Urban Design
m gh; m n; v t
Volume 2, Issue 7 , July 2013, , Pages 15-30
Abstract
Abstract Background: Sustainable urban design as a new academic science in the field of everyday life in urban spaces, can play a vital role in improving citizens health. Health and hygiene in the evolution history of human from ancient times until now has been the subject that societies have always ...
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Abstract Background: Sustainable urban design as a new academic science in the field of everyday life in urban spaces, can play a vital role in improving citizens health. Health and hygiene in the evolution history of human from ancient times until now has been the subject that societies have always interacted with. So that the health and welfare of the people of a city, is a key indicator to show the success of that city's sustainable development policies. In this case, one of the places that we observe the presence of people and their physical activities in the city, are the urban sidewalks that are the integral element of streets and made the human interaction besides the automobiles they have made. Objectives: Important consideration is that pedestrians health is not limited only to physical health and the dangers and disadvantages of automobiles. But many other factors can affect the health of pedestrians in the sidewalks environment. With this description, it is necessary to take actions to maintain and enhance pedestrians health in all of its dimensions. This article seeks to answer the question of which elements of urban sidewalks can influence pedestrians health and how and how much of this effect is? Methods: The process of this study includes four main stages. In first and second stages, with a literature review on urban sidewalks and health, requirements for collecting elements of urban sidewalks and also defining dimensions and components of health, were provided. To achieve this purpose, library studies, review of domestic and foreign similar researches and searching the internet, as a data collection techniques were used. In third stage, by using qualitative correlation method on components, we tried to establish the relationship between elements of sidewalks and health components, and finally in fourth stage, by a comparative analysis of these two categories, manner and amount of the impact of elements of urban sidewalks in relationship with dimensions and components of health are identified. Results: By examining how the 61 typical elements of urban sidewalks affect each components of quadripartite dimensions of pedestrians health and counting the existing relationships, determined that, entertainment equipment on the ground (19 relationships), margins uses (18 relationships), materials color (18 relationships), and pots and potted shrubs (17 relationships), have the greatest impact on pedestrians health components. Also, automatic devices (2 relationships), and consoles and saliency of the first floor of buildings (2 relationships), having minimal impact on pedestrians health components. By pluralizing the amount of impact of elements of each main part of sidewalk, it determined that sidewalks surfaces have the greatest impact on physical health, sidewalk furniture on social health, vegetation on mental health and soft elements of sidewalk on both social and mental health. Conclusion: This study showed that health is not just a simple and one-dimensional concept that only notices the physics of society’s population, but also includes other dimensions (such as social, mental and even spiritual). In addition, it explores and explains a significant relationship between urban design (specially designing urban sidewalks) and health, and with a new glance, showed that the elements of sidewalks of a urban space, can influence pedestrians health more differently. The results of this research need to seriously used and considered in preparing design guidelines for urban spaces (sidewalks of streets, plazas, pedestrian ways, local tracks, etc.) and any urban spaces where the movement of pedestrians flows in. The final design production with this regard, can improve public health of the society.
m kh; m m; f j; k a
Volume 3, Issue 10 , May 2014, , Pages 15-26
Abstract
Outward-oriented architecture has a short history in Iran and the history of establishment of outward-oriented buildings placed next to one another in the margin of a phenomenon called street is even shorter. Urban facades are considered as the most influential elements affecting the quality of urban ...
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Outward-oriented architecture has a short history in Iran and the history of establishment of outward-oriented buildings placed next to one another in the margin of a phenomenon called street is even shorter. Urban facades are considered as the most influential elements affecting the quality of urban spaces, the modification of which can enhance the aesthetic qualities of the city. In recent decades, developments whether in materials, variety of styles or acceleration in construction have resulted in addressing the issue of façade and reorganization of urban facades. A review into the objectives of the study shows that the urban landscape aesthetic and environmental goals are essential in realizing the desired landscape. Therefore, urban facades as an example of urban micro perspective are not an exception to this rule. The goal of the present research is to address special characteristics of Qeshm city with an emphasis on aesthetical and ecological dimensions and identifying effective factors in the design of urban facades in Vali-e Asr Street in Qeshm as the most prominent street of that city. Looking at the landscape and urban facades of Qeshm Island as well as other cities and metropolises which meet the functional characteristics at national and international levels, it is evident that these urban facades are not in good aesthetical and ecological conditions. This emphasizes the importance and necessity of the present research. It should be noted that method used in the aforesaid research is an analytical-applied one. A surveying method was used in field studies. Data collection was based on field observations and a questionnaire survey of experts and users examining data dispersion indices of the data under study. The questionnaires were randomly (with an in-depth interview) distributed among different segments of the island at different hours. Finally, the obtained data was analyzed using SPSS-20 software. Findings regarding the the viewpoints of people and experts of the aesthetical dimension are presented. The index includes the following criteria as evaluation priorities in aesthetic (façade) beauty: proportions, cleanliness, balance and order in aesthetical dimension and attachment to place, meaningfulness, serenity, legibility and mental attraction in subjective dimension. From an ecological view, indices such as material resistance against moisture, green space to provide heat comfort, resistant materials against heat and green and oxygen generator walls are priorities in the design of urban facades according to experts. In conclusion, understanding priorities in the aesthetical and ecological points of view, a desirable urban perspective can be created. It can be stated in a general survey that it is important to address ecological and aesthetical dimensions in the design of urban facades.
Urban Planning
Mohammad Sheikhi; sasan rooshenas
Volume 4, Issue 16 , November 2015, , Pages 15-26
Urban Design
Hadi Pendar; kamran ZEKAVAT
Volume 5, Issue 17 , February 2016, , Pages 15-28
Abstract
Residential areas are constantly changing. Some of these changes occur in an environment’s evolutionary process over time. Urban design pays particular attention to the process of structural transformation in the residential environments for improving the quality of life; environments that have ...
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Residential areas are constantly changing. Some of these changes occur in an environment’s evolutionary process over time. Urban design pays particular attention to the process of structural transformation in the residential environments for improving the quality of life; environments that have experienced various paces of physical change in the periods of transformation. Therefore, for evaluating environmental qualities, it is necessary to obtain the residents’ assessments of the incongruence and consecutive cycles of buildings construction at different paces. In recent decades, many neighborhoods in Tehran have had substantial physical changes as a result of increasing pace of urban development.
The main question of this research is how people experience the impact of physical changes at different paces and what those criteria are. Other questions examinethe relationship between affective-evaluative narration of residents and adaptation to new condition in low to high rate of changes and the indicators that influence satisfaction of experience of different paces of physical changes in the residential environment. Therefore, understanding cycles of construction at different paces leads to assessing the quality of residential environments using residents’ points of view. The purpose of this theoretical framework is understanding the process of experience and evaluating original inhabitants’ satisfaction rating of the pace of physical changes .
Lack of appropriate theoretical framework for understanding the process of evaluating residents' affective appraisal of physical changes in morphological analysis and quantitation of satisfaction to its inefficiency can be considered as relevant theoretical gaps.
This qualitative study was undertaken as a case study research method and accompanied with morphological methods, semi-structured questionnaire and deep interviews for data gathering.
Based on surveys of residents and comparing its results with morphological studies, three groups of alleys that have had low, medium and high pace of physical changes, as units for the field study were selected. 38 original residents of Niavaran were selected for in depth interviews by a purposive sampling of six streets. Age of mental reconstruction was determined as 20 years.
In depth interview questionnaires based on qualitative questions was carried out for data gathering. Analysis of data was performed using phenomenological method. After deploying interviews by theoretical coding method, comparing codes and recognition of the differences and similarities between them, main issues were extracted.
The results shows that while the pace and intensity of change is controlled and context values are stable, the residents have shown sympathy to context identities and nostalgia that is gradually forming in frameworks reference. However, the residents’ sensitivity to high pace and intensity of change gradually reduced. Amongst the residents that have experienced the different intensities of physical change, meaningful observations were made in terms of sensitivity toward the primary shape of living space. It seems residents’ experience of changes at different intensities is influenced by a series of conditions and fields. Highlighting the importance of physical space in understanding and interpreting residents’ experiences of high paced change, causes the physical to convert into a criterion for determining the type and intensity of change.
The theoretical framework for understanding the physical changes creates an opportunity for urban planners and urban designers to write physical policies based on residents’ points of view of process of physical changes from low to high pace.
Because of the qualitative nature of the evaluation which obtains data regarding residents’ experience in different environments , it can be a good basis for meta-analysis studies and can achieve a theoretical framework responsive to the conditions of similar environments in Tehran metropolis.
