kashani Hamedani
Volume 4, Issue 14 , May 2015, , Pages 19-30
Abstract
Urban space is the context in which the activities and different perception of users take place; but various users such as different age groups have dissimilar perceptions of environment. It seems that the built environment and particularly urban space as the product of work of urban planners, urban ...
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Urban space is the context in which the activities and different perception of users take place; but various users such as different age groups have dissimilar perceptions of environment. It seems that the built environment and particularly urban space as the product of work of urban planners, urban designers and architects, does not necessarily consider the real variety of users and through this fact, aesthetic aspect of urban environment does not fulfill their needs fairly. Overlapping of the two domains of environmental psychology and urban aesthetics on the one hand and the diverse psychological characteristics in different age groups on the other hand confirm the necessity of this research. The need for studying urban aesthetics is re-affirmed also from a statistical point of view. In 2010 demographics, out of seven billion of the world’s population, approximately 1.2 billion were children between the ages of 5 and 14. This figure is approximately 17.4 percent of the total world population or one-fifth. The same statistics is shown in Iran where there were roughly 11 million children (5-14 age range) from the total population of 74 million in 2010 which is approximately 15 percent and or one-sixth of the total population. These official statistics are demonstrate the importance children in different fields generally and especially in urban design and urban aesthetic. Studying urban aesthetics from the viewpoint of particular users of urban space like children with different psychological characteristics leads to an introduction to urban aesthetics which is trying to find the answer to the research question. The objective is to identify the aesthetic preferences of children in their surrounding environment, especially in urban spaces. However, there were some limits in this study; the most important limiting factor was the lack of detailed information regarding the social and cultural environment of the statistical sample which could explain differences in children’s points of views. Thus, examining urban spaces from an aesthetic perspective is important because their users have different aesthetic perceptions and urban spaces are not necessarily responsive for all kinds of users. This research answers the following questions: which environmental aesthetic preferences can be recognized in different groups of children and adults, and what are the priorities of related variables in different groups. There are two major approaches to the study of aesthetics, empirical and philosophical. This research is based on the empirical approach according to the importance of visual aspects in urban design. This research has studied the signification of three groups conforming to Santayana’s classification of environmental aesthetics which consists of three categories of emotional, formal and symbolic. The research is applied and descriptive-analytic. Data was collected from library study based on documentary research as well as field observations and children’s drawings. Based on Cochran's C test, 750 effective questionnaires were dispensed in Isfahan city which is the figure for the statistical population. The results were analyzed by Likert-Scale and SPSS software. The findings indicate certain differences exist between the various age groups in their preferences of aesthetic priority and in the importance of formal variables from the viewpoint of children. Of the three mentioned categories of environmental aesthetics, the formal category was most frequently preferred by children.
