Regeneration and revival of historical context
maryam hematian dehkordi; Afsoon mahdavi; mohammad reza iravani
Abstract
Highlights:
Urban regeneration stands at the intersection of diverse urban policies, representing a pivotal strategic choice in advancing global urban development.
Non-physical elements, embodied in the form of social capital, can serve as both a tool and a catalyst for a renovation that is not only ...
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Highlights:
Urban regeneration stands at the intersection of diverse urban policies, representing a pivotal strategic choice in advancing global urban development.
Non-physical elements, embodied in the form of social capital, can serve as both a tool and a catalyst for a renovation that is not only more desirable but also widely accepted within the context of residents.
The influential factors contributing to the development of local community culture, encompassing semantic, physical, functional, and social dimensions, play a pivotal role in empowering residents, fostering trust, strengthening their sense of belonging, and ultimately ensuring the feasibility of urban regeneration in the central core of Shahrekord.
Introduction:
Urban regeneration, situated at the intersection of urban policies, represents a crucial strategic avenue for advancing global urban development. Analysis of the evolving trends in urban regeneration experiences underscores that success within urban areas hinges not solely on physical enhancements but also on social dimensions where residents actively participate in the regeneration process. This research aims to establish criteria for the feasibility of urban regeneration, with a specific focus on fostering the development of local community culture.
The findings of the research, particularly in the context of Shahrekord, highlight that the cultivation of local community culture in the central core translates into enhanced control over the living environment and its content. Consequently, this socio-economic transformation contributes to an improved Quality of Life (QoL). The four pivotal criteria—structure (encompassing both natural and artificial dimensions), meaning (in terms of identity, authenticity, and motivational role), activity (spanning economic, social, and cultural aspects), and social factors (such as cultural needs, trust, and hope)—emerge as influential elements shaping the development of local community culture in the context of urban regeneration.
Thus, a comprehensive approach is imperative, taking into account all cultural, economic, functional, and spatial components of the plan, as cultural elements and their indicators manifest across all the aforementioned dimensions.
Theoretical Framework:
Contrary to traditional approaches that focus solely on physical perspectives, this research recognizes the significance of metaphysical components—social assets, tools, and motivators—in achieving a more desirable and acceptable urban revitalization. The study challenges the one-dimensional (physical) approach prevalent in many Iranian urban regeneration efforts, emphasizing the need to involve residents in decision-making processes. In Shahrekord, the lack of coordination among organizations, neglect of residents' opinions, and indifference toward human structures have led to a spectrum of problems in the central core. The study aims to introduce and examine feasibility criteria for urban regeneration by investigating components influencing the development of local community culture, thereby leveraging the institutional capacity of the local culture sector for socio-political and socio-economic growth.
Methodology:
Ethnography, a qualitative approach delving into the social processes and mental nature of human life, serves as the research method for field studies. The study area, the central core of Shahrekord city, is characterized by shared behavioral, cognitive, and speech paradigms among local residents. Sixteen individuals from the local community were selected using purposive and snowball sampling methods. Ethnography allowed the researcher to understand shared patterns within the group. Themes/categories derived from previous research formed the basis for interview questions. The study population consisted of inhabitants in the central core, and themes were continuously revised and finalized through consistent comparison, resulting in ultimate concepts and themes.
Conclusion:
This paper explores the feasibility criteria for urban regeneration, emphasizing the development of local community culture in Shahrekord's central core. Urban regeneration, a multifaceted process, encompasses diverse strategies and planning policies. The research sheds light on interventions in Shahrekord, particularly the central core, highlighting deficiencies in residents' participation and urban regeneration education. The lack of trust between residents and the city management system, coupled with the absence of trust in residents' decision-making capabilities, impedes meaningful engagement. The research emphasizes the need for residents' participation in shaping their living environment, connecting it to residence and employment, which provide meaning to livelihood. Social and communicative participation, along with cultural mediation, enhances social ties, meets various human needs, and improves quality of life (QoL) and welfare. The development of local community culture in the central core enhances control over the living environment, leading to socioeconomic transformation and an elevated QoL. The identified criteria—structure, meaning, activity, and social factors—emphasize the importance of a comprehensive approach, considering cultural, economic, functional, and spatial components for successful urban regeneration.