Urban Planning
Bahram Amin zadeh Gohar rizi; saeid tohidi rad; Roshanak Asadi
Volume 5, Issue 19 , August 2016, , Pages 15-26
Abstract
Land-use location planning is one of the most important urbanism issues with different scales. The choice of location planning method is determined by the kind of problem and the importance of the supposed Land-use to be location planned. For example, to choose a location from some limited options, the ...
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Land-use location planning is one of the most important urbanism issues with different scales. The choice of location planning method is determined by the kind of problem and the importance of the supposed Land-use to be location planned. For example, to choose a location from some limited options, the multi-attribute decision making methods should be used; but when there is no initial option for location planning, the multi-objective decision making method should be used. Nowadays, the use of computational techniques for location planning is inevitable. The reason is that a manager's decisions in this field are influenced by various qualitative and quantitative factors, generally in conflict with each other, so that optimization of a factor may lead to the destruction of other factors. Thus, to prevent errors in decision-making, multi-objective decision-making techniques have been considered and used in recent years. There are different methods for solving multi-objective decision making problems which are categorized into two general groups: decomposition methods and direct methods. In the decomposition methods, first, the multi-objective optimization problem turns into a single-objective problem and then the problem is solved. However, in multi-objective optimization methods, the problem is solved in a multi-objective manner. Decomposition methods comprise of the 4 techniques of Weighted sum, Goal programming, Goal Attainment and -Constraint. Each of the 4 techniques tries to simplify the problem and solve it with specific measures. To turn a multi-objective problem into a single-objective one, these methods are forced to lose some of the space decision information. To solve this issue, the problem should be solved several times, which is very time-consuming. Furthermore, each time the problem is solved with these methods, a different answer is obtained. However, direct methods are not faced with this problem and are much faster and more accurate. The purpose of this study is to introduce an efficient technique of direct methods to solve all the multi-objective location planning problems and resolve classic and decomposition methods issues. Therefore, an airport location planning problem for the one of the major cities, based on Non-dominated Sorting Genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) was considered as a case study. Based on indicators such as easy access, noise pollution reduction, visibility, and access to infrastructure, the problem was modeled as a mathematical programming problem with 6 objective functions such as the minimum distance from main roads and highways, maximum distance from industrial factories, minimum distance from power transmission lines, maximum distance from the city and traditional gardens, minimum distance from the main gas transportation pipeline, the maximum distance from residential areas around the city and a certain number of required conditions. Finally, amongst the 200 final solutions of the proposed algorithm, including different front solutions, a solution with 4 points was chosen as the optimum location for the construction of the airport. Because of greater speed and accuracy, as well as providing a decision support system, the Non-dominated Sorting Genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) which is a direct multi-objective location planning problem solving method, can be considered as an appropriate alternative to the Decomposition and other traditional multi-objective location planning methods.
Urban Architecture
y p; A H
Volume 6, Issue 22 , May 2017, , Pages 15-26
Abstract
Functional quality of cumulative spaces is special to environmental and urban design. In line with improvement of functional quality of these urban places, it is important to take security elements into account. These elements include both objective and subjective indicators. The absence of these components ...
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Functional quality of cumulative spaces is special to environmental and urban design. In line with improvement of functional quality of these urban places, it is important to take security elements into account. These elements include both objective and subjective indicators. The absence of these components in such spaces with unlimited users affects their overall performance. The aim of this study is to examine some visual or skeletal components in one of these communal spaces, i.e. parks. To validate research findings and user preferences, subjective factors (users’ perception of space) will also be evaluated. In this research, the objective quality of space will be assessed through space syntax indices following the characteristics of the space syntax theory which investigates the physical parameters of space. Other research tools include field research (environmental and field data), questionnaires, interviews and researchers’ observations. The subjective and perceptual characteristics of users in terms of “security” are hereby placed under investigation. After stating the problem and introducing Space Syntax theory in the environment analysis, this paper tries to analyze the issue of crime hotspots (security or lack of security) in the environment regardless of the effective factors on the users’ perceptions (first step). After analyzing the issue by this method, the survey strategy was used to validate the obtained results and to adapt them to the views of space users (second step). To achieve the objectives of the research, after the introduction of research tools, the total area of the park was determined by syntax factors and then open questionnaires, field observations and cognitive maps were used. The results showed that the population of the research avoided some parts of the park due to different subjective reasons. In some cases, environmental quality and, in some other cases, subjective characteristics of the environment were effective on creating a sense of insecurity with the space. Ultimately, it seems that subjective factors have priority over environmental indicators in selecting a space. Other important results of the research are as follows: - The central area of the park seems to be desirable. This is because of its shallow depth and lack of permeability as well as the low level of monitoring due to the structural and skeletal features of the environment. - A favorable environment in urban parks in terms of security is a place which has relatively large terraces with few wide passageways without any deadlock. - Safe spaces in parks have proper lighting. Accordingly, there should be no tall and broadleaf trees in the main communication areas, especially on the passageways, so that they would not block lighting in the night. - When these spaces have innovative design features and create the subjective sense of belonging to the place in people, even in the absence of some objective characteristics of a safe environment, they will lead to increased usability of the environment, socialization of the space and thereby maintaining a desired level of security in the environment.
Urban Economy
Sana mostafazadeh; Fateh Habibi; ahmad Mohammadi
Abstract
At micro level, valuation studies provide access to information concerning the structures and functions of ecosystems and their diverse, complex role in support of human convenience. At macro level, ecosystem valuation can contribute to development and modification of human convenience factors and sustainable ...
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At micro level, valuation studies provide access to information concerning the structures and functions of ecosystems and their diverse, complex role in support of human convenience. At macro level, ecosystem valuation can contribute to development and modification of human convenience factors and sustainable development. Expressing the quantitative values of the functions, products, and services of an ecosystem, economic valuation, helps executive, social, and economic planners and administrators to plan the protection and sustainable exploitation of natural resources. The main purpose of economic environment valuation is to enable comparison of environmental protection and socio-economic development for optimal utilization of exceptional resources. Since environmental resources belong to all generations, long-term interests should be preferred to short-term ones. The economic approach to evaluation of environmental changes is based on people’s preference for modifications in their environmental conditions. The term value has a precise definition in economics: the price that individuals are willing to pay for goods or services. The basic economic notions of supply and demand are employed to estimate willingness to pay. In environmental economics, different methods are used to measure environmental values. There are two groups of methods for monetary evaluation of goods: methods that lead to estimation of the demand curve, used to obtain the values of non-market goods and natural resources and those leading to goods prices without estimating the demand curve. Zrebar Lake is a unique tourist attraction of the type, situated three kilometers to the west of Mariwan in Iran’s Kurdistan Province. The purpose of this study was to investigate the visitors’ willingness to pay for the entrance fee to Zrebar Lake. Simple random sampling was used in the research, along with a questionnaire for data collection. The size of a sample needs to be large enough to make it statistically representative. A total of 350 respondents participated in the study, only 307 of whom answered the questionnaire completely. A Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.86 was obtained for the questionnaire, which indicated its proper reliability. The results concerning the probability of willingness to pay indicated that 217 participants (70.68%) would not accept the first offer, being unwilling to pay 5000 Rials of their monthly income to visit Zrebar Lake, while 90 respondents (29.32%) would accept the offer. When a lower fee (1000 Rials) was offered, 36 participants (11.72%) would not accept it, while 181 respondents (58.96%) would. Those who would accept the first offer (5000 Rials) were offered a higher fee of 15000 Rials, 37 of whom (12.06%) would not accept it, while 53 (17.26%) would. A total of 88% of the respondents were willing to pay for a visit. The results obtained from the estimation of the model using logistic regression demonstrated that the variables age, travel expenses, academic degree, family size, income, and level of satisfaction had significant effects on the willingness to pay, whereas the variable payment experience exhibited no significant effect. Another finding of the study was that the entertainment value of Zrebar Lake, represented by the average expected value (WTP), was 5712 Rials per visitor.
maryam farash khiabani; parvin partovi
Abstract
Highlights:Ethnography and Grounded theory methods each have weaknesses for urban studies.Hybridizing Ethnography and Grounded theory methods can cover inefficiencies of both methods.Grounded theory ethnography can take advantages of two methods to increase the quality of urban studies researches. IntroductionIn ...
