Urban Design
Maryam Roosta; mahsa sholeh; Negin Amiri
Abstract
Highlights- Sense walking and in-depth interviews were used to analyze the richness of smell and taste senses in urban space.- The experience of the senses of smell and taste and the dimension of time and place mutually affect each other.- The richness of the senses of smell and taste affects the enhancement ...
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Highlights- Sense walking and in-depth interviews were used to analyze the richness of smell and taste senses in urban space.- The experience of the senses of smell and taste and the dimension of time and place mutually affect each other.- The richness of the senses of smell and taste affects the enhancement of the memorability and identity of the urban space.IntroductionEveryday urban experience is achieved through the process of perception and sense experience through sensory organs. Living in a multi-sensory environment is inevitable, and the experience of encountering sights, smells, and sounds makes it possible to know the environment. It seems that in different urban spaces of Iran, taking into account the native conditions of the environment and current traditions among the people, the role of sensory landscapes and its effect on the quality of the urban space requires more investigations. The main problem of the current research is the need to pay more attention to the issue of "sensory richness" and analyze its indicators and examples as one of the important qualities of the urban space, with an emphasis on the two senses of smell and taste. Based on this, the present article aims to explain the process of recognizing and analyzing an urban space with an emphasis on improving the quality of sensory richness in the two areas of smell and taste senses.Theoretical FrameworkRegarding the sense of smell, the variety of smells, the presence of sources of smells in the environment, smells dependent and related to time, consistent smells, smells of passers-by, and smelling comfort are among the indicators that, according to sources, affect the richness of the space. There are also researches about the effect of the sense of smell in the urban space, in the context of racial, ethnic, native, historical and cultural contexts, and it shows the effect of different cultural contexts on the transmission of social meanings and values and the display of historical heritage through the sense of smell in an urban space.Regarding the sense of taste, while emphasizing the dependence and direct connection of this sense with the sense of smell, the presence of fruitful plants, local memories related to the experience of taste in space, and the presence of land uses that stimulate taste have an effect on the richness of the sense of taste.MethodologyIn order to conduct this research, the "qualitative" strategy has been used to collect and analyze data. In the first step, the review of library resources was carried out with the aim of compiling the theoretical framework of the research and extracting effective indicators in the thematic area of sensory richness. After that, the indicators obtained from this part were analytically recognized and field studied in two steps in the studied sample; In the first step, the sensory perception of the environment was carried out by "sensory walking" with the help of field survey by one of the researchers as an urban studies expert. After that, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 space users. These numbers were selected as available samples and the interviews were continued until reaching a kind of "theoretical saturation" and repeated answers. The data obtained from the interviews were coded in "Atlas" software and subjected to content analysis.Results and DiscussionThe findings of the interviews revealed the deep dimensions of the smell experience along the way for users. In these interviews, special users with a keen sense of smell were mentioned many times along the way. In some of these comments, the use of smell to remember the length of the route and even addressability was clearly evident. This issue, while clarifying the process of tracking odor sources by space users, shows the effect of place and the inseparable dependence of sensory experiences with place.In a deeper layer, the analysis of the interviews shows that remembering and recalling smell experiences, especially in urban spaces with historical qualities, is very tied to nostalgia and memory and has an effect on deepening the sense of belonging to a place. This issue is very important from the analytical point of view of urban space. Context—which can be a set of antecedent conditions or facts about a place or a particular event in it—plays a decisive role in the quality of the smellscapes in a place.The findings show that in the sensory experience of Hafez Street, in particular, the presence of "orange trees" as an example of the "fruitful plants" index, in addition to the possibility of simultaneously deepening the senses of smell and taste, to the perception of the "sense of time" as well as the "memorability of space" and Also, "identifying the sensory experience of the path" has also been effective. In the experience of the sense of taste along this path, as expected, the findings indicate the effect of the use of taste stimuli on the deepening of the sensory experience of space and its perception.ConclusionAmong the indicators of the quality of the senses of smell and taste, "smell comfort", "presence of fruitful plants" and "memorable uses with taste stimulation", have a greater role in the experience process of citizens' environmental perception. Also, in the analysis of the findings from the qualitative survey, it is possible to emphasize the two-way relationship between the deepening of the "sense of smell" and the memorability and identity of the place, as well as the reciprocal relationship of "perception of time" with the depth of the smell sensory experience.It seems that, especially in urban spaces with historical value, paying attention to the identity aspects of odors from natural resources or users with an identity smell or taste experience, both in the layer of future research and in the layer of executive plans, can have a multifaceted effect on improving the quality of the space and help deepen the sense of belonging to the place among the users.
Urban Design
Faeze Rahmani Jami; Maryam Mohammadi
Abstract
HighlightsIntroducing the methods of measuring emotions and emotional response in urban spaces and examining the advantages and disadvantages and the validity of each method.Developing a mixed method for measuring emotions in urban spaces.Identifying the physical and non-physical factors affecting users’ ...
