Urban Design
m h; sh e; enayat alah mohaghegh nasab
Abstract
At the present time, children’s rights and their participation in urbanism have found a special place in the world’s urbanism experiences. This approach allows children to influence and contribute to the planning and design of their environment. Since creating urban spaces in participatory ...
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At the present time, children’s rights and their participation in urbanism have found a special place in the world’s urbanism experiences. This approach allows children to influence and contribute to the planning and design of their environment. Since creating urban spaces in participatory process focuses on the stakeholders’ ideas, making suitable urban spaces for children necessitates their cooperation in the planning and design processes. Also, because of children’s different point of view of the city comparing to adults’, children’s participation methods will be different in urban planning and design process. Applying descriptive analysis method, this article reviews children’s participation concepts and process in creating children-friendly urban spaces. A pattern will be extracted for children’s participation process in the city to answer the questions of how to codify a participatory pattern based on teaching and creating a common language with children and what is the meaningful relationship between trained children’s ideas and suggestions and other substituent groups in planning and designing the city. In this research, it has been attempted to hold up educational sessions and workshops on urbanism for children to provide a suitable platform for their voluntary participation in the city of Sede Lenjan. In this way, children’s opinion, as the main involved group, can be investigated in friendly spaces and their suggestions and ideas can be adjusted properly to designers’ ideas. For this purpose, 128 children were trained and answered the distributed questionnaire. Findings of the research showed that the research process aimed at increasing children’s participation and creating a common language among them and other stakeholders and designers was efficient. It thus can be used very well in children’s participatory programs. Also, the findings of descriptive and inferential statistics (Pierson- Chi-squared) showed that children’s ideas had a huge difference with those other stakeholders and designers, emphasizing the necessity of using children’s active participation in the programs more than ever. The results of this research showed that seven steps should be considered in order to create a practical model of children participation: (1) researcher’s field studies; (2) publicizing and generalizing the research; (3) determining optimal sample among children; (4) teaching the participatory process and creating a common language with children; (5) survey of children to use their opinions in designing; (6) designing via the comments raised in the fifth step; (7) process modeling. The final results of data analysis revealed that what the designer group found by their presence in the city and discussing, observing and surveying the facilities, problems and design priorities was different with the reality of children’s life in the city because of children’s different understanding of their own unique needs and spaces. Also, city administrators, parents, residents and other social groups could not be a good substitute for children group, as their opinions had a huge difference with children’s opinions. Therefore, it is necessary to emphasize a participatory process that considers direct viewpoints of children in designing child-friendly urban spaces.
Urban Sustainability
Samaneh Heidari; Golnaz Mortezaei
Abstract
Highlights The effect of some urban planning criteria on wind flow has been evaluated through a new method called Large Eddy Simulation. Simulation analysis of different scenarios confirmed that among density, lot coverage ratio and altitude, lot coverage ratio is the most influential parameter on the ...
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Highlights The effect of some urban planning criteria on wind flow has been evaluated through a new method called Large Eddy Simulation. Simulation analysis of different scenarios confirmed that among density, lot coverage ratio and altitude, lot coverage ratio is the most influential parameter on the air flow. Examining the effect of only density factor on air flow cant lead us to good conclusions about how wind flows. Fluctuations in different scenarios indicate that at the beginning and the end of the streets, the wind speed is faster than the middle. Introduction Along with the rapid growth of urbanization and the issues of global warming, environmental pollution, the urban heat island, and climate change, thermal comfort has turned into one of the most influential factors in adaptation of the design of climate-related urban open spaces. Today, the high temperature in human-made areas has doubled the need to consider thermal comfort in open urban spaces. Thus, wind flow is regarded as one of the most influential climatic parameters, where the speed and movement of the wind affect human thermal comfort. Theoretical Framework The traditional architecture and urban planning applied in the city of Isfahan, Iran makes up a unique local examples of Iranian architecture, which has been forced to provide many climatic solutions due to the hot, dry climatic conditions. In the past half century, however, a new pattern has emerged in building massing models as a result of the changes in the forms of housing space into different types of dense multi-family housing. Due to their extension and pervasiveness in Iran, these terraced housing models can be considered as part of the new urban planning trend in the country. Because of the increase in density and building surface ratios, however, part of the self-purification capacity of the urban environment has vanished, and certain construction models have become common in different climates with unfavorable conditions. As many cities are looking for solutions to apply compression and massing as far as possible, the drawbacks of the previous model have become more prominent, and a need has arisen for solutions to the current situation, in order to reduce the probable adverse consequences in the future. The consequences that may arise from this trend include a lack of thermal comfort in open urban spaces, an increase in heat exchange between indoor and outdoor spaces, and a rise in energy loss as a result. A master plan and an auxiliary force to urban designers and planners, the Booklet for Urban Planning and Building Regulations of the city of Isfahan always seeks to modify this pattern in the current situation. In the present study, therefore, attempts are made to consider the existing directions in the booklet and examine the role of physical factors in wind flow and its extent in the new fabric of the city. Methodology Due to its applied nature, this research uses the descriptive-analytical method and documentary and field techniques for data collection. Moreover, the large eddy simulation (LES) model is used for analysis of the defined scenarios. Results and Discussion. In order to achieve its purposes, the present study was designed in three phases. Thus, the effective physical indicators were first extracted through examination of the theoretical foundations related to thermal comfort, and their overlap with the directions in the Booklet for Urban Planning and Building Regulations of Isfahan was then studied. In the final step, LES was conducted through definition of the probable scenarios based on terrace housing models of the dominant line in the new fabric of Isfahan. An analysis of the simulation of different scenarios confirmed that an increase in lot coverage ratio, among the extracted indicators, caused a sharp decrease in speed ratio, while an increase in building height led to a decrease in speed ratio, and density exhibited a different effect, which could be interpreted along with the other criteria. Conclusion Based on the results, lot coverage ratio is the most effective parameter on air flow in the area, and density is not a suitable criterion for such measurement. Moreover, the effect of a change in lot coverage ratio on wind speed is greater than that of a change in building height. As for passage width, the fluctuations in speed ratio on narrow streets are far more limited than those on wide alleys and streets. Thus, speed is higher at the beginning and end of an alley than at the middle. In scenarios where building height is set between 10.5 and 14 meters, therefore, proper conditions are provided for urban air quality, ventilation, and air pollution.
Urban Sustainability
seyed abdollah hakimi; majid, nasiri
Abstract
Highlights - The three components of change in management style, domestic and foreign political stability and legal are the main elements of international contracts.- Sister city is a simple connection between cities that takes place in order to cooperate on common features and develop relationships.- ...
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Highlights - The three components of change in management style, domestic and foreign political stability and legal are the main elements of international contracts.- Sister city is a simple connection between cities that takes place in order to cooperate on common features and develop relationships.- ISM structural-interpretive modeling method was used to level the factors affecting the conclusion of contracts between.-Despite the importance and application of the international entrepreneurship development component, it is located at the most superficial level of the constituent elements. IntroductionOne of the most important factors in urban sustainability is to achieve a sustainable model for financial resources to supply the current construction costs of a city, which makes it possible to invest in the system of infrastructures for urban development.A highly significant task in recent decades is to make interactional contracts directly effective on economic issues. A sister city agreement may positively influence the services provided by the local government or reinforce its financial position and affect the development of the local government sector (Buis, 2009: 190-194). However, the costs of such an agreement may be higher than its advantages, according to the literature (De Villiers, 2009: 149-156). Another problem concerns how to develop a sister-city cooperation (Indriyati et al., 2016: 156-164). The current study aimed at rating the factors effective on international sister-city-based contracts using the sustainable income approach adopted by the municipalities. Theoretical FrameworkAlthough scientific research on sister cities is quite new, inter-city international cooperation is not a new phenomenon, and cooperation in urban settlements has existed for more than 200 years.The purpose of urban sister-city partnership is to unite people to enhance mutual understanding and to increase mutual benefit by sharing new knowledge and opportunities (Shaw & Karlis, 2002: 44 - 44), which has turned into a powerful tool for generation of capacity, learning, and economic and social development in developing countries. The term sister city was introduced by Dwight Eisehower in the 12th century. It aims to establish relations and peace among community members all over the world (Tambunan, 2017: 171 - 171).The sister-city project began in 1951, and was developed in the United States in 1956 (Sitinjak et al., 2014). Traditionally, all local governments around the world have assumed the role of establishing political and cultural relations (Chung & Mascitelli, 2008). MethodologyIn order to rate the factors effective on the process of making international sister-city-based contracts with a focus on the sustainable incomes of the municipalities, the Interpretational-Structural Modeling (ISM) method was used. Results and DiscussionBased on the results obtained by the research model, the most fundamental (fourth-level) constituent elements of international sister-city-based contracts that led to sustainable municipal revenues included the three components of change in management style, stability of domestic and foreign policies, and law. The five components of staff training, stakeholder accountability, consideration of the market, support packages, and investment opportunities occurred at the third level. The two components of people’s participation and social exchanges occurred at the second level. Finally, the five components of foreign investment attraction, private-sector investment attraction, international entrepreneurship development, tourism growth, and operations were the most superficial (first-level) constituent elements. ConclusionAccording to the results, the three parameters of change in management style, stability of domestic and foreign policies, and law are the most infrastructural (level four) elements in international sister-city-based contracts leading to sustainable incomes for the municipalities. The most super-structural elements include the five parameters of foreign investment attraction, private sector investment attraction, international entrepreneurship development, tourism growth, and operation. In experts’ opinion, the first step that needs to be taken for making international sister-city-based contracts functioning favorably and leading to sustainable incomes for the municipalities is to provide political stability, legal reforms, and managerial methods. The reciprocal relationship between the stability of internal and domestic policies and the legal parameter demonstrated that the internal and domestic policy stability might lead to the realization of legal goals, as with bilateral agreements between countries. Conversely, the expansion of friendly relationships and commercial exchanges provided the requirements for promotion of domestic political efficiency and increase in political power at the international level.Improvement of the above three parameters or the two parameters of change in management style and law made it possible to improve the parameter of staff training. This is particularly important in regard to the change in management style, since improvement of the organizational entrepreneurial culture in municipalities heavily depended on the method of passive and entrepreneurial management in these organizations. Moreover, improvement of the legal conditions and increase in exchanges with other cities would enable official and nonofficial education of the municipality staff. The improvement of the staff training parameter made it possible to improve responsibility to beneficiaries and pay greater attention to the market (domestic and foreign) and to increase support for entrepreneurs and money-making plans. All these factors could be effective in provision of commercial opportunities. On the other hand, enabling commercial opportunities could improve encouragement and support, enhance the concern for new, innovative aspects of the market, increase responsibility to beneficiaries, and, consequently, raise the possibility of awareness and staff training.Improvement of responsibility to beneficiaries at level two, which is dependent on the appropriate performance of other parameters from level three and level four, could enable people’s participation and cooperation with municipalities, which is now important in achievement of goals concerning urban and regional development; thus, development is impossible without people’s cooperation. Improvement of people’s participation could increase social exchange with municipalities at the domestic and foreign levels. Conversely, increase in social exchange could enable people’s greater participation. Increase in social exchange at level one could also make it possible to achieve goals and operational plans, representing an example of participatory development. Operationalization of the employment and money-making plans of municipalities could enable the growth of tourism activities and improve entrepreneurship spaces at the domestic and foreign levels, leading to the attraction of foreign and private-sector investments, which could in turn contribute to the development of international entrepreneurship, of which urban tourism growth is an important, money-making aspect, helping municipalities achieve project goals and operational plans.