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Highlights:Ethnography and Grounded theory methods each have weaknesses for urban studies.Hybridizing Ethnography and Grounded theory methods can cover inefficiencies of both methods.Grounded theory ethnography can take advantages of two methods to increase the quality of urban studies researches. IntroductionIn research conducted on the city and issues related to space and place in urban planning, it can be helpful to use both ethnography and grounded theory methods depending on the researcher’s purpose. However, the weaknesses of each of these methods lead to a number of gaps. The method of ethnography is highly useful for in-depth research and understanding of culture, but it suffers from the lack of a coherent analysis stage, and does not necessarily lead the researcher to the appropriate theory. Meanwhile, its open-ended nature fails to meet urban researchers’ expected outputs. On the other hand, one of the most important factors that justify the method of grounded theory is the lack of theories appropriate to the context under study. This method offers a coherent, systematic analysis, and the clear output is to arrive at the theory. The sociological origins of its proponents suggest that in the frequent applications of this method in academic research, individuals and the relevant social and psychological issues have often mattered rather than spaces. Moreover, the extensive use of the current systematic version has increased the possibility of converting the method to a mechanical one and reduced its depth. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to adopt a method involving a combination of the above two (ethnography and grounded theory) so that they can fill each other’s gaps and provide a suitable, efficient framework for conducting studies in the field of urban studies. Theoretical FrameworkAmong all methods of qualitative studies, ethnography is one that reveals many details (Stevenson, 2003). The term ethnography is rooted in cultural anthropology. Ethno- means people or ethnicity, and -graphy means to describe something. The American anthropologist Clifford Geertz believes that a very important part of ethnography is a complete, accurate description (Neuman, 2015, Volume II: 278-279). Ethnography facilitates broader research on individuals in different communities, both at the city or a smaller scale. As a qualitative research method, it considers the story told by the participants (Pardo & Prato, 2018: 389). Ethnographic research ends in a summary of how a group functions in everyday life, and the reader thus gains an understanding of a group with which he/she is unfamiliar (Creswell & Poth, 2018: 271). Grounded theory, on the other hand, was developed in 1967 by two sociologists, Barney Glaser and Anselm Strauss. As a low-level or middle-range theory, it emerges from a particular position, and is a competitor for grand theories (Glaser & Strauss, 1967: 34-35). Moreover, it is a tool that can prepare the researcher in the field of urban studies to develop relevant theories (Allen & Davey, 2017: 1). MethodologyScholars such as Kathy Charmaz welcome entry into a methodological conflict and call other researchers to the field (Charmaz, 2006). The purpose of this research is to design a hybrid of the two methods of ethnography and grounded theory to help to fill their gaps as a suitable, efficient tool for conducting research in the field of urban studies. This has been carried out through a systematic review of each of the two approaches and study of the methods of their combination. Finally, the grounded theory ethnography has been tested on a sample café in the center of Tehran. Results and DiscussionIn this research, various combinations of ethnography and grounded theory have been studied and classified into three categories. The first involves studies that consider one of these two methods as a subset of the other or as superior to and more complete than the other. The second group emphasizes the importance of ethnography and achievement of the constructivist grounded theory, where Kathy Charmaz is the leading figure. The third category emphasizes the simultaneous use and combination of the two methods, where ethnography is used for data collection, and grounded theory is used for analysis. In this study, a combination of the second and third approaches has been adopted. Grounded theory ethnography can be defined as a method that utilizes both approaches, and proceeds with the stages of cognition and analysis simultaneously according to both methods. The final product is a theory derived from the constructivist approach and supported by ethnographic cotextuality. The method consists of four steps: 1. initiation of the fieldwork, 2. data collection (involving observation, interview, photography, sketching, and maps), 3. analysis (involving coding and memo writing), and 4. achievement of the theory and documentation. ConclusionThis study has demonstrated that grounded theory ethnography is a method that can cover the drawbacks of both methods of ethnography and grounded theory, and can be used in conditions where both methods are required. This is the case where the issue of understanding the culture of the examined context is one of the researcher’s main concerns. Moreover, there has been no specific theory to introduce the phenomenon under study, turning it into an important aim of the research to achieve such a theory. The above hybrid approach is highly applicable particularly in the field of urban studies because of the efficiency of investigation of the city and urban space in ethnography due to the emphasis on entry into the field of research and the relevant strategies and on the observation involved in the method. However, the method suffers drawbacks including the lack of a clear analytical stage and open-endedness, which can be covered by grounded theory. Using grounded theory ethnography and going through its four stages, the researcher can conduct in-depth studies according to the cultural context of the field. AcknowledgmentThis research has been extracted from the Ph.D. thesis of Maryam Farash Khiabani, entitled Unraveling the essence of other spaces of the city of Tehran (central district) with emphasis on cultural context, defended in the Department of Urban Planning at the University of Art under the supervision of Dr. Parvin Partovi.
Urban Ecology
Pegah Yadegari; hassan sajadzadeh
Abstract
Highlights
The relative confinement of public open spaces of residential neighborhoods in cold climates plays an effective role in the thermal comfort of users.
Reducing wind speed plays a key role in increasing the thermal comfort of cold climates in winter.
Deciduous trees absorb sunlight during ...
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Highlights
The relative confinement of public open spaces of residential neighborhoods in cold climates plays an effective role in the thermal comfort of users.
Reducing wind speed plays a key role in increasing the thermal comfort of cold climates in winter.
Deciduous trees absorb sunlight during the day and reflect it to the environment in the evening and at night
Introduction
Because of the expansion of cities, it has become highly challenging to modify urban structures to address the drawbacks of the planning and design of open spaces, control microclimates, and improve thermal comfort conditions. Due to their effect on the quality of air in cities, urban microclimates are highly significant, and since urban spaces play an important role in creation of urban microclimates, urban designers and planners have the capacity and means to reduce the negative effects of climate on citizens’ health through implementation of proper designs.
Theoretical Framework
Urban spaces affect their users’ thermal comfort via their design elements. Various parameters can induce micro-climatic changes, such as the geometric patterns, vegetation, natural elements, and construction materials of the open spaces. These elements also play important roles in balancing urban thermal comfort during winter. While the effects of vegetation and geometric patterns on thermal comfort in public open spaces during winter have been studied independently, the cumulative impact of vegetation and geometric parameters during winter in cold and dry climates has not been investigated sufficiently. This article sought to address this shortcoming.
Methodology
The ENVI-met software was used for simulation and comparison of the thermal comfort conditions of the open spaces selected for this study. First, the design parameters of the selected sites were determined via field measurement, and were entered into the software for simulation of the thermal environments. The four climatic parameters of thermal comfort were measured during winter using ENVI-met . Then, a receptor was placed at the center of each selected site for investigation of thermal comfort at the pedestrian scale. Using these receptors, the parameters of space design and their impacts on thermal comfort were studied during the selected season.
Results and Discussion
The changes recorded for wind speed were larger than those in MRT, air temperature, and RH; hence, the differences in thermal comfort at the central points. According to the results, the Kolapa and Kolanj neighborhoods exhibited more favorable thermal conditions due to their higher PET values. Both Kalpa and Kolanj neighborhoods had north-south orientation. This type of orientation provides top-down access to the sunlight during winter. The H/W ratios at the central receptors of the Kolanj and Kalpa neighborhoods were 0.6 and 0.3, respectively. These H/W ratios provided greater enclosure than those of the other neighborhoods. While a H/W ratio less than one can be said to be suitable for cold climates during winter, it can cause thermal discomfort against wind speed if it lies below a certain threshold. This condition was observed in the Kababiyan neighborhood, where the H/W ratio at the central point was 0.13. As a result, the residents have to take protective measures against the winter wind and storms. In addition, dense vegetation caused a decrease in the SVF of the neighborhoods. The neighborhood centers with vegetation exhibited higher MRT values as well. The trees also raised the RH values of the neighborhoods. Because of the dry climate of Hamadan, Iran, vegetation can certainly improve thermal comfort in this city.
Conclusion
Recent climate studies have explored thermal comfort as an important quality of urban spaces. While thermal comfort can be achieved through a decrease in temperature in hot climates (as emphasized by most studies), it requires an increase temperature to provide thermal comfort in cold and dry climates. The presence of Hamadan’s citizens in the urban open spaces of the city always decreases in the second half of the year because of the cold mountainous climate. Limitation in or even lack of thermal comfort is one of the most important reasons for this change. With their high standards of sociability, the centers of the historical neighborhoods of Hamadan have always served as places for social interaction between the residents of the city. Therefore, this study attempted to assess the thermal characteristics of nine neighborhood centers in Hamadan using the notion of thermal comfort and the relevant variables.
Acknowledgment
This article has been extracted from a Master’s thesis in the field of Urban Design entitled Measurement and evaluation of thermal comfort in the centers of traditional neighborhoods with an emphasis on urban geometry and vegetation (historical neighborhoods of Hamadan), defended by the first author under the supervision of the second author at Bu-Ali Sina University.