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HighlightsIntroducing the methods of measuring emotions and emotional response in urban spaces and examining the advantages and disadvantages and the validity of each method.Developing a mixed method for measuring emotions in urban spaces.Identifying the physical and non-physical factors affecting users’ feelings in the urban space and their attraction and exclusion. IntroductionThe effects of emotions on all of man’s daily decisions are undeniable. Using, residing in, and leaving an urban space pertain to the users’ emotions. Therefore, it is important to measure and evaluate the users’ emotions in urban spaces. The purpose of this research is to identify the factors affecting emotions in urban spaces and prioritize them in the selected space.Theoretical FrameworkIn the first step, the literature was reviewed, and a conceptual model for measuring emotional response was then presented. Based on this model, emotions can be measured in three layers: physiological, perceptual, and behavioral. The users’ affective response in the urban space can be investigated on that basis. This case study addresses a sequence of Emamat Street in the city of Mashhad, Iran.MethodologyThe research was conducted based on a hybrid method. A biometric sensor (Empatica-E4) was used to collect data at the physiological level. Cognitive data were collected through walking interviews and videos. In addition, the speed of walking in the behavioral layer was measured. The resulting data were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively, and the factors affecting the emotional response in this street were finally identified. The factors identified as a result of the analysis made in the above three layers were adapted to each other. Based on the exploratory analysis made through the SPSS software, the factors affecting the emotional response were prioritized. Twenty people participated in this survey and shared their emotional responses in the selected sequence of Emamat Street, which is one kilometer long.Results and DiscussionThe results demonstrated that the users’ emotional response was pleasant. According to the results of the data in the biological layer, it was found that the part with a dominant natural character conveys more peace. Moreover, the monotonous sections, the inactive environments of the street, and the part with heavy traffic cause unpleasant emotional responses. The analysis of perceptual data indicated that the presence of greenery and retails exhibits a greater effect on pleasant feelings. The analysis of movement speed shows that in environments involving attractiveness, there is a diverse, relaxed decrease in the speed of movement over the space and the desire to stay. Based on the results, it was found that factors such as greenery, traffic, land use and activity, behavioral patterns, crowd, and noise pollution have effects on the emotional response. In order to prioritize the factors affecting the emotional response in the above space, the data were analyzed in the physiological and cognitive layers in SPSS. The results were rather the same. It can also be concluded that among the factors affecting the emotional response, non-physical ones, such as natural elements, crowd, noise pollution, and land use and activity, have greater influences than physical factors like the type of flooring and facade. Among these, the greatest effects on the desired emotional response are exhibited by the type of activity including exercise, the presence of a group of elderly people, and the existing nature, including tall trees on the edge of the park, visible vegetation, and plants and decorative flowers present over the space. ConclusionThis study was designed to identify the factors influencing the affective and behavioral response in urban spaces. We first explained the conceptual framework of the research by reviewing the literature on studies conducted in this area and examining the theories related to the emotional response in urban spaces, factors affecting emotions within the city, and methods of measuring the affective and behavioral response in the city. The research methodology was developed along with a practical test for assessing the affective and behavioral response and the experiment path given the available tools and methods used in previous projects and studies.The results obtained from the analysis of the recorded data on the heart rates of the participants in the experiment, the speeds of their movement in each sequence, and their cognitive responses revealed that factors such as vegetation, vehicular traffic, land use and activity, behavioral patterns, crowdedness, and noise pollution are effective on the affective response, and, thereby, affect people’s senses. This research was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic; thus, the constraints ruling over urban spaces made it more difficult to perform the experiment with more participants. Obviously, conducting the experiment with a larger number of participants can bring about more reliable results. The reason for using a homogeneous age and social group was to decrease the probability of recording data outside the standard range. Naturally, doing research with a larger sample size would allow use of more diverse age groups. Based on the above findings, some suggestions are made for designing the space based on emotions, as follows.- The vegetation and greenery space has a significant impact in the creation of a feeling of peace. The variety in the color and type of vegetation may also increase the pleasant feeling. However, if the vegetation reduces visibility, it would be effective in the creation of an unpleasant feeling.- Water in the urban space beings about a feeling of naturalness and tranquility in users. However, in a space filled with crowd and noise pollution, the sound of water can increase noise pollution.- The ground floor in urban spaces obviously affects the pedestrians’ perception more than other floors. Thus, the transparency of the wall, its beauty, variety, and coherence have prominent impacts in the creation of pleasant emotions.- It is better to avoid building long, rigid, inactive walls. If there are such spaces, the ground for creating activity at certain intervals should be provided.- The street-crossing areas should be designed in parts of the route with sufficient visibility for drivers and pedestrians; moreover, the pedestrian lanes need to be clear.- When there is a potential for overcrowding, the movement and activity interference should be minimized to reduce the resulting crowdedness and arousal.- The context for the emergence of desirable behavioral patterns such as exercise in the park should be provided in all directions, and a certain space for undesirable behaviors should be predicted as well.AcknowledgmentWe are grateful to all the persons for scientific consulting in this research paper.This article is extracted from the first author's master thesis in titled "Identification of physical and non-physical factors affecting pedestrians' emotional response in urban streets and presenting solutions (Case study: Emamat street of Mashhad)" which was defended at the University of Art under supervision of Dr. Maryam Mohammadi.