Urban Ecology
shler katorani
Abstract
Environmental pollution has attracted greater attention than ever before in the past three decades. On the other hand, noise pollution in cities is a global issue in most countries, considered today as one of the most important environmental problems. Noise pollution level is rising for various reasons ...
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Environmental pollution has attracted greater attention than ever before in the past three decades. On the other hand, noise pollution in cities is a global issue in most countries, considered today as one of the most important environmental problems. Noise pollution level is rising for various reasons such as the increase in population density, the increase in the number of motor vehicles in cities, establishment of industries adjacent to cities, and expansion of construction. The harmful effects of noise pollution on humans do not occur directly in the short run, but the short-term persistence has a significant long-term impact on man. Consequently, the physiological and psychological effects of noise on humans often emerge gradually, affecting the human nervous system in the long run, with negative consequences. In most of the world’s developed and developing countries, the issue of noise pollution has been attended to, and anti-pollution laws have been formulated and enforced. Given the role of noise pollution in the well-being of people in the community, it is of great importance to model and simulate sound transmission, partition noise pollution, and identify areas with excessive noise levels. The purpose of this study was to specify the level of noise pollution in the city of Sanandaj, Iran and its relationship with anxiety level. Therefore, fifty stations with residential, commercial, residential-commercial, and green space land uses were selected, and equivalent sound level was measured using an acoustic device and compared to the standard noise pollution level. In the next step, the obtained data were interpolated using the IDW geostatistical method in the ARCGIS10.4 software due to the lower error rate. The Hamilton questionnaire was then used for investigation of the effect of noise pollution on the citizens’ level of anxiety. The number of distributed questionnaires was 400, of which 351 could be referred to. The results indicated that mean equivalent sound level at all the examined stations was 71,621 dB. On average, the highest noise pollution concerned the commercial sector, followed by the residential-commercial sector, with equivalent sound levels of 73.70 and 71.32 dB, respectively, 60 dB higher than the allowed maximum according to the standard set by Iranian Department of Environment. The results of partitioning demonstrated that the central parts of the city had high levels of pollution. According to the statistical results, there were significant differences in equivalent sound level between all the land uses. The results obtained from the distributed questionnaires showed that there were significant relationships between the demographic variables and level of anxiety. People exposed to noise pollution were the most vulnerable group in terms of increased anxiety level. 54.42% of the respondents reported a high mean level of citizen anxiety, 21.46% reported a moderate level, and 26.82% reported a low level. The results demonstrated that there were significant relationships between the variables. Thus, the higher the noise pollution resulting from congestion, the higher the level of anxiety. The study showed that mean equivalent sound level was higher than the allowed maximum in the area under investigation. Therefore, it was suggested that there should be planning to reduce the noise pollution level and, consequently, the citizens’ level of anxiety along with an enhancement of well-being.
Urban Management
Andishe Ariana; Gholamreza Kazemian; Mahmoud Mohammadi
Abstract
Conflicts between urban regeneration stakeholders prevent full utilization of their participation capacities in areas with urban decline, and plans have not been fully realized as a result of conflicts since participation is a key element in urban regeneration. The main purpose of this study was to present ...
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Conflicts between urban regeneration stakeholders prevent full utilization of their participation capacities in areas with urban decline, and plans have not been fully realized as a result of conflicts since participation is a key element in urban regeneration. The main purpose of this study was to present the conflict management model of urban regeneration stakeholders in Iran based on institutional theory and collaborative governance. In a case study, the Hemmat-abad neighborhood in the city of Isfahan, Iran was considered according to the history of several measures taken and plans proposed for renovation and improvement of the distressed areas and the failure of the projects so far. Stakeholder conflict management can balance disagreements and conflicts between stakeholders of urban regeneration and lead to interaction, partnership, and collaboration among them, providing creativity and effectiveness and improving the implementation processes of urban regeneration projects. This article aimed to present a model for conflict management of urban regeneration stakeholders in Iran based on institutional theory and collaborative governance using the method of qualitative content analysis for the Hemmat-abad neighborhood. The components of the proposed conceptual model were presented through an investigation of the foundations of institutional theory and basic concepts including urban regeneration, stakeholder conflict management, and collaborative governance. Then, the proposed model was tested and analyzed for the Hemmat-abad neighborhood using the method of qualitative content analysis. For this purpose, the transcripts of the interviews made with the key stakeholders and the documents on reconstruction of the neighborhood were used after identification of the key stakeholders and their main conflicts. Finally, the conflict management model of urban regeneration stakeholders in regard to Hemmat-abad was derived. For presentation of the proposed model, the main stakeholders were classified using the power-interest matrix. After the identification of the key stakeholders, the types of conflict (cognitive conflicts, conflicts of objectives or interests, normative conflicts, and conflicts of relationships) between them were specified, along with the status of each in the intervention management process for regeneration of the Hemmat-abad neighborhood, to suit different conflict management styles (competition, collaboration, compromise, and avoidance). According to this model for Hemmat-abad, identified conflicts in accordance with the collaborative style held the highest priority to enter the proposed management model due to the lack of experience in the competition management strategy. A collaboration cycle could thus be established at the prescribed stage. In this model, three collaborative processes were used, including involvement and principled participation, capacity for joint action, and shared motivation using conflict resolution techniques, face-to-face dialogue in particular. In this case, dialogue was utilized as negotiation in order to establish the four components of trust-building, legitimacy, understanding, and common commitment with respect to the subject of conflict, leading to consensus between the conflicting parties. Thus, decision-making for achievement of a win-win situation means to meet the demands and expectations of both parties of the conflict. With effective conflict management between stakeholders, the proposed model was found to play an effective role in capacity-building and enhancement of the efficiency of the Hemmat-abad neighborhood renovation plan.
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 Sustainability
seyed majid mofidi shemirani; seyedeh maryam hoseini; haniyeh sanayeiyan; gholamreza japalaghi
Abstract
Throughout the past century, cities have lost their vital connection with the nature due to the fundamental changes in their functions and physical forms. The development of urbanization and attachment of villages to metropolises in recent years have led to destruction of vegetation in these regions. ...
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Throughout the past century, cities have lost their vital connection with the nature due to the fundamental changes in their functions and physical forms. The development of urbanization and attachment of villages to metropolises in recent years have led to destruction of vegetation in these regions. The importance of identifying the effects of cities on their climates can be indicated only through accurate research and quantitative assessment. The overall increase in air temperature as a result of urbanization is 1-3 degrees Celsius. In stable climatic conditions, however, the air temperature difference between urban and suburban areas can be as high as 10 degrees Celsius. Increasing the amount of vegetation, planting trees, and developing ecological networks are some of the effective passive methods available for improvement of microclimates. Similar methods have been used in the ancient cities of Iran, where the temperature inside the cities has always been lower than that of the surrounding areas due to the utilization of a special type of urban planning which has been capable of providing appropriate climatic conditions at micro scale by controlling climatic elements. Ozgol is one of the northern neighborhoods of Tehran, where green spaces have diminished as a result of the development process and space quality at the centralized focal points has decreased. This study attempted to identify the relationship between green areas and temperature decrease on the hottest day of the year to help improve the quality of the public spaces and increase thermal comfort at the focal points of the neighborhood. This research used a hybrid methodology based on logical reasoning and software-assisted assessment to study a site in the Ozgol neighborhood under two conditions: current status and optimal design. The data on the current situation of the neighborhood were obtained by field measurements, and those on the latter situation were obtained via computer simulation and addition of plants to the area. Then, the PMV model was used for assessment of the comfort conditions and specification of the exact effect of plants on microclimate elements. The two conditions were compared, and the impact of urban design with plants on environment quality was evaluated. The evaluation criteria included temperature and relative humidity. The measurements were made at a height of 1.65 meters to prioritize pedestrian comfort. The findings suggested that allocation of a low percentage of city space to greenery can greatly improve microclimatic conditions. The computations indicated that every square meter of green space added to the area under study would expand the comfort zone by 3.71 times. The results also demonstrated that retention of the amount of relative humidity can reduce air temperature by 1.5-2 degrees Celsius. The findings of this study highlighted the significance of preserving the current green spaces over the neighborhood and the necessity of avoiding any change in the land use of the remaining gardens (about 6,000 m2 in the 4-hectare area of the site). The computations also showed that addition of the existing green spaces over the area by 2.69% can expand the area within the range of thermal comfort to twice as wide as the pre-intervention area. One the other hand, the issue of global warming, the 1-degree rise in the world’s temperature during the past century, highlights the value and significance of this 1.5-degree temperature decrease. Thus, it is possible to make significant changes through extension of the results of this study to a larger scale to involve the entire city.