Urban livability
Aram Khezerlou; Asghar Abedini
Abstract
Highlights
- The highest weight concerned the indicator of building quality, and the lowest pertained to the area covered by sewage.
- The rate of livability is higher in the old part of the city of Urmia, Iran than in the new part.
- The rate of livability is in better conditions in the old part ...
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Highlights
- The highest weight concerned the indicator of building quality, and the lowest pertained to the area covered by sewage.
- The rate of livability is higher in the old part of the city of Urmia, Iran than in the new part.
- The rate of livability is in better conditions in the old part than in the new part based on the indicators of access to the main thoroughfares, average land price, population density, access to sports and recreational use, access to medical use, access to academic and cultural use, access to commercial use, number of literate people, and number of employees.
- The rate of livability in the new part is in good conditions compared to that in the old part based on the indicators of building quality, area covered by sewage, and access to green spaces.
Introduction
The increase in the development of urban population and replacement of concern for quantitative standards by consideration of qualitative approaches has led to a rise in the quality of urban life and urban livability, where the role of officials and urban management is important, along with the need for a comprehensive study of various dimensions in the city. Following the rapid population growth as a result of migration and the unplanned expansion of the city of Urmia, Iran, the capital of West Azerbaijan Province, and the consequent problems, the need for a comprehensive effort to save the city and improve the quality of life therein has been highlighted more than ever. In response to these problems, various theories and approaches have been proposed, one of which is the livable city approach. Given that livability is a complex, multidimensional concept, and its patterns are completely different from one region to another, no comprehensive model has been presented so far of the effects of livability indicators in the old and new parts of cities in the current conditions and the relationships between them. Therefore, this comparative study was intended to investigate the extent of livability in the old and new parts of Urmia based on the relevant indicators.
Theoretical Framework
Livability is defined as the quality of life experienced by the inhabitants of a city or region. Kennedy and Bai believe that the concept of livability is defined by terms such as the well-being of the society, and represents the characteristics that turn a place into one where people always want to live.
Methodology
In this descriptive-analytical applied research, data collection was conducted through library studies, available articles, field studies, and census information released in 2016 by the Statistical Center of Iran. Thus, after the resources relevant to livability were studied, twelve indicators were selected from among various effective factors to obtain the research output, given the availability of data on Urmia. These indicators include access to medical use, access to commercial use, access to sports and recreational use, access to green space use, quality of buildings, area covered by sewage, access to academic and cultural use, number of literate people, population density, average land price, number of employees, and access to the main thoroughfares. Given that each of the indicators effective in specification of livability has a different coefficient of importance (weight), the opinions of the elite were used in this article to determine the weights of the indicators. To weigh the indicators according to the BWM method, thirty questionnaires were developed with contents based on their pairwise comparison in terms of the preference of the best indicator over the others and the preference of the other indicators over the worst. In the next step, the questionnaire data were entered into the GAMS software and calculated and analyzed. A weight of 0.081 was calculated with the value of lε obtained for the thirty questionnaires, which indicates the stability and consistency of the calculated weights due to its proximity to zero. For a spatial analysis, the information layers of the indicators were first digitized and edited in the GIS software, and the significance coefficient calculated by the BWM method was multiplied by each of the indicators through conversion of the information layers into a raster and their classification. Using the weighted sum, the indicators were then combined for measurement of livability in the old and new parts of Urmia.
Results and Discussion
The calculations of the weights of the twelve indicators in the Gomez software indicates that the highest weight concerns the average land price indicator, with a significance coefficient of 0.169, and the lowest weight pertains to the area covered by sewage, with 0.015. The average value of λε obtained for the thirty questionnaires was 0.081, which indicates the stability and consistency of the calculated weights due to its proximity to zero.