Urban Design
sara salehi; Hassan sajadzadeh; Mohammad Saied Izadi; kasra ketabollahi
Abstract
Highlights- The relationship between the city and the movies was addressed, and the cinematic sequences were evaluated.- Movie locations and the need to benefit from the diversity of urban spaces in Iran were addressed.- The streets of big cities in Iranian movies are places to pass through, not to attend.
Introduction
The ...
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Highlights- The relationship between the city and the movies was addressed, and the cinematic sequences were evaluated.- Movie locations and the need to benefit from the diversity of urban spaces in Iran were addressed.- The streets of big cities in Iranian movies are places to pass through, not to attend.
Introduction
The bond between the city and the movies is a two-way, strong one more than a century old. The movies has always been defined with respect to the city and urban spaces since the first days of its creation—late 19th century.
If the audience perceives urban spaces as having various functions and appropriate spatial qualities in the movie, the perception is associated with the real space and causes different feedbacks than those spaces in the long term.
Despite the increasing global desire to use the cinematic image of the city to achieve various layers of information, the Iranian movies still fails to present a correct image of the city. The beating heart of every city, urban spaces are still not used in the Iranian movies in the general sense.
While large, important cities such as Paris, London, New York, and Berlin are always in a two-way relationship with the movies and urban spaces, where the city and the various relevant issues are always exposed to cinematic representations as everyday, critical, or praiseworthy matters, reflection on such issues is still heretical in Iran. Especially, critical reflection about Tehran, as the main location in the Iranian movies, has not received much attention. A way to understand the urban space is to represent the city, urban spaces, and the complex, contradictory whole using the movies. Therefore, the main purposes of this research are to 1- examine the characteristics of different periods of the Iranian movies from the beginning of its formation to 2019, 2- examine different dimensions of selected works of the Iranian fiction movies after the Islamic Revolution of 1978, 3- extract urban space creation criteria in the fiction movies works, and 4- represent the image of a more human-oriented urban space in the Iranian movies. The latter suggestion is made because it is assumed that the Iranian cinematographer can achieve a dialectic of indicating the positive and negative aspects of the existing spaces in the country’s cities by using the correct criteria for representation of urban spaces in the movies, thereby nurturing informed, insistent viewers and causing active measures on the part of environmental designers to create more humane spaces.
Theoretical Framework
The final criteria were evaluated with the methods of analyzing the content, watching the movie, and surveying the city in the movie. Based on the conceptual model, the final criteria include the following in the order specified from the filmmaker’s point of view: the qualities of the urban space in the movie, diversity in the use of urban spaces, method of payment for the place, types of urban space, and types of character. The criterion of diversity in urban spaces, which concerns the use of these spaces in different parts of the city (not only in a specific region) with the urban surveying method in the movie, seeks the diversity of urban spaces presented in the city of Tehran in the fiction movies of choice produced after the revolution, and the final map is generated in the GIS software. 5 more criteria were examined first in the most important movies produced after the revolution with the method of content analysis and movie watching.
Methodology
In a comparative study, what can help the researcher to achieve his goal is greater emphasis on simultaneous analysis and examination of contrasts, as practiced in this research.
Findings and Discussion
All the above points indicate that the Iranian moviemaker still considers the city and its imposed modernity to be the source of many problems.
Another issue emphasized by Iranian moviemakers is to demonstrate the constant development of the city and its spaces regardless of the events of the story and peoples’ wishes. In some movies, no emphasis is placed on the urban space if actually depicted, and it is regarded simply as a background for the events of the story. All locations are focused on certain areas in Tehran and the like.
Conclusion
The results of the research demonstrate that we have not been very successful in creation of urban spaces in the past decades, and the few spaces that have been created and recreated have not been welcomed by cinematographers for various reasons. Moreover, the represented urban areas have been restricted to certain areas in Tehran, which has been subject to the conditions mentioned in the section on findings.
Furthermore, most of the selected movies in the fiction and urban fields were filmed in Tehran, and we are faced all around Iran with a pure centralism in terms of selection of the location of filming in urban spaces despite the availability of a variety thereof. This process should be corrected to address different aspects of various cities in Iran in fiction movies.
Urban Planning
Zahra Tamjidi; Zahra sadat saiedeh Zarabadi; Farah Habib
Abstract
Highlights:- The right to the city is a human right that concerns citizens’ possession of the city and their participation in city affairs, regardless of age, gender, race, nationality, ethnicity, or religion.- Children are a group of citizens who should be considered in urban planning due to their ...