Passive Defense
Hossein Mahdizadeh; Ghader Ahmadi; Mohammadreza Pakdelfard; Mahsa Framarzi
Abstract
Highlights
- The vulnerability of the semi-grid urban form is greater than that of the grid urban form with respect to the indicators of plot area, fabric pattern, building density, building age, building quality, distance from rescue centers, distance from hazardous centers, building facade, ...
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Highlights
- The vulnerability of the semi-grid urban form is greater than that of the grid urban form with respect to the indicators of plot area, fabric pattern, building density, building age, building quality, distance from rescue centers, distance from hazardous centers, building facade, population density, and building structure.
- The vulnerability of the grid urban form is greater than that of the semi-grid urban form with respect to the indicators of distance from open spaces, area of worn fabric, distance from faults, and distance from the main thoroughfares of the city.
- The grid urban form exhibits better performance than the semi-grid urban form in terms of vulnerability from the perspective of passive defense against earthquake.
Introduction
The present age is referred to as the age of urban vulnerability, because cities face natural hazards and technological crises from various aspects on the one hand and socio-security crises on the other as urban life becomes more complex. The issue of passive defense is no longer defined as a mere research topic but as a vital requirement for governing any country, both upon crisis and at other times, for maintenance of its material and spiritual values. Therefore, the theoretical and practical position of defense and defense against the crisis is very important in this area. On that basis, the application of passive defense and consideration of its principles in urban planning can greatly reduce the destructive effects of such crises. The checkered city of Salmas, Iran, a mid-sized city, according to Iranian Space Agency, with a population of 91239 people, is located in a region with high relative risk based on the relative earthquake risk zoning of Iran, from the study of the National Physical Plan of Iran. Due to its location on a fault, evidenced by the devastating 7.2-magnitude earthquake in 1930, it is very important in this city to observe the principles of passive defense in urban planning. Accordingly, this study was conducted with the aim of measuring and modeling the vulnerability of grid and semi-grid urban forms in Salmas against earthquakes from the perspective of passive defense.
Theoretical Framework
With respect to the type of fabric, there is less vulnerability and greater relief in case of earthquake in regular continuous fabrics over flat lands featuring roads with low or medium confinement and blocks with one or two regular rows of construction. The grid urban form of the roads is also effective in the provision of relief due to easy access. Regular and stepped discontinuous fabrics over foothill lands are moderate in terms of efficiency and vulnerability, and irregular continuous fabrics over flat areas are less effective against earthquakes. The indicators of urban fabric in the assessment of vulnerability against earthquake include the method of attachment of adjacent segments to the passage, adjacency of the open and constructed spaces of each section to the passage, extent of confinement of the fabric, pattern and size of the urban blocks, and pattern of combination of the roads and urban blocks.
Methodology
In this applied analytical research, data collection was carried out through library studies, existing articles, field studies, and 2016 census information from the Statistical Center of Iran. Thus, the effective indicators of vulnerability were extracted from the perspective of passive defense after the relevant documents and resources were studied, and fourteen indicators were then selected from among various influential factors according to their availability for specification of vulnerability in Salmas to obtain the research output. Given that each of the indicators effective in the specification of the vulnerability of the coefficient has a different importance, the opinions of the elite were used in this research to determine the weight (coefficient of importance) of each indicator. To weigh the indicators according to the BWM method, ten questionnaires with contents based on a pairwise comparison of the indicators were formulated given the preference of the best indicator over the others and the preference of the other indicators over the worst. In the next step, the data from the questionnaires were entered into the GAMS software and calculated and analyzed. The weight calculated with the value of λε obtained for the ten questionnaires was 0.097, which indicates the stability and consistency of the calculated weights due to its proximity to zero. For spatial analysis, the information layers of the indicators were first digitized and edited in the GIS software, and each of the indicators was multiplied by the significance coefficient calculated by the BWM method through conversion of the information layers into rasters and their standardization with large and small fuzzy functions and Boolean logic. Using the weighted sum of the indicators to measure vulnerability, the grid and semi-grid urban forms in Salmas were addressed separately.
Results and Discussion
Among the calculated weights of the indicators in GAMS, the highest concerned urban from pattern, with 0.164, and the lowest pertained to building façade, with a significance coefficient of 0.030. The average value of λε obtained for the ten questionnaires was 0.097, which indicates the stability and consistency of the calculated weights due to its proximity to zero. The results of combining the indicators in the grid urban form in Salmas demonstrated that there were 4866 parcels in the very low vulnerability zone in the grid urban form, 2719 parcels in low vulnerability, 2862 in medium vulnerability, 3435 in high vulnerability, and 430 parcels in the very high vulnerability zone. In the semi-grid urban form, there were 611 parcels in the very low vulnerability zone, 2598 in low vulnerability, 3669 in medium vulnerability, 5350 in high vulnerability, and 3057 parcels in the very high vulnerability zone.
Conclusion
In general, it can be stated that the level of vulnerability in the grid urban form is less than that in the semi-grid urban form. The semi-grid urban form was found to be more vulnerable than the grid urban form based on the indicators of area, parts pattern, building density, building age, building quality, distance from rescue centers, distance from hazardous centers, building facade, population density, and building structure. Moreover, the grid urban form was found more vulnerable than the semi-grid urban form based on the indicators of distance from open spaces, range of worn fabric, distance from faults, and distance from the main thoroughfares of the city.
Urban Planning
zohreh Fanni; jamshid moludi; kh. faraji rad
Volume 2, Issue 6 , June 2013, , Pages 17-30
Urban Planning
h b; m i; m m
Volume 3, Issue 9 , February 2014, , Pages 17-30
Abstract
This paper investigates the evolution of development approaches from “Urban Reconstruction” to “Sustainable Urban Regeneration” emphasizing “social sustainability” (the most recent approach).The decline of environmental quality, social status and ...
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This paper investigates the evolution of development approaches from “Urban Reconstruction” to “Sustainable Urban Regeneration” emphasizing “social sustainability” (the most recent approach).The decline of environmental quality, social status and economic vitality have been amongst the most fundamental problems in the concept of urban development. In recent decades, various policies have been implemented in cities, especially in inner cities, to address this critical situation. Developed countries have examined different approaches for solving in theory and practice such issues as the post-industrial shift from manufacturing to service industries, Fordism to post-Fordism, natural or non-natural disasters (earthquakes, war…), globalization and social change. Developing countries have also been confronted by such problems as a result of rapid growth and its consequences. By looking at these policies from an analytical and historical perspective, distinct stages from “Urban Reconstruction” to “Urban Regeneration” can be defined based on prominent attributes, political approaches and institutional frameworks. “Sustainable Urban Regeneration” has been propounded in recent years, introducing sustainability and sustainable development in the field of urban development. The question and the objective of this research are forged explicating this approach, its aspects and components; exploring “what the components and aspects of “Sustainable Urban Regeneration” are and how they could be defined under the recent approach of “Social Sustainability”. The research method is a "documentary" one based on "Content Analysis" and "Logical Argumentation". This paper seeks to summarize the approaches that have affected change since the mid- twentieth century and to define the components and dimensions of sustainable urban regeneration taking into account the most recent approach of social sustainability.
Urban Transport
m h; m i; e m
Volume 4, Issue 13 , February 2015, , Pages 17-32
Abstract
Nowadays physical expansion of cities has led to citizens` dependency on private and public vehicles for moving in cities to meet their needs, which is more obvious in larger cities. This issue of major urban areas being seen as specializing in providing goods and services has resulted in land use segregation ...