Conclusion
The results of combining the twelve livability indicators for the old part of Urmia show that 2% of this part lies in the zone with very low livability, 13% in low livability, 32% in medium livability, 35% in high livability, and 18% is in very high livability. In the new part of Urmia, 7% lie in the zone with very low livability, 21% in low livability, 39% in medium livability, 29% in high livability, and 4% in very high livability. Furthermore, livability is better in the old part than in the new part based on the indicators of access to the main thoroughfares, average land price, population density, access to sports and recreational use, access to medical use, access to academic and cultural use, access to commercial use, number of literate people, and number of employees. On the other hand, livability in the new part is in good conditions compared to that in the old part based on the indicators of building quality, area covered by sewage, and access to green space use.
Urban Management
m k; m b
Volume 3, Issue 11 , August 2014, , Pages 37-48
Abstract
Increasing urbanization has created many problems and the administration and management of cities are faced with new challenges. These problems in third world countries are higher. Most of these problems are related to the political structure of the country. Therefore, citizen participation in urban ...
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Increasing urbanization has created many problems and the administration and management of cities are faced with new challenges. These problems in third world countries are higher. Most of these problems are related to the political structure of the country. Therefore, citizen participation in urban governance in these countries is more necessary. The United Nations Human Settlements Programme of Action has strategies for achieving shelter for all, and has also proposed a move for the proper management and sustainable development of cities. These guidelines, approved by the General Assembly of the United Nations at the end of the twentieth century, have been set and implemented. Political systems can be centralized or decentralized. Generally, a non-centralized political and spatial system has more credibility amongst people. For this reason, local governments are one of the most important indicators of political and spatial distribution of power. Good governance also emphasizes decentralized political and spatial structure. In contemporary Iran, the concept of good governance and urban literature is abundant, but less attention is given to implementation of the legal field. Good governance is defined as the participative process in public affairs and where there is participation of the public sector, the private sector, and the government. It is argued that good governance is very essential for the management of urban development. However, little attention is being paid to the principles and potentials of the relevant laws in this area. This study aims to emphasize the role of good governance in the formulation of Iran’s and Tehran’s urban development laws and regulations. The major objective of this study is to identify and explain the degree of conformity between Tehran’s and Iran’s urban development laws and regulations with the principles of good urban governance. This study is explorative, descriptive and applicative in nature. The main sources that were used to collect the data required for this research include: 1. Organizational Law and Islamic Council's Mayoral Elections 2. Municipalities Law 3. Municipal Finance Law 4. Strategic-Structural Plan (Master Plan) of Tehran 5. Tehran landscape blueprints 6. Strategic plan of Tehran's Council 7. Medium-term action plans of Tehran Municipality 8. Long-term action plan of Tehran Municipality 9. Framework and approaches of Medium-term Action Plan of Tehran Municipality 10. Strategies for the implementation of the mandate Tehran Municipality 11. Budget of Tehran Municipality This study employed the Delphi method in order to conform the content of Tehran’s and Iran’s urban development laws and regulations to urban good governance principles. This study suggests that there is a relative orientation between those two issues. The rules of urban development of Tehran city conform and relate with the principles of good governance in 250 cases. The principles of ‘accountability’, municipal development laws, guidelines, and Tehran’s Municipality budget are the most accommodating. In addition, all of the contents of this research are the principles of good governance for cities. The regulations adopted by the City Council of Tehran Municipality have greater compliance with the principles of good governance. However, this direction has been developed with the aim of achieving access to good governance and urban planning. Thus, if these rules are implemented correctly, they can have an important role in promoting good governance in the city. This issue requires further research in order to expand this field.
Urban Planning
Keramattolah ziari; mahsa haji; asad moradi
Volume 4, Issue 15 , August 2015, , Pages 37-52
Abstract
Although the rate of urbanization in developed countries remains in a suitable position and is under control, the continued rapid growth of urbanization in developing countries (such as Iran) is quite evident. This issue of providing shelter and adequate housing in the country has turned into a ...