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Highlights:- The right to the city is a human right that concerns citizens’ possession of the city and their participation in city affairs, regardless of age, gender, race, nationality, ethnicity, or religion.- Children are a group of citizens who should be considered in urban planning due to their special physical and psychological conditions.- The four-part model of “Child’s Right to the City” includes the urban governance system, social inclusion, spatial access, diversity and vitality, and relevant components.- The components of the concept of the child’s right to the city are effective in improvement of the quality of urban spaces for children. IntroductionThe right to the city is an issue of social, political, and legal nature that, based on the concept of citizenship rights, demands a set of rights for all city residents to use urban life in a transparent, fair manner. Urban spaces occupy a major part of the time and space of people’s daily lives, and they have young audiences who are much more influenced by environmental factors than adults. Therefore, a part of the function of an urban space should be assigned to children, which makes it particularly important to properly design urban spaces for children as citizens and future builders of the city. The presence of children in the public space of a city provides them with appropriate experiences, including acquaintance with urban geography, appropriate social relations with peer groups, appropriate physical mobility in a wider space than the limited space of the home, enhancement of the sense of belonging to the place, city, and neighborhood, and acquisition of identity through the sense of place. Since children have psychological needs that are much more complex than biological and physical needs, the design of urban spaces taking into account the psychology of development and children’s mental characteristics, health, and safety is effective in fostering creativity and strengthening the sense of cooperation and children’s education. Despite the global attention paid to children’s issues and useful international movements, there is less concern in our country for children’s specific issues in the urban arena, and children in cities are faced with many special problems in terms of age and physical and mental conditions, such as non-observance of basic rights, lack of security and safety, insufficient facilities and spaces for activities and games, and consequent lack of feeling of belonging to the space. As residents of the city, children’s right thereto has been neglected in many cases by decision-makers, planners, and even other citizens. Due to the dominance of the ageist culture, children are always ignored in planning and decision-making, and they are left out as isolated, unqualified people in an understanding of their priorities and needs.Theoretical FrameworkThe right to the city can be defined and claimed for all its residents. It emphasizes two main rights. The right of allocation is defined for anyone who lives in an urban space on a daily basis, regardless of their nationality, gender, and age, and the right of participation is used to apply the opinions and mental ideals of space users. Children and teenagers are also daily users of urban spaces, although the type of space use by children and teenagers is different due to their age conditions and the restrictions on their independence. However, their right to the city and urban spaces should be recognized, and methods should be provided for their participation in definition and change of the urban space.MethodologyThe purpose of this article is to examine the concept of the right to the city and to identify the factors that are effective in improvement of the appropriateness of the urban public spaces for the presence of children. For this purpose, both qualitative and quantitative research methods were used. Since both types of analysis are interpreted sequentially, the present article falls in the category of sequential-exploratory research. For analysis of the qualitative data, meta-synthesis and Grounded Theory were used, along with the NVivo software, employed to code the data. The data collection method involved documentary research and semi-structured interviews. The multiple regression test was used to investigate the relationships and the level of support between the components of the child’s right to the city and the quality of urban spaces.Results and DiscussionIn this research, the urban space quality index was considered as a dependent variable, and the components of the child’s right to the city (urban governance, social inclusion, access to spaces, and diversity and vitality) were regarded as independent variables. On that basis, the urban governance component involves 35.5% of the improvement made in the quality of the urban space in order to realize the child’s right to the city, and the other components include social inclusion, spatial accessibility, and diversity and vitality, with 31.2%, 28.9%, and 14.6%, respectively. Moreover, the influence of each of the sub-components of the child’s right to the city on the quality of urban spaces and the corresponding correlation were investigated separately.ConclusionBased on the four-part conceptual model, the four main zones of the concept of the child’s right to the city include urban governance, social inclusion, spatial accessibility, and diversity and vitality, which make up four consecutive steps to the final goal of the research based on frequency. The sub-themes exhibit a hierarchical structure. In the zone of diversity and vitality, for example, it can be inferred according to the concepts of the right to recreation, safe spaces versus security spaces, social interactions, and collective life that concern for creativity should be realized so that the environment can be considered memorable to be capable of completing the above zone.
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.
Alireza Karimi; hossein daneshmehr
Abstract
Parks are regarded as constituting one of the most important spaces in Tehran, Iran. One of the oldest, largest parks in the city, Sorkhe-Hesar Forest Park, located at busy urban nodes, has unique functions. Optimal use of the space is possible when users feel secure therein. Although known as an extra-regional ...