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Nowadays physical expansion of cities has led to citizens` dependency on private and public vehicles for moving in cities to meet their needs, which is more obvious in larger cities. This issue of major urban areas being seen as specializing in providing goods and services has resulted in land use segregation (zoning) and inevitable of use of automobiles . In addition to causing ecological problems, increasing urban management expenditure and fossil fuel consumption, such a process has a negative effect on citizens` quality of life . With the dominance of vehicles over cities, pedestrian movements will gradually wane which in turn will trigger the physical and social deterioration in urban fabrics. In the last three decades, severe reactions have been shown toward use of automobiles and decline in walking as the result of increasing city problems like pollution, transportation difficulties, road insecurity , deterioration of historic centers, decreasing city space and service accessibility quality, disable people’s mobility problems, emotional pressures, and decrease in visual values . Increasing environmental quality and regenerating historic-cultural characteristics of CBDs are of major concern to urban centers managers and decreasing vehicle use and giving back urban spaces to pedestrians are also of considerable interest. However, different physical, economic, social and other factors lead to a high dependency on automobiles which makes it hard to change the situation. Hence, in pedestrianization it is important to consider each city’s circumstances individually and balance maintained between the shifting of pedestrians and drivers. Amongst modern movements in city transportation which emphasize value of pedestrians and the lowering of automobile supremacy is pedestrianization and pedestrian street construction. This survey has decided to select an appropriate policy for decreasing automobile movement in Hamedan CBD. Hamedan’s central fabric is still operating as a service pole for all citizens despite city growth and suffering from heavy traffic and and socio-economic trades especially because of its radiant and monocentric structure. This survey was carried out using analytic-descriptive method, common library studies and field observation. The main criteria for pedestrian oriented environmental designs and pedestrian street construction were derived from Persian and foreign literature review. After that, these indicators were evaluated in Hamedan CBD. To compare the two policies, (pedestrianization and walkability) AHP (analytical hierarchy process) was used and to weigh the criteria and sub criteria, Delphi method (30 experts opinions were considered upon the topic) was employed. Results show that the most effective criteria in evaluating pedestrianization capacity of an area are, in order, orderly as follows: transportation network structure, traffic and social conditions, land use and activity, physical structure, natural environment, economic considerations and landscape. Analyzing these criteria in Hamedan CBD proves supremacy of pedestrianization over pedestrian street construction. This survey shows that because of the negative effects on the natural environment, economic conditions and physical structure of the city, it is impossible to eliminate automobiles from Hamedan CBD completely. . Hence pedestrianization is feasible by means of lowering dependency on private automobiles as well as transferring traffic to bypasses in the city periphery which can maintain balance between pedestrians and drivers and public opinion gained. Therefore, it is recommended to keep vehicle accessibility to CBD and Imam Square (main historic square with various activities, buildings and major roads surrounding it) while converting the square itself into a walkable place which will disconnect radial streets in the central fabric of the city and shift traffic to peripheral roads.
Urban Design
salman vahdat
Volume 4, Issue 15 , August 2015, , Pages 17-36
Abstract
Cities landscapes are exposed to observer judgments. However, the important thing point the public perception and reading of urban landscapes by urban space users. Since there is a variety of comments and opinions regarding city issues and the urban landscape and its priorities, and decision making ...
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Cities landscapes are exposed to observer judgments. However, the important thing point the public perception and reading of urban landscapes by urban space users. Since there is a variety of comments and opinions regarding city issues and the urban landscape and its priorities, and decision making should converge in order to cover all aspects of priorities, in this study an attempt has been made to explain the effective dimensions and factors of reading street landscapes. Furthermore, priorities of each of the sites were studied from the perspective of citizens in order to improve the quality of urban spaces in Hamadan. A qualitative research methodology was used; in terms of the study objectives applied research was used and in terms of the techniques employed, field observations and library study was usedto develop a conceptual model associated with reading the elements and aspects in terms of urban spaces. Finally, to examine and analyze the conceptual framework, expert questionnaires using the software Super Decision and the Network Analysis Process Model was analysed to give suitable answers to the following questions of the study: 1- What are the dimensions and components of reading street landscapes? 2- How do priority indicators and criteria affect the landscape of urban streets components according to experts? 3- According to what order are priorities and central streets of Hamedan organized based on parameters mentioned by? Based on the research, reading components of street landscapes can be both objective and subjective and three dimensions are presented: aesthetic (objective - subjective), semantic (perception, functional) and activity. In addition, 59 indicators were classified. Prioritizing landscape reading components in of Hamedan city streets based on citizens' viewpoints are shown below Bu-Ali Sina Street is first and has a weighting of (0.246) for quality readings of street landscape view and Shohada Street is last with a weight of (0.099). In this regard and in order to improve the urban landscape loci recommendations, such as improving street visual order, organization of walls and ancient buildings, paving the way for the presence of street art and graphics, defining and developing signs physically and semantically which isdesirable for promoting citizens’ reading of the spaces provided, can be studied. Based on the analysis and findings of the research, design and urban landscape management officials need to act in such a way as to maintain the initial values of urban design issues when making changes and new developments. Changes and new developments in urban spaces should be based on the social values and culture of the society and the target audience’s perspectives (citizens) to promote the values of leadership and guide the quality and quantity of space.
Urban Sustainability
Mahdi Montazerolhodjah
Volume 5, Issue 20 , November 2016, , Pages 17-28
Abstract
Urban sprawl and population growth impact urban quality significantly by reducing livability and human comfort causing areduction in outdoor leisure and recreation activities. In addition, busy lifestyles of the urban community also affect the lack of time for leisure and recreational activities in public ...
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Urban sprawl and population growth impact urban quality significantly by reducing livability and human comfort causing areduction in outdoor leisure and recreation activities. In addition, busy lifestyles of the urban community also affect the lack of time for leisure and recreational activities in public outdoor spaces.
Leisure is defined as free time that does not involve work or performing other life sustaining functions. Leisure and work are rivals for time. If one increases, the other decreases. This is the same for individuals and for society as a whole in every culture and society. Social role and function of public parks can be important for lower income groups. While the conditions in such areas are less attractive to those of the higher income area, the urban public park can provide lower income citizens opportunities for fun and entertainment within a place with environmental quality. Nowaday, most of a community’s leisure activities take place indoorsin such places as cinemas, coffee shops, restaurants, and shopping centers. The use of indoor rather than open and green outdoor spaces during leisure activities has led to a greater passive lifestyle in urban communities. People in urban spaces neglect the fact that physically active outdoors lifestyles are important in terms of physical and mental health to enhance the quality of life. Urban public parks and their design are important factors which influence citizens’ leisure activities. The objective of this research is to identify the impact of the community perception on leisure activities at two urban public parks in the city of Yazd. Kuhestan Park and City Grand Park were selected for this study.
The literature review was carried out to gather information and findings and determine the study criteria of previous research regarding leisure in urban public parks.
The results from the literature review and observation survey served very well in codifying the variables and attributes for structuring the questionnaire to examine citizen perception of leisure activities in public parks of Yazd.
According to this study, the use of parks has changed from quiet activities during the day to more community activities in the evening and night.
People dispersed throughout the parks during the day, while in the evenings and at nightfall the areas became more vibrant with social leisure activities.
The questionnaire survey was carried out atvarious times and different locations of the parks using random stratifying technique.
This study reveals the positive perception of the community towards night-time leisure activities at
urban public parks in both case studies.
Four types of variables were studied in relation to night-time leisure in urban public parks: comfort, convenience, safety and aesthetics.
The findings of this study showed that the urban park users’ perception of safety and related factors had the greatest correlation with increase in leisure activities in urban public parks.
The results of this research could be used to improve the Yazd local authority strategies and guidelines regarding future urban public park planning and design. This study has identified crucial factors contributing to citizens’ comfort, convenience, and safety in public parks as well their aesthetic views of such places in relation to leisure activities.
Urban Design
fatemeh biniaz; toktam hanaee
Volume 6, Issue 23 , August 2017, , Pages 17-28
Abstract
Perception of urban space is the first step in communicating with the environment. This perception leads to the formation of an image of city and thus a person’s cognitive map of space. The age group, sex, as well as the level of the familiarity of an individual with the environment have a significant ...
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Perception of urban space is the first step in communicating with the environment. This perception leads to the formation of an image of city and thus a person’s cognitive map of space. The age group, sex, as well as the level of the familiarity of an individual with the environment have a significant effect on shaping this process. In fact, perception occurs when it affects human senses. Therefore, the more distinct the urban spaces are, the more complete can be the picture formed in the minds of people. It should be noted that people of different ages have different expectations of space and remember the urban space accordingly. Therefore, it can generally be said that a more perceptible and easy-to-understand environment can be grasped easier and a more complete picture of its structure can be shaped in people’s minds.
By analyzing citizens’ cognitive maps and deducing their perceptual similarities, one can measure how the legibility of an environment influences the cognitive perception of adults of different ages. This article seeks to achieve this goal with the aim of creating a legible urban space for adults. Data collection methods in this study include: literature review, descriptive statistics, and cognitive mapping technique. The library method was used to formulate research background, theoretical principles and research framework. Field methods, questionnaires, cognitive maps and routing techniques were used to understand the cognitive perception of adults of different ages and to recognize perceptual similarities with respect to the indicators defined in the theoretical framework. In fact, with this technique, one can deduce perceptual similarities by using cognitive maps and studying the presence of five elements of Lynch – i.e. landmark, path, node, edge, district and range – in cognitive maps drawn by individuals of 15-28, 29-40, 41-52, and 53-64 years age groups. Chi-square test was used to determine the relationships between variables. The target group of the study is also 15-64 year old individuals who are either residents, businessmen or users of the environment. The sample size was calculated using Cochran’s formula to be 132 individuals.