Urban Design
Behzad Rahmani; Hooman Sobouti
Abstract
The major responsibility of urban planning is to plan for all the classes of citizens, resulting in a city filled with health, comfort, and beauty, a city convenient for all the social classes. The disabled face a large number of problems living a social life in cities. It always confronts people with ...
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The major responsibility of urban planning is to plan for all the classes of citizens, resulting in a city filled with health, comfort, and beauty, a city convenient for all the social classes. The disabled face a large number of problems living a social life in cities. It always confronts people with spinal cord injury with problems to interact with the environment outside home and enter the society. Therefore, it is of great significance to resolve the constraints in the urban environment conditions in order to prevent their seclusion. The most common form of disability is motor impairment. The capacities of the environment are reduced in various ways for people with such impairment. Wheelchair users are faced with more restrictions. Some are amputated or paralyzed, others have difficulty maintaining the upper body balance, and most have problems stretching the body. Unfortunately, municipalities have hardly attempted to design urban environments in accordance with the needs of the disabled. Based on Article 2 of the Comprehensive Law for Protection of the Rights of the Disabled, however, all the ministries, organizations, institutions, state corporations, and public and post-revolution entities are required to design and construct/produce buildings, public places, passages, and service instruments so as to make them convenient for everyone with a disability. Sports spaces and venues are considered as one of the most important urban land uses appropriate design of which can play an important role in improvement of the social interaction of the disabled. People with physical disability or motor impairment are currently faced with problems making it to sports venues due to the failure to observe primary standards. Thus, the lack of standard facilities and infrastructures in regard to sports venue and complexes has dramatically reduced their use by the disabled, based on the conducted research. For example, use of public transportation by the disabled and their active, lively presence at sports venues, recreation centers, etc. has been restricted by the inappropriate, non-standard sidewalks, intersections, bridges, furniture, etc. around the city. In other words, the lack of urban facilities and infrastructures to be used by the disabled is quite obvious, and evidence from sample sports centers and interviews with the disabled in Tehran demonstrate that sports buildings and centers associated with the disabled are inappropriate. This research sought to investigate the role of appropriate design of sports complexes in the levels of social interaction of people with physical disability and motor impairment and their social function in the society. It was a hybrid qualitative-quantitative study, combining documentary-library and field research. For a closer examination of the issue, 186 questionnaires were filled out by people with physical disability or motor impairment, and analyzed in SPSS, so that the social conditions of the disabled could be improved, and their levels of interaction could be raised through standardization of sports facilities and infrastructures in Tehran and other Iranian cities. Based on the obtained results, it could be stated that the disabled could not use the equipment at sports venues and complexes conveniently without assistance from others. They encountered problems from the moment they would leave home to the moment they would be back from sports venues, and would therefore prefer to stay home, causing them to suffer psychological crises. The results obtained from the questionnaires demonstrated that design and standardization of sports venues and complexes had direct effects on the social interactions of people in Tehran with physical disability or motor impairment (with a coefficient of determination of 0.85). For improvement of their social status, therefore, projects should be implemented for adaptation of sports venues, public spaces, etc. under full management and supervision of Tehran Municipality.
Urban Sustainability
Zahra Babaei frooshani; Yones Changalvaiee
Abstract
Highlights Evaluation and comparison of key indicators of wind energy flows and their evaluation in the sustainability of urban morphology. Investigation of wind flow in three real urban patterns that represent the three general morphologies of the city of Isfahan. Numerical simulations were performed ...
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Highlights Evaluation and comparison of key indicators of wind energy flows and their evaluation in the sustainability of urban morphology. Investigation of wind flow in three real urban patterns that represent the three general morphologies of the city of Isfahan. Numerical simulations were performed to visualize the steady state of three real urban patterns. Several urban morphological indices were found with high correlation with wind energy indices. Intervention and development strategies to reduce the negative effects of wind flow for urban management of Isfahan. Introduction The development of wind energy in built environments is an old topic concerning sustainable urban residents, which has appealed to many researchers with the enhancement of new technologies and CFD techniques. This work seeks to study wind energy flows from the perspective of urban morphology. Methodology In this research, the average numerical wind data have been collected from Isfahan meteorological station on the hottest day (21 July 2017) and the coldest day (20 January 2018) in the corresponding Iranian year for CFD studies on wind distribution in three urban configurations (traditional, gridded, and high-rise buildings) in local scale, which represents the overall structure of the morphological types in the city of Isfahan, Iran. The CFD have been numerically simulated and illustrated in the ENVI-met and DesignBuilder software to visualize the wind energy results obtained from each urban fabric. Results and Discussion The simulation results demonstrate the following. 1) The results for the traditional fabric based on the maximum value of wind speed and direction obtained from the software include 2.26 m/s on the hottest day and 2.68 on the coldest, lying in the category of gentle breeze based on the Beaufort scale. In terms of the comfort zone for activities such as sitting, standing, and walking, this does not cause problems for citizens, and the texture lies in the comfort zone. 2) The results involving the maximum value of wind speed and direction in the gridded fabric include 2.73 m/s on the hottest day and 2.80 on the coldest. For high-rise buildings, maximum wind speed is 4.26 m/s on the hottest day and 4.08 on the coldest. On the basis of the Beaufort scale, therefore, gridded and high-rise buildings lie in the medium breeze category. Moreover, the comfort zone for the sitting and standing activities in the gridded fabric is not a problem for citizens, but makes them feel a little uncomfortable with the walking activity. For high-rise buildings, however, there are many problems, and citizens feel plenty of discomfort based on the comfort range for the sitting, standing, and walking activities. 3) The results obtained from the study of the two pieces of software demonstrate that the power and accuracy of the numerical simulation made by ENVI-met is greater than that of DesignBuilder due to the focus and design of the former software in the field of urban planning, providing researchers with more accurate documentation. Conclusion The results of the analysis are as follows. 1) The traditional fabric has been designed entirely based on the principles of sustainability. The urban morphological parameters indicate the important role that urban architects and designers can play in optimal energy consumption with respect to wind flow by determining the morphological parametric criteria. 2) The overall analyses of the geometry of the two new fabrics (gridded and high-rise buildings) demonstrate that modern urban planning is in less accordance with the natural environment, including climatic conditions and indigenous culture. 3) The large differences between the three fabrics in terms of the different characteristics of urban morphology and the different effects of wind energy flow indicate the significant effect of urban morphology on potential wind flows, showing that the urban morphological indicators are significantly correlated with wind flow. 4) The results can be used as a practical guide for evaluation of the effects of urban wind flows and their interaction with urban morphology. The methods proposed in this study can be used as maximal analyses made for practical measures taken to reduce the negative effects of wind flow for urban management in Isfahan. Future extensions of this study, which is currently under investigation, will be aimed at a comprehensive examination of all climatic factors affecting urban morphology and, finally, achievement of an optimal, sustainable model for Isfahan and all climates in Iran along with the factors examined in this research.
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
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 Transport
Esfandiar Zebardast; elnaz baghernejhad
Abstract
The analysis of the casual relationship between built environments and travel behavior has been a key issue in the literature on transportation and planning. Residential self-selection is an issue that requires greater elaboration in investigations of built environments and travel behavior. It suggests ...