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Parks are regarded as constituting one of the most important spaces in Tehran, Iran. One of the oldest, largest parks in the city, Sorkhe-Hesar Forest Park, located at busy urban nodes, has unique functions. Optimal use of the space is possible when users feel secure therein. Although known as an extra-regional park,it is visited mainly by residents of Municipal District 13 of Tehran. This can be accounted for by several factors, a major one being perception of security in the park among citizens. Due to the large area of the park and its partitioning, there cannot be a discussion of a single perception of security in the park. Furthermore, security is a multi-dimensional notion, where each of the dimensions may be perceived differently in different partitions of the park. Accordingly, the main purpose of the research is to investigate the perceptions of different aspects of security by visitors to different partitions of Sorkhe-Hesar Forest Park and to examine if there are significant differences between them. The park has been divided by the municipality into six partitions, including Khorgasht (‘picnic’), Eghamat-Entezar-Tafrih (‘stay-wait-fun’), Piyaderavi-Honarhaye Mohiti (‘walk-environmental arts’), Aramesh (‘peace’), Tafrihate Fa'al (‘amusement), and Tabiatgardi-Hefazat (‘ecotourism-conservation’). Due to the presence of wildlife and passage of animal species, the ecotourism-conservation partition has turned into a protected area in which tourists are not allowed. Therefore, the partition is excluded from the spatial domain of the study. This is a quantitative survey with a researcher-made questionnaire used as tool. The research population includes all the women and men aged 18 years or more visiting the five included partitions of Sorkhe-Hesar Park during the survey. Given the spatial domain under investigation, there was space and time sampling in addition to visitor sampling. The findings obtained from the 504 visitors in the sample were analyzed using SPSS and GIS. The six aspects of security perception in the above five partitions of Sorkhe-Hesar Park were found reliable, and there were significant differences between perceptions of financial, dignity, public property, and public order security in the partitions. The overall perception of security of the visitors was obtained through addition of their scores in the six aspects. The findings from the overall perceptions of security in the different partitions of the park demonstrated that the highest and lowest means concerned the stay-wait-fun and walk-environmental arts partitions, respectively. The differences between the overall perceptions of security in the different partitions were statistically significant. That is, citizens’ perception of security in the different partitions of Sorkhe-Hesar Park can explain their decisions to visit or not visit them to a great extent. The perception of security in the different partitions of the park can be enhanced through use of citizens as a contributing factor, establishment of more security posts and police and municipality patrols, use of CCTV, establishment of weekend markets, construction and development of educational and cultural centers such as mosques and libraries and presentation of courses in various fields, enhancement of cellular coverage, equipment of less crowded passages with proper lighting, installation of cluster lights in clusters, etc.
Urban Design
sajjad zolfigol; mehrdad Karimi moshaver
Abstract
A quick view of the public spaces in each city would reveal the role of the square as a built environment. Assessment of “city life” involves a qualitative evaluation of different activities and the way different people perform them (group or individual activities, state of activities, the ...
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A quick view of the public spaces in each city would reveal the role of the square as a built environment. Assessment of “city life” involves a qualitative evaluation of different activities and the way different people perform them (group or individual activities, state of activities, the time of each activity). An environment that plays the role of an urban node in cities is recognized as the place of presence of different social groups and the physical realm of sustainable social interaction. The latest urban developments, expansion of cities and increased number of vehicles make squares act as a node to solve the traffic problem of cities while the first-made squares were intended for the presence of humans and social relationships in urban realms. In fact, prior to addressing the effect of humans and environment (separately without considering their relationship) on urban design and urban space, it is essential to understand their relations, the ways they are related, and the causes and effects of such relationships. Indeed, human, environment and their relationship should be considered in the urban design process. The relation between humans and environment is a process that connects them and provides the possibility of social interactions. Urban space is full of actions and reactions of people with specific behaviors and behavior settings. People’s presence in public spaces and social communities, the dynamic behavior of users, increased people’s spirit and appropriate use of public space are helpful in having a prosperous and dynamic society. Therefore, human activity, as a determining factor in improving the form and meaning attributes of a place, can result in vitalizing and diversifying the place. The behavior setting theory announces that it can be considered as a basic unit for an environment that simultaneously includes physical and social factors in the whole frame and affects user behavior. Behavior settings are real units of environment that naturally occur and are identifiable for people inside those settings because they have relationships with their daily life. The significance of the relationship between humans and urban environment, especially squares that have a vital role in urban spaces, reveals the importance of this research. The primary goal of this research is reviewing the relationship between users and environmental quality in order to improve intelligent designs for people. This practical research applies such techniques as documentary review, non-participant observation and survey. Field notes were obtained through observation and perception of users’ behaviors. The obtained data was analyzed in SPSS22 software. The analyses, conducted for several distinct purposes, overlap to some extent, while, at the same time, leaving many other possible applications behind. While a design framework is often cited as the reason for conducting these analyses, a still more systematic way to approach behavior analyses in urban design is required with the potential to supplement and extend the traditional methods with new layers referring to temporary and spatial behavior. The result points out that people are equally involved with social and physical aspects of Bu Ali Sina square. The users prefer behavior settings that provide the grounds for gathering, creating social behaviors, visiting friends and strangers, and doing different activities with a unifying meaning.