The findings of this study suggest that cognitive similarities between adults in the 15-64 years age group are more affected by node and landmarks, and that other Lynch elements do not play a role in shaping the adult mental image of the study environment. Also, easy routing by people in urban spaces is not only affected by order, symmetry, complexity, and guidance signs in the environment. Cognitive maps also show that the vast majority of adults have mapped the environment based on sequential order according to Appelard classification. It should be noted that there is a direct relationship between elements of the environment and its readability for adults of different ages. Studies on readability of the node element also show that the activity alone cannot cause spatial differentiation and legibility of the node. Also, the façade and elevation of buildings alone cannot enhance the visibility and legibility of an edge.
Urban Sustainability
Ahad Nejad Ebrahimi; Nastaran Najdaghi
Abstract
There are some problems in the historic fabric that eclipse values of these sites in cities. Sustainable urban regeneration approach is the best approach to solve these problems. Due to the nature of this approach and the intervention platform, the role of education must be clarified in this process. ...
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There are some problems in the historic fabric that eclipse values of these sites in cities. Sustainable urban regeneration approach is the best approach to solve these problems. Due to the nature of this approach and the intervention platform, the role of education must be clarified in this process. This study was conducted with the aim to determine the effectiveness of education on urban regeneration. At first, the viewpoints of experts were collected by Delphi technique and then a consensus was reached on the positive impact of education on residents. Afterwards, the women living in Sang-e-Siah neighborhood were chosen as the statistical population to assess the viewpoints of residents. This study is an applied research employing the descriptive and analytical methods. The main objective is to elucidate the effectiveness of education for women living in the Sang-e-Siah neighborhood in Shiraz on sustainable urban regeneration. The main question is “How much effective is the education of the culture of citizenship, preservation of historic heritage, vocational skills, and environmental protection on successful implementation of urban regeneration plans?” Data was collected through questionnaire, interview, and field study. T-Test and one-way ANOVA were used to assess the factors’ effectiveness. The results show that there is a significant positive relationship between women education and sustainable urban regeneration. Women have selected as the target population because of their higher presence in the neighborhood during the day and their higher impact on the education of children. The data collected from the study population was used to clarify the effect of education on the implementation of urban regeneration plans. Experts’ opinions and the views of women living in the neighborhood were compared. According to experts’ opinions, educating residents is the most effective approach of education-oriented urban regeneration with such effective components as social, physical, environmental and economic factors. However, based on the views of women living in the neighborhood, the most effective factors on women education in order of importance are environmental, social, physical and economic factors. As the mean value of t statistic was more than 3 for all the four factors, it is concluded that the effect of women education on all the four factors is above average. Also, research findings indicate that differences in individual characteristics of respondents can change the impact of sustainable urban regeneration programs with age being the most effective factor. It is therefore suggested that educating residents will be set as the objective of sustainable urban regeneration plans as a pivotal element of urban planning. In addition, to develop the theoretical approach, it is suggested that residents’ education will be classified according to different age groups. Finally, it is recommended that the impact of education on urban regeneration process will be measured by determining the feedback from educated subjects.
Urban Design
nesar daneshpayeh; F H
Abstract
The sense of place is a comprehensive and complex concept of human emotions about the environment that is created by human adaption to and use of place. It is also one of the important concepts in improving the quality of human environment and formation of the communicational bases of environmental users. ...
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The sense of place is a comprehensive and complex concept of human emotions about the environment that is created by human adaption to and use of place. It is also one of the important concepts in improving the quality of human environment and formation of the communicational bases of environmental users. This research explores the concept of sense of place through investigating different schools of study in the field and developing the principles and concepts in the theoretical framework. The research is looking for answers to this question: What are the criteria for explaining the process of creating a sense of place in the new developments in Tehran and what is their role, position and how do they communicate with each other? This research is a descriptive-analytical survey. The data was collected through documentary and library studies along with distributing questionnaires and doing interviews with professors teaching architecture and urban planning, as well as interviews with residents of the studied towns, the Cheshmeh and Dehkadeh – Olympic towns in District No. 22 of Tehran – and the Hakimyeh town in District No. 4 of Tehran. Samples were collected using simple random sampling. The criteria used for sampling included the lack of significant and fundamental changes, the evolution and stability of neighborhoods over time after their formation, proper access, and the information and statistics required for the selected research. In this regard, the ten main criteria, including visual richness, visual proportions, physical-spatial quality, legibility, perceptability, identity, accessibility, flexibility, comfort, place invitation in three physical, perceptual and functional aspects as well as meaning, the relationship and influence of each of the factors on locating a sense of place were investigated. In relation to each of the ten criteria, 4, 5, 8, 4, 4, 3, 2, 4, 2, 4, 3, 2, 4, 2, 4, 3, 2, 4, 2, and 4 variables were measured. The statistical methods of structural equation modeling, confirmatory factor analysis, maximum likelihood estimation, Pearson correlation test, and multiple linear regression were used to explain the nature of the relationship between the sense of place and the variables. Finally, it is possible to plan a 10-factor model for studying and measuring the sense of place in urban new development areas. The adequacy of this model due to its different indices shows that the model has an acceptable fitness in terms of data coordination with its functional structure. Based on the findings of the research, all three main physical, functional and perceptual components had a significant relationship with the dependent variable of sense of place. Visual richness, spatial quality and visual proportions had the most causal effect on the sense of place, which shows the higher effect of physical components on the sense of place from the viewpoint of the citizens, as compared with perceptual and functional variables. In conclusion, the creation of sense of place in new urban areas is based on the interaction between the residents and residence, and thus the person and place as well as the process of the creation of a sense of place is related to the physical, functional and perceptual dimensions of physical environment.
Regional Planning
nemat shakarami
Abstract
Globalization has basically transformed the world into a competitive market in which most companies seek to choose the appropriate economic policies and identify effective strategies to meet the emerging competitive environment, and the new challenges posed in this global competitive environment. In ...
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Globalization has basically transformed the world into a competitive market in which most companies seek to choose the appropriate economic policies and identify effective strategies to meet the emerging competitive environment, and the new challenges posed in this global competitive environment. In fact, today, tourism has become one of the most important competitive bases and competitive areas in the world in a way that each country and city is seeking a better position in this profitable and competitive area. Currently, most planners are seeking to use appropriate methods and strategies for long-term successful planning in this field, so that they can increase their success rate in tourist attraction due to the relative importance of human affairs. In the meantime, strategic planning is one of the most appropriate scientific methods for determining the weaknesses and strengths of the environment, identifying the most important sources of each region, as well as determining the most important macro-factors affecting the region. Indeed, in this type of planning, we can determine a specific program in the scientific framework for tourism in Kurdistan by identifying the set of factors mentioned above. Therefore, in the present study, we seek to achieve the following goals using the Meta-SWOT technique: identifying the most important tourism opportunities in Kurdistan, the major factors affecting tourism in Kurdistan, and the competition situation of the province with neighboring provinces until 2025. In order to achieve these goals, the required data was collected by experts from the Kurdistan Tourism Development Document. The sample includes 25 experts and researchers related to the research topic. In addition to Kurdistan province, the selected sample includes the neighboring and rival provinces. Research findings were analyzed in two steps. In the first step, tourism competition map of Kurdistan with neighboring provinces was drawn. In the second step, the tourism proportion strategic map of Kurdistan was presented considering the resources and capabilities of the province as well as the major factors affecting tourism in Kurdistan. The results of this research, drawn from the competitive map, indicate that the status of tourism in Kurdistan will be in a competitive position compared to its rivals, namely Kermanshah, Hamedan, and Azerbaijan provinces in terms of attracting foreign tourists in the target year. In order to achieve this goal in the vision document, resources and capabilities that were identified by experts to have the highest scores should be strengthened and considered as strong and forward-looking strategies. In the strategic proportion map, the results show that ecotourism and border markets have the highest level of strategic alignment with environmental factors, and, in the regional competitiveness debate, they are the most important potential of Kurdistan for taking up tourism market in the region. Also, the historical record of the province and the existence of suitable infrastructure for tourism have the highest level of strategic alignment with the goals set out in the Tourism Document of Kurdistan. Also, the most important factors affecting the development of Kurdistan tourism are the country’s macro-management, international sanctions and foreign policy of the state. Therefore, political stability in the country will improve the situation of Kurdistan in attracting foreign tourists.
Urban Design
Faezeh BehnamiFard; Mitra Habibi
Abstract
So far, many studies have been carried out on the presence and activity of various age groups in the urban environment, including children, youth and adults. Attention to adolescents as an age group with specific needs has a relatively long history in foreign countries. Its first spells can be attributed ...