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The analysis of the casual relationship between built environments and travel behavior has been a key issue in the literature on transportation and planning. Residential self-selection is an issue that requires greater elaboration in investigations of built environments and travel behavior. It suggests that people choose their neighborhoods according to their travel attitudes and preferences. In other words, people who prefer to walk more decide to reside in walkable neighborhoods. Therefore, people walk more because they like to walk. Hence, residential self-selection, which refers to people’s propensity to choose where to live, is based on their travel attitudes. It is therefore essential to explore the impacts of built environments on travel behavior given the roles of travel attitudes, neighborhood preferences, and socio-demographic characteristics in explanation of the relationship. In this paper, structural equation modeling was applied to specify the extent to which the observed patterns of travel behavior could be attributed to the residential built environment, through investigation of the relationship between the built environment and the frequency of non-work travel involving walks in three neighborhoods with different land development patterns in Tehran, Iran. With an identification of the direct and indirect impacts of the factors effective on travel behavior, the following hypotheses were made. 1) If a built-environment element affects travel behavior or another factor directly or indirectly, it has a causal relationship with travel behavior. 2) If the travel attitudes or neighborhood preferences affect the built environment, self-selection could be understood as confounding the casual relationship between the built environment and travel behavior. For testing the above hypotheses, data were collected from 273 questionnaires distributed in three neighborhoods: Moniriye (as a traditional neighborhood), Golestan (as an automobile-oriented neighborhood), and Bime (as a conventional neighborhood). Using exploratory factor analysis, the aspects of built environments were extracted as follows: residential environment characteristics, highway accessibility, public transport accessibility, destination diversity and accessibility, density, and residence preferences. The latter refers to residents’ accessibility preferences/priorities if they wish to move to a new neighborhood. Moreover, the factors effective on travel attitudes, as elicited by exploratory factor analysis, were found to include favoring means of transport other than private cars, dependent on private cars, reducing travel, and favoring private cars. After the specification of the domains of built environment, accessibility preferences/priorities, and travel attitudes, structural equation modeling was applied to identify the relative and casual relationships between the built environment and travel behavior in the three neighborhoods. The evidence from the car-oriented and conventional neighborhoods indicated the causality of the relationship between the built environment and travel behavior. In the traditional neighborhood, however, travel attitudes and neighborhood preferences were found to influence travel behavior directly and indirectly. Nevertheless, the overall comparative assessment of the direct/indirect impacts on travel behavior in the three examined neighborhoods demonstrated that the built environment elements had casual effects on the travel behavior involving walks. For instance, destination diversity and accessibility had direct and indirect impacts on travel behavior in all the three neighborhoods. It could be concluded that enhancement of diversity and public transport accessibility and reduction of highway accessibility played more prominent roles in non-motorized travel behavior. If cities adopt land use policies offering more options to utilize non-motorized means of transport, therefore, many residents would tend to welcome the idea.
Urban Sustainability
Mohammad Mehdi Azizi; samaneh khosravani nezhad
Abstract
Highlights
Analysis of the pedagogical orientation of the planning discipline towards the concept of sustainable development and its position in the academic field
Orientation of the patterns of education towards sustainable development
The predominant orientation in the teaching of ...
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Highlights
Analysis of the pedagogical orientation of the planning discipline towards the concept of sustainable development and its position in the academic field
Orientation of the patterns of education towards sustainable development
The predominant orientation in the teaching of sustainability involves the provision of an independent course on sustainability and environmental concepts and inclusion of instructions on sustainability in the procedure and materials of planning courses
Consideration of the issue of sustainability can be observed formally in the sub-disciplines of urban design and regional planning as one and two optional courses, respectively, in masters studies of educational planning in Iran.
Introduction
The change in the attitude of the urban planning discipline from the growth to the sustainability paradigm resulted from the inefficiency of the discipline and profession in response to environmental concerns around the world since the second half of the twentieth century; this shifted the substantial, procedural orientation of the discipline to the latter dominant paradigm. The result of such a change in attitude in the late twentieth century was reflected worldwide in formal and informal educational planning, and different orientations towards sustainability and sustainable development took shape according to the conditions in each country.
Theoretical Framework
The fundamental question that this article seeks to answer can be raised as follows: given the position of urban planners in plans and programs where they function as specialized managers and coordinators, what is the position of sustainable development with a focus on environmental and social issues in urban planning education, and how can urban development graduates be promoted in the field to improve the quality of professional activities? The purpose of this study is to analyze the pedagogical orientation of the urban planning discipline towards the concept of sustainable development and its position in the academic field, where professionals are trained to work in the profession.
Methodology
It is directly affected by the nature of the field how an emerging idea is addressed in any knowledge. Transition from theory to practice requires the idea to go through the scientific process of education. Education that has adopted its input from research and profession conceptualizes it and transmits it to future students and professionals as educational content–involving the knowledge, skills, and value of urban planning curricula. Thus, different feedbacks can be provided to the profession given the type of acceptance and the way education deals with emerging phenomena and ideas in the field of urban planning. At the same time, there is the missing link between education and profession, which is being moved from the channel of education to profession in the transition towards sustainable development. The specific area and research gap elaborated on in this study is the number of orientation patterns of education towards sustainable development, which are specified based on the research method.
The main tool used in this fundamental qualitative descriptive-analytical method is content analysis, enabled through the capabilities of the SPSS software.
Results and Discussion
The results of the authors’ surveys at 128 universities in 9 different countries demonstrated that the predominant orientation in the teaching of sustainability is to provide an independent course on sustainability and environmental concepts and to teach sustainability in the procedure and materials of urban planning courses. The results can be observed in the case of Iran, as a developing country that strives to move towards sustainability, contrary to the direction taken in the profession corresponding to the discipline. In Iran, the only independent course on sustainability is that entitled Sustainable Urban Development, which is an optional course presented in two theoretical credits. Among all the universities with doctorate programs in urban planning, however, this course is taught only at two, namely the University of Tehran and Tehran University of Art. For a master’s degree in urban planning, on the other hand, it is included in different sub-disciplines of the curricula. Although courses with environmental content and topics are offered in all sub-disciplines, consideration of the issue of sustainability can be observed formally in urban design and regional planning as one and two optional courses, respectively.
Conclusion
The current trend will practically slow down the process of replacing the growth paradigm with the sustainability paradigm and bring about wide gaps therein. However, the proper orientation adopted in the discipline in recent years in regard to education of sustainability and sustainable development conveys the message that the gap will be reduced greatly in the future. This means that the appropriate orientation of the discipline (in education and research) is also reflected in the profession to help responds to the requirements of the field in the right direction. This is especially important in the training of graduates who will be developing plans and programs in the future. Education of sustainability and sustainable development, one of the criteria examined in the Green Metric ranking system, can be considered as a focus of future applied research and as a step forward in its achievement.
Slum Settlements
Kayomars Irandoost; Milad Doostvandi; Kasra Ashouri; seyed mohamad Ghanezade
Abstract
Highlights- Different approaches and policies have been adopted to confront spontaneous urban settlements, which have failed to stop the development process of these settlements.- The informal urban settlement needs to be politically approved in developing countries, such as Iran, as it will be involved ...
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Highlights- Different approaches and policies have been adopted to confront spontaneous urban settlements, which have failed to stop the development process of these settlements.- The informal urban settlement needs to be politically approved in developing countries, such as Iran, as it will be involved in a significant part of the urbanization process.- Presenting a novel approach known as informal armatures, David Gouverneur attempted to adopt a futuristic, protective, realistic perspective on spontaneous urban settlements and to consider administrative, environmental, morphological, planning, and design issues.- In Sanandaj, it can be helpful to consider the informal armatures approach, given that three spatial layers of the spontaneous urban settlement have taken shape so far, and the city can develop in the eastern part of the city. IntroductionDuring the past few decades, there has been widespread immigration to urban centers of wealth for utilization of opportunities and better conditions in prospect due to the dominance of the city-oriented capitalist economy, shortcomings, and failures of governments and official markets, and inequality in southern countries. Along with the inefficiency of governments and urban planning systems in satisfying needs, particularly those for dwelling and employment, this trend has led to spontaneous urban settlements. Therefore, it is essential to provide low-income groups with dwellings and present solutions in accordance with the residents’ financial capability. David Gouverneur presented a novel approach in 2015, which came to be known as informal armatures (IA). He believes that spontaneous urban settlements involve numerous physical and social complexities, and to simplify, the environment, morphology, and administrative aspects need to be balanced. He states that the problems with these settlements can be solved by the people, local governments, and central governments. This research has investigated the informal armatures approach in Sanandaj, Iran.Theoretical frameworkBeyond the theoretical controversies in this regard, the IA approach presents a framework for spontaneous neighborhoods before the occupation of land with a preventive, futuristic attitude. This approach approves of spontaneous urban settlements’ innovative, innate socio-spatial features and adopts this as a point to begin improvement. The conditions that need to be met for a successful IA approach include pre-emptive and transformative nature (political acceptance of the informality, presentation of appropriate public land with participation from the public and private sectors, and instruction of staff capable of implementing the approach), consideration of physical and performative components, hybrid and multi-scalar operations, environment-friendly nature, consideration of flexible planning components, and adaptability to different site conditions. Moreover, corridors, patches, and custodians are major components in planning and design based on the IA approach.MethodologyThe paradigm governing this research is pragmatism, which some contemporary methodologists have considered the foundation of research methodology with hybrid methods. In accordance with this worldview, the conceptual framework of the research has first been extracted besides an examination of the theoretical views on the topic based on Gouverneur’s perspectives in order to provide the background. Then, it was investigated how the approach could be adapted to Sanandaj in line with the research purpose. The statistics required to apply the approach to Sanandaj were extracted from the censuses of individuals and dwellings and the village lexicons, and satellite images and location data on the current state of Sanandaj in ArcGIS were used for the analysis of the spatial conditions of the city.Results and discussionSanandaj is a city with particular topographic features and looks as if located in a space cup due to the highs around the city and the variety of hills inside it. It can be extended mainly on the eastern side. Moreover, three spatial layers of spontaneous urban settlements have taken shape in Sanandaj so far. The first layer is the fixed layer inside the city; the origination dates back to the period between the 1960s and 1980s and is regarded today as the distressed middle area of the city. The second layer involves settlements with backgrounds as villages located within the limits of Sanandaj, which are known today as unconnected urban areas and have been excluded from the informal settlement. A third layer is also taking shape around the city, given the barren lands inside it, including villages with growing populations. The investigations demonstrated that Sanandaj could be considered for pilot research on the application of the IA approach, given its features.ConclusionInspired by the international policies, different approaches have been adopted so far in Iran with respect to spontaneous urban settlements. However, these approaches have failed to stop the extension process of these settlements, and about twelve million of the country’s urban population thus resides in these settlements today. Moreover, all the previous approaches have mainly disregarded the important idea of future development of these settlements and the combination of the planning, morphological, and administrative components, while the IA approach has successfully filled the gap. The informal armatures approach can prevent fundamental problems, particularly in terms of infrastructure, in future spontaneous urban settlements through mutual government-people management and consideration of residents’ financial capability and planning tools such as the interconnection of corridors around the city, provision of patches, and protection of valuable land. Moreover, this approach can contribute significantly as one of the most effective futuristic, collaborative approaches (top-down and bottom-up), as it provides widespread coverage of informal urban settlement in Iran.