Urban Design
Azin Hajiahmadi Hamedani; h m; l j
Abstract
Evaluation of every environment’s image is not just the result of impressions made by its external attributes on the mind of the observer. It is, however, created by the imagination of the observer. A city is lodged by a wide variety of people whose evaluation of the images they form in their mind ...
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Evaluation of every environment’s image is not just the result of impressions made by its external attributes on the mind of the observer. It is, however, created by the imagination of the observer. A city is lodged by a wide variety of people whose evaluation of the images they form in their mind is critical. The desirability of urban environments for various social strata, especially for women, depends on the relationship between human beings and the environment as well as their priorities and preferences. The distinctive characteristics of women in terms of feelings, sensation and evaluation of the environment should not be preferred over one anonther. To achieve a realistic and true viewpoint, it is impossible to ignore the interests and preferences of the citizens in relation to their living place. Since the relationship between an individual and their surrounding environment is formed in various levels such as the individual (e.g. feeling, perception, values, mental experiences, etc.) and social level (e.g. various social groups or the ones which are similar in terms of age and sex), it is better to examine the characteristics of various groups and social strata on the same level. The interpretations and mental images and meanings formed by women are unique depending on their values, priorities and experiences. There are some factors affecting the recognition of pleasantness attributes in urban space in women’s view, inducing what attracts women’s attention in the environments, how they are memorized, their mental image and their evaluation of the percieved space and the environmental preferences in selecting a desirable location. This article examines the factors affecting women mental image in order to allow the creation of a favorable environment from the perspective of this social group. It evaluates the preferences of their space. What is important is to identify and assess the main criteria for women in determining the optimum location with respect to the meaning derived from evaluated images. The aim of this research was to improve desirability of the environment from the perspective of women as well as their right to choose and evaluate the image of public spaces of Tehran. The research method is based on the techniques developed by Jack L. Nasar. In Nasar’s study, a phenomenological hermeneutic approach is used to describe the connotations and emotions image representation of women in the experience of urban spaces desirable / undesirable and nature of development of the city of Tehran. For this purpose, 15 in-depth interviews were conducted through purposive sampling. Interviews were recorded and the obtained data was written in the form of tables. Repeatability analysis was performed on the data. The results indicate that the optimal site selected through women’s mental image of highly desirable locations is associated with the concepts of freedom, justice, place dignity, socio-cultural prestige, historical identity, beauty, being stylish and full of details, quiet and cozy, vast but with privacy, green, happy mood and health.
Urban Design
elham zabetian
Abstract
A public urban space is successful when it attracts the citizens. The climate and thermal comfort conditions are factors affecting the usage pattern of sidewalks in public urban spaces. In general, awareness of sensory information and understanding of their complex process is called perception. Psychological ...
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A public urban space is successful when it attracts the citizens. The climate and thermal comfort conditions are factors affecting the usage pattern of sidewalks in public urban spaces. In general, awareness of sensory information and understanding of their complex process is called perception. Psychological aspects and their impact on the evaluation of thermal comfort makes a different perception of thermal sensation. Adaptation is the most important psychological factor affecting thermal comfort perception. Thus, the present article tries to develop an empirical model based on the studies assessing thermal psychological adaptation that can be tested in the future researches on several urban spaces. The empirical model is constructed through a conceptualization process based on a study of the basics and successful experiences worldwide. The model’s accuracy was first improved through inquiring ideas from 27 experts in this field and, second, taking advantage of Delphi’s reciprocal method. In the next stage, the aspects, scales and the subscales in the empirical model were ranked based on analytic hierarchical method (AHP). Expert Choice was used to determine each scale’s weight relative to its counterpart. In fact, the empirical model was applied to evaluate the studied concept. The model has two parts: a part assessing sense of place and another part assessing the psychological adaptation of thermal comfort. Based on the results, it can be argued that a model is necessary for blending the objective and subjective issues influencing the assessment of an individual’s adaptation for moving towards comfort in an urban space, because adaptation is a very important capability in enhancing the individuals’ presence in an urban space. Psychological reasons are the most important factors contributing to the adaptation enhancement. On the other hand, based on the studies conducted on the sense of place (that can be classified into various levels from alienation to devotion to place), such a sense can be effective in the creation of psychological adaptation that, in turn, is influential on the perceptions of comfort. Comfort is a multifaceted concept with many aspects that renders any research complicated. Thus, as an entry for such types of studies within the context of the urban design, this study attempts to concentrate only on one of its most important parts, i.e. thermal comfort. As it can be understood from a review of the global experiences in regard to thermal comfort perception, the thermal comfort perception and the thermal sense of individuals differ: the citizens can adapt themselves to the environmental comfort conditions for certain reasons (stemming from various levels of sense of place based on the findings of the current research), or, quite inversely, they could have lower adaptation threshold and leave the environment. The empirical model designed for assessing the relationship between the sense of place and thermal psychological adaptation in an urban space consists of various levels that are influenced by the individual factors. Thus, making plans for managing citizens’ behaviors in the urban space is a factor more important than physical planning to enhance citizens’ perceived level of comfort.