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So far, many studies have been carried out on the presence and activity of various age groups in the urban environment, including children, youth and adults. Attention to adolescents as an age group with specific needs has a relatively long history in foreign countries. Its first spells can be attributed to Lynch’s 1977 study. In his study, “Growing Up in Cities”, he studied a small group of adolescents in different cities to discover their use and value to their surroundings, and to understand the importance of urban spaces as vital resources for their growth from adolescence to adulthood. The research inspired further research on adolescents and their local environment. Since the mid-1990s, researchers have shown their interest in more extreme studies on the underlying government policies and strategies that lead to the isolation of adolescents from public spaces through monitoring their movements and neglecting activities such as skateboarding and graffiti. Over the past two decades, the trend of urban planners and designers in adolescent studies has also increased significantly in foreign countries, especially in European ones. On the other hand, it is believed today that dominant approaches and urban laws cause various social, economic, social and sexual discrimination among citizens. On the basis of such discrimination, the majority of public and active spaces of the city are at the disposal of adults while children and adolescents are on the sidelines. In Iran, however, the adolescent group remains largely ignored and most of their needs are not studied as an independent age group. In the present study, therefore, we try to focus on the activity of adolescents – as one of the groups not covered in our urban studies – in their favorite urban spaces. It is because this age group, on one hand, is considered a potentially very important part of the users of urban spaces, and, on the other hand, adolescents require to be present in urban spaces, experience a variety of social roles, and test their abilities in this context in order to grow as a person with a social identity. In line with this, Azadi Street, center of RajaeiShahr district, was selected as the case study, and 250 adolescents from 12 to 19 years old were chosen to be investigated through a questionnaire involving items about their activities and their level of satisfaction with environmental quality of the streets. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics (independent t-test and multivariate regression). The analysis indicates that 11% and 74% of the teens go to the streets on a daily and weekly basis, respectively, often in the evening, along with their friends for window shopping, sitting at the parks, and watching other people. The highest to the lowest satisfaction level of adolescents with the components of environmental qualities of the street is related to security, accessibility, attractiveness, convenience, and comfort. With the exception of attractiveness, significant differences were found between boys and girls in terms of their satisfaction with the quality of environmental components. The results of the regression model also showed that 43% of boys’ and 75% of girls’ activity can be predicted by the components of environmental quality. Attractiveness and comfort are more important for boys and attractiveness, safety, convenience and comfort are considerably important and effective for girls.
Urban Planning
Abstract
Land-use and development density decisions have always been amongst the most controversial issues in urban planning. Various approaches have been proposed to deal with these decisions. However, these approaches have been mainly theoretical rather than practical. Transit Oriented Development (TOD) is ...
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Land-use and development density decisions have always been amongst the most controversial issues in urban planning. Various approaches have been proposed to deal with these decisions. However, these approaches have been mainly theoretical rather than practical. Transit Oriented Development (TOD) is amongst the most recent approaches to urban planning and, consequently, land-use and development density decision-making. TOD has been defined as “a compact, mixed-use, community, centered around a transit station that, by design, invites residents, workers and shoppers to drive their cars less and ride mass transit more.” This paper aims at proposing a mathematical model for land-use and development density decisions based on the principles of TOD. TOD is generally considered to have three dimensions: design, density and diversity. Design needs to be prepared according to specific conditions and circumstances of each particular station area. On the other hand, planning for development density and diversity needs to be developed from a holistic viewpoint, regarding different macro-scale objectives and constraints. In this paper, the problem of development density and diversity optimization based on the principles of TOD is modeled as a mathematical programming problem with multiple objectives. The first objective is to maximize development density in station areas, and the second objective is to minimize the difference between each station’s ratio of job-housing balance and its ideal value (ratio of employed people to the number of residential units) in each TOD area. Several constraints related to the objectives of Tehran master plan have also been incorporated into the model. The resultant nonlinear model was transformed into a Multiple Objective Linear Programming (MOLP) problem using simple mathematical transformations. Then, using AUGMented Epsilon CONstraint (AUGMECON) technique, it was transformed into a single objective Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) problem. Finally, the model was applied to a real case study in the 12th District of Tehran metropolitan area and the results were thoroughly analyzed. Statistical analysis of the results shows that the elasticity of diversity to development density is -1.017. In other words, 1% improvement in diversity leads to a 1.017% decrease in the development density index. Optimal trade-off between these objectives depends on (1) their relative impact on car ownership ratio, vehicle-miles travelled and similar criteria, (2) particular micro-scale issues of each station area as well as the goals and strategies of the municipality for each station area. Previous studies show that land-use diversity has a higher impact on the aforementioned criteria than development density. However, these results depend highly on urban development, urban transportation patterns and the behaviour of citizens. Hence, proper decision-making needs a separate study on the aforementioned impacts on travel behaviour of the citizens in the context of Tehran. Furthermore, the Pareto solutions of the proposed model provide a set of alternative development policies and enable the policy-makers to select among them based on their specific conditions and limitations. The proposed model results can be applied to future urban development plans.
Urban Planning
sepideh taban tarashkar; parvin partovi
Abstract
Uncontrolled urban development in the present age has caused many problems that cannot be solved by traditional management and requires the participation of all citizens in the administration of urban affairs. Today, citizen participation and its application in urban planning, as one of the characteristics ...
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Uncontrolled urban development in the present age has caused many problems that cannot be solved by traditional management and requires the participation of all citizens in the administration of urban affairs. Today, citizen participation and its application in urban planning, as one of the characteristics of the development of a country, is considered by designers and urban planners. Citizen participation is effective in the success of local development plans, so it has become one of the main issues of urban planning today. The role of children, who make one third of urban population (citizens), is neglected in many cases. In recent years, there has been much research on children’s participation, but it can be said that, in practical terms, this concept faces many obstacles. Many of the issues we are facing today, such as leaving the neighborhood, lack of security, etc., are due to neglecting all citizens, especially children, in the city and, at a smaller scale, in the neighborhood. Accordingly, it is essential that children participate in local development planning. Undoubtedly, children’s participation needs a thorough perception of the concepts related to child. It requires a full understanding of the concepts of the child and the benefits and challenges of children’s participation. Finally, it is necessary to answer the question of what the methods of children’s participation in the process of preparing and implementing local development planning are. The theoretical foundation and global experiences related to children’s participation is presented to answer this question. Then, the case study of Sarshoor neighborhood is introduced and the results are presented. Finally, the conclusions are made based on the analysis of theoretical concepts, answering the main questions by Delphi method, and experts’ opinions. The results indicate that contextualization is the most influential factor in the planning process, as compared to other factors including culture-building, institutionalization and durability of participation. The two factors of institutionalization and participation control are the most influential factors in the implementation of plans. When these factors are realized, children tend to become more involved in the development process of the neighborhood because (1) their abilities focus on themselves in this process, (2) they are provided with an opportunity in this process, (3) participation methods become available to them, and (4) they become aware of their rights. At the end, the cycle of the process of neighborhood development projects is proposed based on the components of children’s participation in the Sarshoor neighborhood. The findings of this study will not only help planners and designers to better understand the way children are involved in planning and designing processes, but also provide an appropriate framework for using effective factors on the participation of children in local development projects. It is suggested that the factors proposed in this paper be applied according to the specific conditions and characteristics of each neighborhood.
Urban Planning
Najma Esmailpoor; Zahra Heravi; Elham Heidari Hamane
Abstract
The growing trend in illegal construction of residential buildings is a problem that has impacted the urban planning and management system in Iran in the past few decades. Violation of urban planning and technical regulations is a fact that has existed long. Despite the penalties that have been considered ...