Urban Design
yasaman Ghaderi; Seyed Mahdi Khatami
Abstract
HighlightsThe five human senses are known as the window of human communication with the surrounding environment.Perceptions caused by sensory stimuli play an important role in the improvement of the quality of urban space and creation of an atmosphere of memory.In the theoretical foundations and research ...
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HighlightsThe five human senses are known as the window of human communication with the surrounding environment.Perceptions caused by sensory stimuli play an important role in the improvement of the quality of urban space and creation of an atmosphere of memory.In the theoretical foundations and research background section, the library method was used, along with the two methods of sense-walking and sensory notation, used in the section on field studies.The sense of sight exhibits the greatest sensory stimulation, and the sense of taste has the least stimulation.Greater attention is paid to the visual dimension of the environment in today’s designs of commercial spaces. IntroductionThe variety in sensory perceptions creates a quality for the urban space that is known as sensory richness. In other words, sensory richness causes different sensory experiences to take shape and the space to be more responsive ultimately (McGlynn, 2013). The study demonstrates that the sense of eyesight and perception based thereon has received greater attention than the other senses with the emergence of the modern age. Meanwhile, the other senses provide a deeper understanding of space (Khoury, 2006). Therefore, it can be stated that the missing link between urban space and sensory richness involves sufficient attention to all the five human senses. On the other hand, the larger the number of sensory organs involved in the perception of space, the greater its impact and the more complete and more profound the understanding thereof. This will also increase the possibility of the attractiveness, role-playing, and evocativeness of the space and the presence of all members of the society therein. Therefore, it seems that the perceptions caused by sensory stimuli have received less attention from urban designers and scape architects so far in spite of their important role in the specification of the quality of urban space and the creation of a space of memory.Theoretical FrameworkThroughout history, many philosophers have emphasized the need to pay attention to sensory experiences and have challenged the excessive superiority of the sense of eyesight over the others and addressed its pathology. In his book entitled Responsive Environments, Ian Bentley introduced the importance of senses in the specification of the quality of sensory richness in urban spaces and emphasized the need to address non-visual senses. Considering all the senses except eyesight has been an important principle of visual research such as that conducted by Maurice Merleau-Ponty (Bently et al., 2003). Juhani Uolevi Pallasmaa believes that the sense of eyesight separates us from the world, while the others connect and unite us therewith (Pallasmaa, 2012). Mónica Degen uses the term sensory scape in regard to the interdependence of human senses and the simultaneous presence of different sensory experiences in the urban space. This term is derived from the term olfactory scape, which was first mentioned by Porthos (Degen, 2008). Paul Rodaway, who is an expert in the science of human geography, has expressed the concept of sensory geography to regard the structure of the human body as a general positioning system that relies on four sensory groups: eyesight, hearing, smell, and touch (Rodaway, 2002). In the research conducted in the field of scape, various theorists have mentioned three additional senses to the five included in the classical classification, initially made by Aristotle. These include the senses of direction, familiarity, and time. For example, Kevin Andrew Lynch has emphasized the sense of spatial orientation in his book entitled Image of the City. Thinkers such as Wunderlich and Podvin have assumed urban space to involve four dimensions, the fourth being time. They believe that spaces turn over time into places where life flows. These spaces are given more meaning by time-dependent parameters.MethodologyThe method used in this research is descriptive-analytical. In order to collect information and meet the required criteria and metrics, the methods of sensory richness and library information collection were used along with the available books and articles. To carry out field experimentations, the methods of observation and interview were used along with extensive oral questions about the quality of sensory richness, photography, and compilation. The sense-walking and sensory notation methods were used as data collection tools. At first, the library information collection method was used in order to achieve different quality dimensions of sensory richness. The two case studies considered in this research involve Tehran Grand Bazaar and Bamland Shopping Center in Tehran, Iran.Results and DiscussionThe sense of eyesight won the first place in both study areas, although it could be said to be more affected in Bamland Shopping Center than in Tehran Grand Bazaar, with a difference of 3 points. The remarkable point about Tehran Grand Bazaar is that the senses of eyesight and hearing have been given equal points there. This means that the two senses are equally involved in this area, while the second priority in Bamland Shopping Center concerns the sense of touch. The sense of smell, with 18 points, is the second priority in the study area of Tehran Grand Bazaar. The third priority in Bamland Shopping Center pertains to the sense of hearing. The senses of taste and touch are ranked third in Tehran Grand Bazaar, with a score of 14, while the senses of smell and taste are ranked fourth and fifth in Bamland Shopping Center, respectively.ConclusionAs stimulating elements, the five senses affect human perception and behavior in the urban space as well as its quality so that the use of different senses leads to a deeper relationship between man and space. As a result, a better perception of the environment is obtained. The qualitative levels of the components of sensory richness were examined and compared to answer the main question of the research, i.e. what changes have been made to urban designers and planners’ concern for the qualitative components of sensory richness in the design of commercial spaces in Tehran. It can be stated that better sensory richness with greater variety has been provided in Tehran Grand Bazaar, but the concern for sensory richness has not continued in all dimensions in a modern complex such as Bamland Shopping Center. In both cases, the sense of sight is ranked first, and most environmental stimuli pertain to this sense. There is greater variety in sensory stimuli in the study area of Tehran Grand Bazaar, and more attention than to the other senses is paid to sight and hearing, which are ranked almost equally. In the study area of Bamland Shopping Center, however, the second most involved sense after sight is the sense of touch, and fewer senses are involved overall. It is also noteworthy that the sense of sight has received a higher score in Bamland Shopping Center than in Tehran Grand Bazaar. This problem can be interpreted in terms of the idea that the visual dimension of the environment has received greater attention in today’s designs, and the other senses have been neglected to some extent by architects, landscape architects, and urban designers.
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
Marzieh Shafiei; Bahador Zamani
Abstract
Highlights-The pleasantness of a soundscape to a place depends largely on context.-Decreasing sound levels may not result in a high-quality acoustic environment.-The environmental characteristics of the spaces and the activities they may enable influence directly on the pleasantness of the soundscape.- ...
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Highlights-The pleasantness of a soundscape to a place depends largely on context.-Decreasing sound levels may not result in a high-quality acoustic environment.-The environmental characteristics of the spaces and the activities they may enable influence directly on the pleasantness of the soundscape.- The frequency of people's exposure to the soundscape also affects their perception of the soundscape pleasantness and imageability. IntroductionUrban open spaces play an important role in improving the quality of urban life. In the past, urban designers mainly focused on the visual esthetics and physical aspects of urban spaces, but neglected acoustic elements. Ignoring the role of sound in urban planning has led to an increase in environmentally disturbing sounds, which ultimately leads to an unclear human perception of sounds. To avoid these issues, acoustic research to create high-quality spaces has become one of the current aims of urban planners and environmental designers.MethodologyThis study investigated the soundscape quality of the Chahar Bagh Abbasi pedestrian Axis in Isfahan, one of the most valuable historical-cultural urban spaces in Iran. The study aimed to answer the following questions:1. What are the sound components that affect the pleasantness of the soundscape of the area?2. How is the overall quality of the soundscape on the Chahar Bagh Abbasi pedestrian Axis?3. What are the sound imageability components in the Chahar Bagh Abbasi pedestrian Axis?To determine the dominant sound sources in the space, non-interventional observation and audio recording were used. To clarify the perception of different people of the pedestrian Axis soundscape, a questionnaire was distributed. To ensure the reliability of the questionnaire, Cronbach’s alpha test was used. The obtained rate was equal to 0.731, which shows the adequate reliability of the questionnaire. The statistical population of the research is all people present on the Chahar Bagh Abbasi pedestrian Axis. For this purpose, 384 questionnaires were randomly distributed among the people. To analyze the results of the questionnaire, SPSS software and the analytical method of correlation coefficient and step-by-step regression were used.Results and discussionThe findings of this research showed that simply reducing negative sounds in the environment does not lead to the formation of a positive sound environment. Physical background sound levels are also important factors in the sound assessment of public spaces in cities. Other findings showed that some groups of people did not consider some sounds to be undesirable. This depends on people’s habits regarding the current state of the environment soundscape and the low intensity of hearing these sounds in the space. The findings also showed that the frequency of people’s presence in urban spaces is among the factors affecting how people perceive and the quality of the urban soundscapes. In fact, in this research, it was found that the higher the exposure to the soundscape, the less pleasant it is. Therefore, merchants, due to long-term exposure to the soundscape during the day, perceived the soundscape of the pedestrian Axis as less satisfactory compared to others, while tourists due to short exposure to the soundscape of the area, found the soundscape more pleasant. Furthermore, it was found that the duration of people’s exposure to the soundscape is also effective in assessing the sound imageability of the area so that citizens and merchants can better identify sound imageability components in the area due to the longer exposure to sounds.ConclusionThe results of the questionnaire suggest that exposure to sounds in the short or long term can affect people’s perception of the sound imageability of a space. Overall, merchants and citizens in this space, due to their longer exposure to sound sources, have a better recognition of the components of sound imageability than tourists. For example, the sounds that merchants and citizens of Chahar Bagh Abbasi pedestrian Axis mentioned as characteristics of this area are largely similar. This also applies to the identification of sound signals in the space, such that merchants in this area and citizens at the next level have better performance in detecting loud and close sounds in the space due to their frequent visits to the space compared to tourists. A significant point in people’s answers regarding the identification of background sounds is that the length of time people are exposed to the soundscape of the pedestrian Axis does not have much effect on the correct identification of background sounds. This is because background sounds are the combination of several individual sound sources that are attenuated due to distance, making it difficult to distinguish them from other sounds.