Urban Design
Volume 6, Issue 21 , February 2016, , Pages 29-38
Abstract
Safety is one of the most fundamental human needs and is a prerequisite for improvement of people’s welfare and health. In Maslow’s pyramid having safety is placed at the second step meaning that after physiological needs, safety is the most important need of human being that ...
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Safety is one of the most fundamental human needs and is a prerequisite for improvement of people’s welfare and health. In Maslow’s pyramid having safety is placed at the second step meaning that after physiological needs, safety is the most important need of human being that causes higher needs to be achieved and on the other hand enables people to attend public spaces. People cannot show up in an urban space without the sense of safety and therefor some dissonance will emerge when a space is vacant of people. The lack of safety is a remarkable reason that makes our public spaces unsuccessful. Thus, safety is essential for social life in public spaces. There are different methods to make a space safe for people but the most important of them are the dispositional approach and positional approach. CPTED is a positional approach effective in increasing safety in a space and aims to prevent the occurrence of crime. This method relies upon the ability to influence offender decisions that precede criminal act by designing the space in an effective way. Urban designers and planners can enhance the qualities of social life through appropriate environmental design suggested by CPTED. Akhoond district in Qazvin is an important district because of its history dating back to the Safavid period and even now many people still live there. Therefore, it is very important to investigate this district in terms ofsecurity. The center of Akhoond district is one of the most traditional spaces in Qazvin city and had been a good place for residents of adjacent districts to communicate with each other in past decades. However, currently the majority of its residents believe that insecurity and social disorders are the most serious difficulties of the district which have resulted in an unpleasant sense of place and loss of its social identity. The center of this district was redesigned in 2008 with the purpose of revival and animation[H1] of place, but security levels are still perilous. This paper first explains the concept of safe urban space and then introduces CPTED and its principals, theorists and studies. This is followed by an analysis of cases designed by CPTED principals. Finally, the case study of this paper,_center of Akhoond district, _ is evaluated according to CPTED strategies through a comparative-descriptive method by observing the space and social behaviours and subsequently some solutions are proposed. Research findings show that in designing the mentioned space the matter of safety has not been considered and consequently led to a high number of criminal acts. Hidden corners, inappropriate activities in and around the space and shortage of efficient surveillance are observed. Therefore, the proposed solution omits the spaces that allow criminals to commit crimes in that district. This way people will live in a safe environment and can use the space without fear.
Urban Design
neda khaziri afravi
Volume 4, Issue 15 , August 2015, , Pages 69-82
Abstract
Security is one of the factors improving the quality of urban spaces. Desirable and functional design of constructed space leads to reduction of crime and increase of urban space quality. A secure urban space encourages appropriate activities and limits inappropriate activities; hence, these urban spaces ...
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Security is one of the factors improving the quality of urban spaces. Desirable and functional design of constructed space leads to reduction of crime and increase of urban space quality. A secure urban space encourages appropriate activities and limits inappropriate activities; hence, these urban spaces as well as their type will affect the rate of occurrence of crime and violence in the city. By increasing the presence and supervision of citizens, the level of social interaction in urban spaces increases and security would therefore be added to the environment as well. One of the main aims of creating security is promotion of quality in the field of urban spaces. Desirable and functional design of constructed spaces leads to an increase in the number of citizens present which results in a fall in crime rates and a rise in sidewalk quality. An urban physical structure aimed at creating interaction between humans and the environment is the latest approach for dealing with reduction of urban crimes in the form of physical and social dimensions. The impact of this approach is more evident in the formation of the framework and thus social functions and trends. The purpose of this study is the improvement of urban sidewalk quality in order to increase environmental security. Investigation of pedestrian security with a physical approach to the environment as well as the use of sidewalks by citizens is essential and necessary. In this regard, Golestan Boulevard in the city of Ahvaz, despite regional and trans-regional performance levels, suffers from lack of interaction and consequently lack of quality and security. Therefore, it is important to increase the presence of people in the urban flow of the city .The research method employed in this study is descriptive- correlation which has been extracted using a theoretical framework. Thus, after the division of space into three sequences and in accordance with the space criteria of each sequence described, the data matrix was drawn. After physical and functional analysis based on existing urban flows, the presence of people in this area was measured. For quantifying the amount of presence in the spaces, LOS or level of service was used. Accordingly, after collecting information regarding the presence of car users and pedestrians in the area by encoding the information, the amount of time spent in the urban space based on function and subsequent supervision by car users and pedestrians within the framework and micro and macro functions, was analyzed. Data collection was undertaken via interviews and field observations. The results of the compiled information based on the effects of one component of space (flow) on the other components (physical and functional), was reviewed which showed that the greater presence of people would improve urban space quality. Finally, factors increasing space security are presented.