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The growing trend in illegal construction of residential buildings is a problem that has impacted the urban planning and management system in Iran in the past few decades. Violation of urban planning and technical regulations is a fact that has existed long. Despite the penalties that have been considered for infractions in construction, the phenomenon has been observed extensively in the city of Yazd, including the territory of Municipal District 3. For prevention of infractions in construction, it is necessary to study the nature and causes of the issue from different aspects. This is an applied survey with a descriptive, causal, and correlational methodology. The factor analysis technic was used for decreasing the large number of factors affecting the commitment of infractions in construction around cities. The research population was divided into two groups: a sample of size 161 of the municipality visitors over 20 years of age and all the expert officials of the municipality. The main purpose of the research was to organize, systematize, and regularize residential construction practices, and the operational objectives were to identify the major causes of infractions in the field of residential construction and to propose appropriate solutions for their reduction in the target municipality. The study involved an investigation of the relationship between the increase in the construction infractions committed by the citizens and three factors including the attitude of the municipality toward infractions as a source of revenue, inefficient monitoring of construction practices on the part of the municipality, and the bureaucracy dominant in the municipality issuing construction permits. Based on the findings from 12884 cases of infraction in construction committed within the territory under investigation between 1991 and 2016, 60% of the infractions concerned construction practices without permits, and 40% pertained to ones where the permit contents had been violated. The most frequent issued sentences involved demolition and penalization along with reconstruction in some cases. The following conclusions were made based on the obtained results. 1- Six major factors that account for about 60% of the tendency to commit infractions in residential construction practices within Municipal District 3 of Yazd include insufficient documentation, poor instruction plans, permit applicants’ incomplete knowledge of the construction regulations, bureaucracy, and violation of the decisions made by the municipality and poor monitoring. 2- The visitors’ opinion on the causes of infractions is not exactly the same as the experts’. 3- Being the committers of the infractions, the visitors regard the above items as the major causes, in that order. The experts, however, consider the following items: the high costs of obtaining construction permits and completion certificates, constructors’ unwillingness to obtain permits, long process of permit issuance, lack of correspondence between constructors’ authorities and responsibilities, low enforceability of the Article No. 100 Commission decisions, dependency of the municipal budget on the revenue from infractions, poor monitoring of construction practices, and limited sustainable financial resources for the municipality. 4- There is a relatively high correlation between the commitment of infractions in construction and the three factors of the attitude of the municipality toward infractions as a source of revenue, inefficient monitoring of residential construction practices on the part of the municipality, and the bureaucracy dominant in the municipality in the process of issuing construction permits. Therefore, it can help decrease infractions in construction within the territory of Municipal District 3 to enhance public awareness of urban construction regulations, lower the cost of issuing construction permits and simplify the procedure, provide sustainable sources of revenue, enhance the construction monitoring system of the municipality, and improve the relevant bureaucracy in the municipality.
Urban Design
Tohid Hatami Khanghahi; Vahid Vaziri; Bahareh Salmanian; Negin Tajaddini
Abstract
Objectives. The sense of place is directly related to people’s levels of satisfaction with and continued presence in a neighborhood. Insufficient understanding of the factors effective on the sense and differences and similarities between the effective factors reduces the residents’ unity, ...
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Objectives. The sense of place is directly related to people’s levels of satisfaction with and continued presence in a neighborhood. Insufficient understanding of the factors effective on the sense and differences and similarities between the effective factors reduces the residents’ unity, social participation, and motivation to continue residence in different urban areas. The purpose of this paper was to compare the factors effective on the residents’ sense of place in the new and old neighborhoods of the city of Ardabil, Iran. Methodology. For the above purpose, the descriptive-analytical research method was used. First, a researcher-made questionnaire with 57 items was made based on a review of the literature and field studies and interviews with neighborhood residents and analyses of their statements. The research population consisted of 200 people, selected by the cluster sampling method using the Cochran formula from among inhabitants in the residential areas of Ardabil. 100 questionnaires were distributed and filled out in the old neighborhoods, and 100 in the new ones. In the next step, a statistical analysis was made of the obtained results using SPSS 21, including the t-test and Pearson’s correlation test. Findings. In the old neighborhoods, the residents have usually lived there their whole lives or for a long time. Therefore, they are deeply acquainted and connected with each other. As a result of these historical and family links, they have greater senses of belonging and ownership with respect to their neighborhoods and greater incentives to influence them, participate in different activities including public ones, increase compatibility with the place and provide social control and monitoring. Other factors that increase the sense of place in the old neighborhoods include the activity of the neighborhood center as a turning point, the cultural and religious commonalities, and the centrality of the mosque, enabling individuals to communicate with each other, which are less serious in the new neighborhoods. On the other hand a lack of certain elements and factors was felt in the old neighborhoods, or a need for new places to meet today’s requirements, such as urban green spaces and parks and places for activity and interaction of different age groups. In the new neighborhoods, desirable levels of resident satisfaction were observed as compared to those in the old neighborhoods due to the great effectiveness of certain physical factors such as presence of natural elements, open spaces, and recreational facilities. Conclusions. Based on the results, the sense of belonging to place is stronger in the old neighborhoods than in the new ones, while the factors effective on the sense are of different natures in the two types of neighborhood. In other words, certain factors are more important in the old neighborhoods, causing the residents’ satisfaction, whereas other factors matter more in the new neighborhoods. People’s different residential motivations lead to their choice of old or new neighborhoods. As a result, people in old and new neighborhoods gain advantage in certain factors effective on the sense of place, and lose advantage in others. It was concluded from this research that the first step for inclusion of the different factors effective on the sense of place in a neighborhood is ideally to identify and compare them.
Urban Planning
fatemah esmaeilpoor; mohammadhosein saraei; najma esmaeilpoor
Abstract
Highlights The prestige and identity of the middle tissues of Arak has been effective in the cost of land and has resulted in the destruction of usable residential units. Contrary to Bergess's theory - which describes the central fabric as a fabric with depressing neighborhoods with a sad and ...
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Highlights The prestige and identity of the middle tissues of Arak has been effective in the cost of land and has resulted in the destruction of usable residential units. Contrary to Bergess's theory - which describes the central fabric as a fabric with depressing neighborhoods with a sad and sometimes ruined appearance and the habitat of immigrants and low-income cities - the high price of land and the profitability of investing in the central fabric of Arak make it attractive. And has become the residence of the upper social and economic classes. 1. Introduction Throughout history and all around the world, the living spaces of different classes in cities have been segregated given their socio-economic conditions. The central fabric of the city of Arak, Iran is characterized by the highest housing and land prices, and many citizens wish to live there. The high price of land in this area has led to a high demand for housing. As a result, many of the buildings are demolished and converted into new, multi-story condominiums although usable by the owners and builders. Problems have arisen currently, and inappropriate prospects are expected for the future due to the replacement of single-family houses with multi-family apartment buildings without other residential needs considered, such as transportation, provision of health services, education, open and public green spaces, and parking spaces. The purpose of this article is to provide a structural modeling of the reasons for the above tendency and for the high prices of land in this fabric and of the impact of social status in the neighborhoods on regeneration. 2. Theoretical Framework The urban ecology perspective distinguishes cities from three aspects of household: socio-economic, family, and ethno-racial. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of the socio-economic status of high social classes on the high prices of land in the central fabric of Arak and its impact on the regeneration of the central city neighborhoods. Just as the lower classes and ethno-racial groups regard segregation as a way of uniting and preserving their identity, the upper classes try to maintain their residential territory in terms of habits and behaviors by segregating prestigious neighborhoods. Dignity or prestige results from approval by others. Therefore, social class can be defined as a group of individuals with similar positions in the labor market or with similar lifestyles and cultures. According to Weber’s socio-economic theory of capitalism, economic conditions alone do not necessarily determine one’s way of life. 3. Methodology This is an applied quantitative descriptive-causal study. For investigation of the orientation toward the central fabric and its effects on this fabric, different aspects of questionnaire data analysis and in-depth interview were considered using structural equation modeling and the Smart-PLS software. 4. Results and Discussion The findings demonstrated that the central fabric of Arak has appealed to the population, contrary to Borges’ theory. The high prices of land in this fabric is mainly associated with its validity and authenticity (T value = 2.682). Its easy access to the city center is another factor affecting the orientation toward this fabric and the increase in land prices therein. These high prices have led to the demolition of single-family houses that are not yet very old, to be turned into multi-story apartment buildings. The effect of the low cost of transportation on the individuals’ decision to choose these neighborhoods to live in was not confirmed (T value = 1.306). The regeneration of the fabric has changed its demographic conditions and the departure of low-income classes (T value = 23.861). The output of the final matrix and the design of the interpretive structural model placed the two variables of transportation and social status in the dependent zone, the housing price variable in the linking zone, and the variables of demographic change and land use diversity in the independent zone. The central fabric of Arak appeals to citizens due to its originality, prestige, and expensive land. This is contrary to Borges’ theory, which describes the fabric around the city center as one with distressed neighborhoods and a miserable, destructed appearance where immigrants live. 5. Conclusion Given that the original neighborhoods with indigenous populations in Arak provide proper opportunities for regeneration, gentrification of this fabric must be avoided, since land is a scarce resource in cities, and it is extremely costly to meet the infrastructure requirements of development. Moreover, urban managers should consider the current trend as an opportunity to provide a plan for efficient use of these lands because the lands in central Arak involve capacity and demand for housing. Thus, infrastructure and superstructure facilities and services also increase proportionally to the increase in density and residential construction. Acknowledgments The authors hereby express their gratitude to the Municipality of Arak for provision of the required information.