Urban Scape
Faranak Kabiri; Bahador Zamani; alireza khajeh ahmad attari
Abstract
Highlights:Artworks concerning frontages as media of communication among the artwork, the artist, and the public and frameworks for interaction with locationsCommon viewpoint held by untrained observers (citizens), trained observers (visual art specialists), and creators (artists) in the appraisal of ...
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Highlights:Artworks concerning frontages as media of communication among the artwork, the artist, and the public and frameworks for interaction with locationsCommon viewpoint held by untrained observers (citizens), trained observers (visual art specialists), and creators (artists) in the appraisal of the perceptual-visual desirability of muralsCloseness of the citizens’ and artists’ attitudes toward the appraisal of the perceptual-visual desirability of muralsCitizens’ greater appreciation of the use of creative designs with rhythms and formal contrasts in the appraisal of the perceptual-visual desirability of murals IntroductionAs subway stations are regarded as public spaces in cities, their frontages, involving public artworks, especially murals, are taken into account as part of the urban townscape. The artworks on frontages can provide a medium for interaction, functioning as a visual communication system among the artwork, the artist, and the public. Therefore, it is important to identifying the factors influencing the visual preferences of the audience. The aim of this paper is to investigate the effect of the visual elements of murals on the perceptual-visual desirability of frontages at the Tehran Theater subway station. It seeks to answer the question of how the visual elements of the murals at the station affect the perceptual-visual desirability of the station frontage.Theoretical FrameworkAmong the large number of visual components assumed by various theorists, the main common components taken into account is this research include color, shape, texture, line, tonality, and light (Jansen, 1998: 69). This study investigates element quality, the quality of the relationship between elements, and that for figures and the ground (Pakzad, 2006) to achieve the degree of visual desirability in response to questions about the aesthetic component and the scape quality. The element quality is mural, and the relationship between the murals is considered for appraisal of the quality of the relationship between the elements. Moreover, the relationship between the mural and the wall is considered for appraisal of the quality of the relationship between the figure and the ground. The components related to the quality of the element include intensity, tension, and ingravibility, those pertaining to the quality of the relationship between the elements include balance, symmetry, proportion, dominance, clarity, and density. The components concerning the quality of the relationship between a particular element and others (figure and ground) include contrast, opposition, conformity, advantage, hindrance, emphasis, enclosure, narrowness, openness, sequence, and concentration (ibid.: 121-136)MethodologyFor achievement of the research aim, a mixed method was adopted based on data collection through archives, observations, interviews, and visual preference techniques. Among different cities, Tehran was selected due to its position, and the Tehran Theater subway station was chosen among different stations because of its location in the proximity of Vali-asr Street, Tehran Theater, and Daneshju Park. Then, nine murals were selected from among those available at the station. Given the nature of the data, the methods of regression analysis and correlation analysis were used along with SPSS techniques for analysis of the collected data.Result and DiscussionThe results indicated that perceptual-visual desirability existed in all the three groups: untrained observers (citizens), trained supervisors (visual art experts) and creators of artworks (artists). The findings also demonstrated that tonality (degree of darkness/brightness), shape (design), color, line, and texture exhibited the greatest impacts on perceptual-visual desirability, in that order. The elements of shape, color, tonality, line, and texture played the greatest roles, in order of priority, in the perceptual-visual utility of the station frontage for the citizens, the elements of tonality, shape, line, texture, and color for the specialists, and shape and tonality, color, and line and texture for the artists. The most important reasons for these differences follow. The main reason why tonality was selected as the first priority by the three information sources is the community’s need to observe color diversity at different levels of the society. Unfortunately, this field has been neglected for years. However, its negative effects, such as the increase in the number of patients with depression, are evident. The second priority involved the designs and patterns used in the murals, which demonstrated the significance of form and content and of the choice of subject and consideration of the aspects of visual beauty. In the studied cases, the messages and feelings that the artist tried to convey to the audience had a negative impact on citizens’ perception although understood to a large extent by the audience, as the predicted lighting was not considered properly, the mural lights were used only occasionally, and inappropriate accessions led to visual disturbance. ConclusionThe results indicated perceptual-visual desirability in all the three groups of untrained observers (citizens), trained observers (visual art specialists), and creators (artists). Furthermore, the citizens’ and artists’ opinions were close to each other. The citizens appreciated the use of creative designs with rhythms and formal contrasts, being satisfied both with the location of the murals in terms of visibility and view-shed and with their association with the frontages, but not with the lighting of the works. These were identified as the main perceptual-visual desirability factors in the studied samples.
Urban Architecture
Ali Akbar Heidari; maliheh taghipour; maryam bagheri
Abstract
Highlights
People’s attendance of bazaars is one of the most important factors increasing the efficiency and prosperity of these places.
The permeability of the edges, especially in the entrance sections, is one of the most important factors affecting attendance in bazaars.
The quality of permeability ...
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Highlights
People’s attendance of bazaars is one of the most important factors increasing the efficiency and prosperity of these places.
The permeability of the edges, especially in the entrance sections, is one of the most important factors affecting attendance in bazaars.
The quality of permeability in the entrance section of the bazaar is affected by the three factors of accessibility, the quality of neighborhoods, and the spatial connectivity of the entrance and the lines leading thereto.
Introduction
The quality of permeability is a physical indicator that is significant in the formation of a successful place, especially in the field of public spaces. On the other hand, given that this research considers the issue of attendance of a traditional bazaar, the quality of permeability at the edges, especially the entrances and the rows leading to them, can play a significant role here. The entrance of a space is the first place where many of its features are discovered. Accordingly, the issue of quality of permeability is considered in this research as an independent variable, and its role in people’s presence in the space of a traditional bazaar is examined as a dependent variable. This concept of permeability has been proposed in the existing literature in three forms: neighborhood quality, spatial continuity, and accessibility.
Theoretical framework
According to the existing literature, the factors affecting permeability, especially in connection with urban contexts, can be examined in three areas, as follows.
- The quality of neighborhoods. The quality of neighborhoods in a spatial configuration means the functional compatibility of the uses that form that space so that the performance of one does not disturb or hinder that of another.
- Spatial continuity. Spatial continuity means the formal and functional connection of spaces with each other so that the environment is perceived by an external observer in a unified manner. This concept can be analyzed in an urban environment using indicators such as integration and connectivity.
- Accessibility. In the literature on architecture, the issue of accessibility can be examined in two areas: visual accessibility and physical accessibility. Visual accessibility means the ability to view a space from neighboring spaces. Physical access pertains to people’s ability to move within the space.
Methodology
The current research adopts a combination of the qualitative and quantitative methods in data analysis. In the data collection section, the methods of documentary study, direct field observation, and interview with businesses and bazaar users were used, and in the data analysis section, the content analysis method and the space syntax software were used.
In regard to the edges (independent variable), the three indicators of access quality (including physical access and visual access), spatial continuity, and the quality of neighborhoods were measured separately for each of the entrances. In the analysis of the quality of visual access, indicators were used such as the visibility of the entrances, the variety of uses in the bazaar that can be viewed from the entrance areas, and the amount of details on the space that can be viewed from the entrances. In the measurement of physical access, the degrees of enclosure and isolation of entrances in the bazaar were analyzed. In relation to the quality of neighborhoods, indicators such as the diversity and density of neighborhoods and the degree of their compatibility and interdependence were examined.
Results and discussion
No research has been conducted on the issue of attendance of the bazaar and the effect of the quality of permeability thereon, hence the attempt to answer the research questions about how the quality of permeability affects people’s attendance of the bazaar.
- How does visual access affect attendance in the bazaar?
The more visible the details from inside the bazaar to the user through its inputs, the more widely people choose those inputs to penetrate the bazaar and, therefore, the greater the attendance of the bazaar. The results of this research demonstrated that the difference in level between the passage and the space inside the market and the increase in the visible surface due to the presence of linear geometries along the lines leading to the entrances raises the range of visibility before entry into the bazaar space.
- How does physical access affect attendance in the bazaar?
The first feature for people to identify about the entrances is their visibility from the surrounding roads. If people can see inside the space before entering it, they can choose whether they want to enter the space or not.
The second factor effective on physical access to the bazaar is the users’ willingness to use different entrances. In some cases, this increases the attendance of the bazaar, and in others, it decreases people’s desire attend it.
- How does the quality of the neighborhood affect attendance in the bazaar?
The existence of diverse uses and their density in those respects provides the possibility of meeting a greater range of client needs, which ultimately increases their attendance. Moreover, because they complement each other, users increase related nearby users’ attendance. However, the necessary conditions concerning the quality of neighbors are compatible with one another. This means that when incompatible users are placed together, they prevent people from attending the space due to the nuisance that they cause, besides their negative effects on each other’s functions.