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.
Urban Design
. .
Volume 4, Issue 14 , May 2015, , Pages 47-60
Abstract
The main objectives of urban designers is the creation of responsible urban space for all social groups by understanding the qualities and spatial needs in the city to operate in such a way as to promote environmental quality and create a suitable base for urban life. The basic function of the city lies ...
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The main objectives of urban designers is the creation of responsible urban space for all social groups by understanding the qualities and spatial needs in the city to operate in such a way as to promote environmental quality and create a suitable base for urban life. The basic function of the city lies in the abundance of community activities and public areas of the city, a place to display the different social lives of individuals and social groups, including women. Urban space does not only have a physical dimension but also social and symbolic aspects that are particularly relevant to the social construction of gender relations. Public space is where gender roles are carved, codified and fractured. Inevitably, gender causes differences. These differences appear in the needs, activities and subsequent behavior. Furthermore, any behavior needs its physical setting. Thus, creating the appropriate urban spaces that could be responsive to the needs of women and the relationship between the environment and their activities will affect conditions and rate of use of available urban spaces. This article describes how to design urban spaces with the aim of promoting women's needs in daily life and adresses their interests and experiences in the public domain. Since women’s major place of presence and activity has traditionally been in or near the home, neighborhood open space is chosen as a relevant case study. First, a literature review was conducted concerning gender and urban space, women’s activities and behavioral patterns approach, and on the basis of this theoretical framework, the research hypotheses are developed. The research emphasizes on socio-cultural and behavioral factors. The specific goal of this research was to identify criteria that affect the factors affecting women’s activities in urban spaces. For this purpose, the criteria that were extracted from the studies including physical conditions, safety and security, activity time and location, accessability, sociability and population absorption were tested. Finally, behaviors and activities in urban place were analyzed by examining women's experience of public spaces. Both descriptive and analytical research methods were used in this research along with index technique for studying the criteria. The research methodology included a review of the principles and experiences, conceptualization, extraction of the criteria that were applied in the form of a questionnaire (Likert scale) to determine the sample size and statistically analyze a neighborhood called Poonak District (20 m Golestan Street), Tehran, Iran in 2009. The sample population consisted of 90 middle-class women over 18 years of age. Finally, the recommended strategies in urban design are outlined. Thr results indicate that an increase in safety and security, time of activity, and sociability in urban areas lead to an increase in women’s activities. Furthermore, recommendations were provided for addressing changes to research and practice in order to better reflect and accommodate diverse experiences of public space.
Urban Design
a k; j s
Volume 3, Issue 9 , February 2014, , Pages 59-68
Abstract
Today, with increasing development of small towns and large urban areas lacking desirable urban spaces, compatibility of urban areas with the needs of residents is the focus of experts. Metropolitan areas have a unique role in fulfilling the personal and social needs of children and adolescents. These ...
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Today, with increasing development of small towns and large urban areas lacking desirable urban spaces, compatibility of urban areas with the needs of residents is the focus of experts. Metropolitan areas have a unique role in fulfilling the personal and social needs of children and adolescents. These spaces account for a great deal of time and daily life residents, including children and adolescents and from a human sciences engineering viewpoint the enhancement of these spaces can be effective in improving the quality of health and physical strength, strengthening social interaction and group cohesion, and fostering creativity in children and adolescents. Ideally, neighborhoods and communities must have social spaces in order to easily express social and cultural principles and their exchanges for children. Usually, in urban planning, despite the human, social, economic and natural justifications for the city and its future, not much attaention is paid to factors affecting population structures, one of which is children. Studies have shown that Qazvin is taking the first steps toward the “child-friendly city”. However, taking into account the historical, cultural and natural features of Qazvin, more efforts need to be made to achieve this important aim. Analysis of children’s opinions in order to fulfill their needs and desires has encouraged effective organizations, especially the Municipality of Qazvin, to adopt strategies and take further action. The research method used in this paper is based on cross-sectional and library studies, documents and field surveys, and has an applied aspect. This paper answers the questions of what the ideal city is from a child’s perspective and how the urban environment can instil a strong sense of belonging in a child using participatory methods such as questionnaires, drawings, essays and interviews of 130 children regarding the city, urban spaces and their activities were collected. Firstly, comprehensive information concerning places of interest and places where children had less interest was collected. Results showed that children are more interested in the "home" (25/4%) and "play ground" (18%) than any other urban spaces. In addition, children viewed the "street" as having an unpleasant atmosphere. Secondly, favorite activities of children were studied. This study showed that "physical activity" (18 percent) and "playing with others" (13%) were activities that children paid most attention to. Thirdly, the features of the ideal city from a child’s perspective were looked at. Children’s paintings showed that "nature" (20/86%) and "spaces for children, such as children's cinema and children’s play time" (13/91%), were spaces that children referred to in their ideal city. In conclusion, some recommendations are made for realizing the ideal city from the child’s perspective.
