Urban Management
javad mahdianpoor; mohammad taghavi zavareh; hamidreza saremi
Abstract
Urban development, population growth, and intensified urbanization have led to a variety of issues such as physical distress and decay in most cities around the world. Besides triggering physical effects, this has imposed plenty of economic and social consequences on residential neighborhoods. Therefore, ...
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Urban development, population growth, and intensified urbanization have led to a variety of issues such as physical distress and decay in most cities around the world. Besides triggering physical effects, this has imposed plenty of economic and social consequences on residential neighborhoods. Therefore, it seems essential to investigate, assess, and acknowledge these consequences and to adopt solutions to alleviate the present conditions. The purpose of this study is to explain the urban acupuncture approach for improvement of the quality of residential neighborhoods and presentation of local solutions for management of the problems encountered in residential neighborhoods. In fact, the research seeks to address the notions, principles, and criteria in urban acupuncture in the urban neighborhood scale and apply them to the Tajrish neighborhood in Tehran, Iran. In general, urban acupuncture involves three stages of executive action. In the first stage, the objectives of the interventions are determined after an analysis of the conditions and dominant economic, social, and environmental system. Once the goals are defined, the intervention range is specified, and the points within each region, sub-systems, and stimuli are then determined. In the second stage, the measures and interventions pertaining to each point and the effects and results of the interventions are explained. The important point here is the necessity of appropriateness of the interventions to the conditions of each point and to the effective area for achievement of the desired and expected outcomes. In the third and final stage of measures, the intervention times are planned. The present descriptive-analytical survey involves a fundamental and applied study. The Tajrish neighborhood was selected as the area under investigation. It is a historic core of the city with an extra-local role due to its several potentials, but is confronted today with problems such as physical distress and decay and environmental, economic, and social issues. For evaluation of urban acupuncture solutions within the area investigated in the present study, the theoretical framework, tools, and solutions in urban acupuncture were first reviewed, and the systems affecting the physical, environmental, social, and economic aspects were then explained for specification of the zones of intervention. Next, we analyzed the results obtained by factors such as the influential beneficiaries, probable outcomes of urban acupuncture, and effective stimuli within the area using the method of network analysis and the DC, PRP, and PCI indicators. For the application of urban acupuncture stimuli to the intervention zones, they were then prioritized using thirty mental images for the examination of the residents’ spatial perception, Hierarchical Analysis Process (AHP), and the Expert Choice software, followed by an analysis of the intervention zones using the SWOT technique. A comparative method was used for presentation of the solutions given successful acupuncture experiences and the facilities and limitations of the neighborhood. The research results indicate that sites such as Tajrish Market, Maqsud Beyk River Valley, Arezu Park, and Museum of Music are the most sensitive points in the neighborhood for application of the intervention stimuli.