- How does spatial continuity at the entrances of the bazaar cause attendance thereof?
The degree of spatial continuity at the bazaar entrances can be evaluated using the two indices of integration and connectivity. The values of these two indicators are directly related to the geometric and spatial qualities of the inputs and the lines leading to them.
Conclusion
The most important results of the current research can be presented as follows.
- The quality of access to bazaar inputs is considered as the most important factor affecting permeability, thereby increasing bazaar attendance. This quality can be examined in the form of the two concepts of visual access and physical access.
- The quality of neighborhoods can increase attendance in the bazaar in the form of the compatibility of and dependence between the uses of different bazaar lines and their density and diversity.
- Spatial continuity at the entrances and the rows leading to them in the form of their geometric and spatial features (increasing the widths of the entrance and the rows leading thereto, connecting the entrance with public open spaces and main passages, using linear geometry, reducing the depths of the rows, and integrating and connecting the lines leading to the entrance with other spaces) can increase bazaar permeability and therefore its attendance.
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
esmaeil daviran
Abstract
Highlights- Geographical locations have their own unique patterns of space consumption, depending on their design, in different time periods.- Camps with a mobile nature, such as sports camps, have annual productivity and operate linearly in terms of space allocation.- Behavioral camps experience a starting ...
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Highlights- Geographical locations have their own unique patterns of space consumption, depending on their design, in different time periods.- Camps with a mobile nature, such as sports camps, have annual productivity and operate linearly in terms of space allocation.- Behavioral camps experience a starting point, concentration, and decay due to climate change.- Examining the timing of public spaces is essential for their better planning and management.IntroductionThe three key concepts of time, place, and human behavior together shape space. The urban space and its changes are the result of human movement in time and space. Although there have been many discussions about the concept of space, the theories of time-geography and Lefebvre have had the most significant impact on urban issues.Urban parks, as one of the urban public spaces, are a suitable environment for the formation of behavioral camps. The presence of different human groups with diverse ages and genders in such spaces leads to the formation of specific places for individual and group socialization, creating a space of consumption with a special character. The surrounding environment as a result of time is very effective in the formation of the type of camp and its way of functioning.This research examines the rhythm of the behavioral hangouts of urban parks with regional (multi-neighborhood) function, using the case study of Ibn Sina and Baharestan parks in Zanjan city. This is because no special studies have been done on the subject of behavioral camp rhythm and the functional structure of rhythms in camp spaces, and most of the research has focused on explaining the formation of camps or the rhythm of spaces.MethodologyThe current research is a type of qualitative research based on the descriptive-analytical method with the nature of discovery and the method of rhythm analysis. Data collection using field observation and continuous interview during the formation hours of the camp. Data analysis was done with qualitative methods based on communication matrix, rhythm and qualitative information tables with three main components of structure, dynamics and sociability of the environment.Results and DiscussionThe rhythm of the behavioral camp in the studied gardens is significant, active and explorable mainly in the spring and summer seasons. The use of space is different according to the type of camp, but they have functioned in connection with each other. Sports camps have more durability and annual continuity. The temporal continuity of the rhythm of the elderly-based behavioral camp has more daily and seasonal continuity in terms of the number and stability of people. In terms of the space allocation and the number of people, the youth behavioral camp has less space compared to other camps. Waterfront furniture elements, trees, play equipment, sports equipment, stones, chairs, trees, the smoothness of the park ground, grass, besides the spatial security factor, have a greater impact on the durability and daily continuity of the camp. Spatial dependence of camps based on the elderly, children and family have the highest ratio. The geographical distance of the residence in Tharbahank is less than that of the other centers. The type of space consumption in the studied rhythms is mainly social and sports in nature. The structural morphology of gardens (regular, irregular or linear geometric shape) is effective in the formation of the type of behavioral camp and its rhythm. The rhythm of the studied camps is mainly in daily and afternoon time sequence and has a specific location with fixed and variable people. Based on the correlation matrix, there is functional correlation and coherence between the variables. The rhythm of space use in the monthly time period shows that the behavioral settlements based on collectivism mainly have the starting point in April and the peak in August, and with the gradual change of climate (from heat to cold) they move to temporary disintegration and again with climate change. (from cold to heat) forms and peaks.ConclusionThis research examined the rhythm of the social and age groups of the urban parks of Baharestan and Ibn Sina Zanjan. The study found that the rhythm of behavioral hangouts in urban parks is affected by a variety of factors, including:- The type of park: Parks with a focus on social activities, such as playgrounds and picnic areas, tend to have a more active and explorable rhythm than parks with a focus on sports or other passive activities.- The time of year: Parks tend to be more crowded in the spring and summer months, when the weather is warmer and more pleasant.- The weather conditions: Parks may be less crowded in inclement weather, such as rain or snow.- The age and gender of park users: Parks tend to be more crowded with families and children during the day, while they may be more crowded with adults in the evening.The findings of this study suggest that the rhythm of behavioral hangouts in urban parks is an important consideration for park planners and managers. By understanding the factors that influence the rhythm of park use, park planners can better design and manage parks to meet the needs of their users.
Urban Sustainability
Ali Asadi; saeed Salehi Marzijrani; Hassan sajadzadeh; hosein kalantari khalil abad
Abstract
Highlights - In the residential buildings in the city of Arak, Iran, good construction quality was the first priority of the residents to achieve residential stability.- The cultural level and social homogeneity hold the residents’ second priority to achieve residential stability.- Causal conditions ...
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Highlights - In the residential buildings in the city of Arak, Iran, good construction quality was the first priority of the residents to achieve residential stability.- The cultural level and social homogeneity hold the residents’ second priority to achieve residential stability.- Causal conditions have the greatest impact on residential stability, followed by intervening and strategic conditions.- Factors involved in the creation of residential stability are stated based on facts and needs.-- The factor of tendency to move is stated based on wishes, ideals, and expectations. IntroductionToday, the study of a residential environment is important because of its effectiveness on important planning indicators such as residential relocation rate, quality of life, and housing demand forecasting, and the quality of the environment is a factor affecting urban population movements. Residential stability leads to community cohesion, the formation of social networks, and informal social monitoring, which collectively lead to the solution of community and neighborhood problems. The purpose of this research is to discover the factors affecting residential instability and the desire to move, especially with respect to the quality of the environment of residential buildings in the city of Arak, Iran. Theoretical FrameworkFrom the early 1950s, the big cities of Iran were exposed to massive migration. The immediate solution to this crisis was to build residential buildings in sparsely populated areas. The point that can be seen in the process of creating residential buildings in Iran is that they have often neglected the principles and criteria of urban planning in the planning and design of residential buildings and have failed to create desirable residential environments. They have also ignored the residents in the design of the buildings, decreasing their level of satisfaction.Moreover, the quality of the environment is considered as a factor affecting population movements within the city and attempts to leave the neighborhoods. The residents’ assessment of their residential environment is effective on the size of population attracted to and retained in the urban area, and it is an important factor influential on population mobility within the city.Studies have demonstrated in regard to the differences between planned and actual residential moves that 48 percent of those who have intended to move have left their homes after 5 years, while 14% of those who have planned to stay have also moved. Reducing residential mobility is a step towards building a stable neighborhood. MethodologyThe method of information analysis adopted in this research is based on the systematic approach of Strauss’ and Corbin’s theories in the three main steps of open coding, axial coding, and selective coding, which is based on continuous comparison.Open coding is based on general questions aimed at discovering the truth, such as why you stayed in this building, why you intend to go, and what factors make you stay or leave. Axial coding is aimed to establish a relationship between the concepts generated in the open coding step. The basis of the communication process in axial coding is to focus on and define a category as the central one and then place other categories as sub-categories below the main one.In selective coding, the utilized categories are theoretically saturated.The first and second steps are logically placed next to each other based on the coded concepts. Then, the researcher must choose the core category. Here, the major categories are related to each other in the form of a paradigm model (contextual model) around the core category.Results and Discussion The findings indicate that 23.5% of the residents tended to stay in their current homes for one to four years, while the estimated lengths of stay in their current homes included five to eight years for 17.8%, six to twelve years for 10.0%, and above sixteen years for 2.8%. The greatest impact on residential stability concerning the subject of the research is exhibited by causal conditions (such as the design and construction of a building), which are formed before its construction, and conditions other than the background ones (such as the location of the building in the city), taking shape after its construction, which include intervening and strategic conditions. Strategic conditions are exemplified by feelings of security and tranquility, congestion, and management, and intervening conditions include neighborhood relations, residents’ cultural level and social homogeneity, lack of economic capacity to move, and lack of buyers. The reasons for the poor conditions of the building (which are more personal and individual and are different for each person) include factors affecting residential stability and the desire to move.ConclusionGood building quality and cultural level and homogeneity were the first and second priorities of the residents to achieve residential stability. However, the respondents’ important reasons include the high level of reference to peace and security, high access level, proper management, and economic inability to move. Other items mentioned include proper location of the apartment and the building. Moreover, the results demonstrated that the factors that create residential stability are different from those that create the desire and tendency to move. The factors creating residential stability are stated based on facts and needs, but those for tendency to move are stated based on wishes, ideals, and expectations. Furthermore, the greater the distance between these two (real requests and wishes), the greater the desire to move.Acknowledgments This article is from the doctorate thesis of the first author with the title "Explaining the quality of the environment on residential stability and willingness to move in residential complexes using the contextual method (case example: Arak city) " In the Islamic Azad University, Arak branch under the supervision of the second and third authors and The fourth is extracted.
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 Architecture
zahra sadeghi; Mojtaba Ansari; Mehdi Haghighat Bin
Abstract
Highlights
The spatial configuration of vegetation creates the visual scales and the different visual accesses in green spaces.
Closed visual scales and open visual scales are not desirable for neighborhood park users.
Users prefer semi-open visual scales and open visibility under canopy landscape ...
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Highlights
The spatial configuration of vegetation creates the visual scales and the different visual accesses in green spaces.
Closed visual scales and open visual scales are not desirable for neighborhood park users.
Users prefer semi-open visual scales and open visibility under canopy landscape for park landscape.
Women’s preferences demonstrated that greater green space confinement is more desirable for them.
Introduction
Neighborhood parks play an important role in the relationship between people and the nature. In fact, vegetation and planting are the most important motivations for attendance of and recreations available in parks. For improvement of the quality of green spaces in neighborhood parks and enhancement of public participation, it is necessary to design the park landscape with respect to people’s preferences and their perceptions of the desired landscape, while there are some shortcomings in this regard. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to investigate people’s visual preferences in order to optimally design vegetation in neighborhood parks. A neighborhood park is a small green space (about two hectares large) with a penetration radius of about one kilometer, and it is readily accessible on foot from residential areas. The present research aimed to study these preferences in the field of spatial configuration of vegetation based on a visual scale. The visual scale is an important, effective feature in the creation of confinement and control of visual access. In this study, the underlying factors of age, gender, and socio-economic class differences were considered. Due to the difference in economic level in the northern and southern regions of Tehran, neighborhood parks in these two regions and their users were selected for evaluation. Five neighborhood parks in each region were considered purposefully.
Methodology
The method adopted in the present research was a combination of the qualitative and quantitative approaches. First, the spatial configuration of vegetation in the creation of different types of visual scale was investigated, and five categories of visual scale were identified. Images were provided of the vegetation compositions of neighborhood parks with high income levels (region 1) and low income levels (region 18). After consultation with the elite, the images were categorized based on a variety of visual scales. The visual questionnaire consisted of two images for each visual scale, where landscape desirability was examined with a Likert scale. Using random sampling, 363 people who visited neighborhood parks in the two areas of Tehran (District 1 and District 18) completed the questionnaire. The data were analyzed using the Bonferroni post hoc test in SPSS. After their collection, the homogeneity of variance was first examined through the Levin variance homogeneity test for comparison of the user preferences in terms of the type of landscape, and the results demonstrated that there was no significant difference between the variances of the variables in the groups (PS ˂ 0.05). Therefore, one-way analysis of variance was used to compare the studied variables between the groups, and the Bonferroni post hoc test was used to control Type I error if there was a significant difference between the opinions.
Results and discussion
The results of the present research indicated that there were different visual preferences for the images. Thus, the closed visual scale and open visual scale between all the groups were undesirable, as well as the semi-open visual scale and open visibility under canopy landscape between all the participating groups. Among the studied underlying factors (difference in the income levels in the regions, age, and gender), gender exhibited little effect on the formation of the landscape preferences, and women preferred more enclosed landscapes.
Conclusion
The results of this research demonstrated given the desirability of semi-open images that the spatial configuration of vegetation formed through planting and pruning should not allow for any visual barrier in the foreground layer while planting at the observer’s line of vision is obstructed in the background layer and sporadically in the middle layer. Moreover, it is desirable for plant height to be less than the observer’s line of vision and for tree canopies to be placed at heights greater than the observer’s visibility in the background layer. Due to the desirability of open visibility under canopy images, it is possible to provide favorable climatic conditions through selection of a combination of canopy umbrella trees of two types, fallow and non-fallow, which also allows for wide visual access. Due to the unfavorable landscape of the closed view, it is not appropriate to practice such planting at the observer’s line of vision in the foreground layer of the view. It is also necessary to avoid open visual scale design, where the coating exhibits low density in all the three layers. Regarding the influence of underlying factors, it can be stated that the landscape preferences for optimal visual access were almost the same for the different groups, but the women were more inclined to prefer semi-open visual-scale images due to the need for privacy and security, and images with closed vision were less favorable for them. Thus, the proposed species could be proposed given their heights for all the three layers of foreground, middle ground and background, according to the obtained patterns. The present study took the first steps in landscape planning based on awareness of public preferences, and these findings provide practical solutions for landscape planting design.
Acknowledgment
This article has been taken from a doctoral dissertation entitled Promoting Cultural Services of Urban Green Spaces Based on the Visual Assessment of Landscape: A Case Study of Urban Parks in Tehran, developed by the first author under the supervision of the second author and the advisory of the third author in the Faculty of Art of Tarbiat Modares University. The dissertation has enjoyed financial and spiritual support from the Tehran Urban Research and Planning Center as a research project.
Urban Management
Gholamreza Kazemian; Hosein Aslipour; Arash Taqipour Akhtari
Abstract
Highlights
- Realization of urban construction as a social construct forms a knowledge stock to mine theoretical concepts and develops the goodness of urban building governance at the same time.
- One of the most important categories in the identification and comprehension of actors’ behavior ...
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Highlights
- Realization of urban construction as a social construct forms a knowledge stock to mine theoretical concepts and develops the goodness of urban building governance at the same time.
- One of the most important categories in the identification and comprehension of actors’ behavior and expectations in the field of Tehran’s construction management in the context of the truth revealed in the study of everyday social life is the distinction between land developers as industrial investors (those whose capitals come mainly from built spaces) and land developers as commercial investors (those whose main capitals involve cash and who move between different markets to earn profit), along with the diverse role of real-estate agents as appraisers or marketers.
- A categorized, cyclical statement of assumptions about urban construction management is provided between the three principles of urban management, built environment, and land developers.
Introduction
According to the citizens, it is years that the urban physical space of Tehran has been characterized by uneven growth and increasing injustice, and its spatial development management is also described as inefficient by various experts. Urban construction is the act of creating a physical space to advance urban functions, and the city’s spatial organization is formed in solidarity with its continuity. Thus, management of the spatial-physical development of the city is a mission pursued by urban management, and the existence of an efficient, effective urban management, as a government infrastructure and an executive attempt to realize good governance and then sustainable urban development is a matter of consensus. By accepting the spatial inefficiencies in Tehran’s urban development and rejecting the gap between content and form, this research introduces its problem as an explanation and interpretation of how Tehran’s urban construction management system functions.
Theoretical Framework
Construction is always a different experience and creates a heterogeneous good. The literature review also demonstrates that each research has described urban construction from its own theoretical-philosophical perspective and background. In fact, the variety of theoretical approaches to urban construction held by political philosophies is accompanied by a unique resultant of the actuals at any time. Therefore, construction is introduced sometimes as the agent of meeting expectations and sometimes as the cause of the current conditions. This gives construction the status of a social construct. Due to the historical dependence of actualized behaviors on the institutional context and variation in functions, one should refer to the conceptual roots of the phenomenon to study the evolutionary path thereof, focusing on the dynamic, unbalanced behavior of social systems.
Therefore, an aspect of truth used to explain such a phenomenon that is created, lived, and understood by citizens is the spaces of representation or the part where the land developers (constructors) live the urban construction management system. That is, it is not the same as what the authorities assign to the construction through administrative instructions, nor as how the experts describe the urban construction management system. Rather, it is by being immersed in the path of building and functioning as a land developer that the unique spatiality of every society can be justified.
Methodology
Since urban construction management is recognized as a multiple, dynamic unit (mutual, continuous influence of constituent dimensions), abduction of the lived experiences of the active land developers requires immersion in data, which are collected through adoption of an intersubjective, empathic approach. Therefore, the strategy of this qualitive research is phenomenological, categorized under the interpretive paradigm. The research population consists of Tehran’s land developers who were selected using purposive sampling. Finally, eight in-depth interviews were conducted. Thus, the researchers clustered and finally combined the lived experiences to achieve a rich description while observing Epoché’s principles throughout the research. It should be mentioned that the thematic analysis technique was used for horizontalization, clustering, and classification of data.
Results and Discussion
As a result of the conducted interviews, transcriptions, and extracted concepts, 67 basic themes were identified in the first step after several rounds of editing. Then, the themes were classified under 17 organizing themes. In fact, an attempt was made at this stage to cluster the intersection of the basic themes, which was realized through movements back and forth between the holistic and detailed approaches and immersion in the data. The process was repeated to form global themes, and four were finally distinguished, including the basic assumptions regarding Tehran urban construction, land developers’ enabling factors, the inefficiencies imposed by the construction management system, and various stakeholders’ roles in the urban construction of Tehran and its consequences.
Conclusion
The findings of this study demonstrated that Tehran’s construction management system is based on different actors’ cooperation to transform space into financial value, according to land developers’ lived experiences. Although there are actors here who link this financial value to the use value due to their natural need, their expertise, or the functional nature of the space, their influence is generally limited to setting minimums. Therefore, these actors do not have a high power with respect to others to influence the production of spaces. Finally, the urban construction management system of Tehran can be explained and interpreted as the system sought to stabilize its position and apply authority to obtain its required income by developing the physical urban environment to carry on missions whose violation would have political costs or legal consequences. Moreover, these measures are taken based on inefficient processes and contents, relying on constructors’ assets and skills at the cost of commodifying urban spaces.
Acknowledgment
This article is taken from the third author's master's dissertation on urban management, entitled "Explaining the Tehran’s Building Governance" and to the first author's supervisor and the second author's advisor at Allameh Tabataba'i Univsersity.