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Although the rate of urbanization in developed countries remains in a suitable position and is under control, the continued rapid growth of urbanization in developing countries (such as Iran) is quite evident. This issue of providing shelter and adequate housing in the country has turned into a serious crisis and has global-scale problems. Housing has an important role in satisfaction of the the physical, emotional and social needs of people. In addition, housing can serve to promote social justice and reduce the relative gap between different social classes. Moreover, it has an important role in economic solidity and social constancy of community and national development. The qualitative and quantitative indicators of housing are one of the key measurement tools for development in of countries. Although worldwide the analysis of housing indicators and the their role are very important, they are not used in codification of housing policy in Iran. Therefor policy and decision-makers have no knowledge of housing indicators`in decision making and their impact on residents. The goal of this research is a comprehensive recognition of housing conditions in the urban areas of Iran and the transition process of quantitative and qualitative indicators of housing in Kurdistan Province and the city of Marivan will be assessed comparatively in the period 1966 – 2011. . The research method used was analytic – descriptive and based on analysis of secondary data. The results of this research show that quantitative indicators of housing desirably proceeded from 1966 to 2011. Although the scope of the study in terms of housing and household density of residential units have had relatively favorable conditions, there is a distance in reaching the desirable conditions in other quantitative indicators (household members per room and residential unit). Furthermore, qualitative indicators of housing have come a long way from 45 years ago, but some housing units in urban areas are made from semi-durable and non-durable materials. Most housing units in urban areas of the country have exhausted their habitability and are in need of modernization and improvement. In terms of occupation, the property in urban areas of the country had an upward trend until 1986(68/98 per cent). The main reason for this being law enforcement of urban land and land transfer. However, from then to 2011 a downward trend occurred in the country which reached 56/57 percent in urban areas. The rate for Marivan was 53/94 percent and 56/34 percent in urban areas of Kurdistan Province. In addition, renting from 1986 to 2011 followed an upward trend (33/18 percent).Although the rate of ownership of property is different in different societies and high property ownership rates is not an indicator of favorable housing conditions, according to our cultural norms a decline in household ownership must be a sign of increased gap between social classes and low-income groups (particularly the first and fourth deciles) This is a manifestation of the effects of inefficient policies of the past, especially for low-income housing groups. Thus, index and housing standards should be flexible enough to meet the needs of users in different parts of the country to link with their cultural preferences and be based on preferences of residents.
Urban Planning
Fateh Habibi
Volume 5, Issue 18 , May 2016, , Pages 37-50
Abstract
In the twenty-first century, technological progress has given people more free time and wealth to spend on their leisure activities. In fact, the second half of the twentieth century should be called the era of the tourism industry. Nowadays, there is an intense competition between different countries ...
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In the twenty-first century, technological progress has given people more free time and wealth to spend on their leisure activities. In fact, the second half of the twentieth century should be called the era of the tourism industry. Nowadays, there is an intense competition between different countries to attract tourists. Furthermore, as a dynamic industry having unique features, tourism now accounts for a significant part of the economic and manufacturing activities of developed and developing countries. International tourism has developed rapidly in the last two decades and today tourism is one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing industries. The tourism industry has become a major economic sector that generates foreign exchange earnings in most countries. The number of international tourists in the world will increase to 1602 million by 2020, while revenues from tourism will reach approximately US$200 billion. The world travel and tourism council (WTTC) expects travel and tourism to continue to be one of the world’s largest industries. In 2015, the tourism industry contributed to 9.8 % of global GDP and accounted for 279 million jobs. Over the next ten years (by 2025), it is anticipated that this industry will account for 10.5% of the global GDP and 356 million jobs worldwide. Attracting tourists is one of the pillars of the tourism industry along with the elements necessary for the host society to provide the right conditions for attracting tourists. The behavior and attitude of the host society as revealed in its interaction with tourists are essential to the growth of tourism. As a business and service activity, tourism plays an important role in the economic development of a city. In terms of tourism destinations, investigating the tourism industry is important because it informs planners and policy makers about tourism destinations and their features. In this way, the management of tourism destinations will be able to equip the target market according to tourists’ needs. Due to the increasing arrivals of domestic and foreign tourists to Marivan, the main objective of this study is to evaluate the role of social capital of local residents in their tendency toward welcoming tourists. Over 90% of respondents had moderate to high tendency toward accepting tourists. An analytical-descriptive methodology has been applied in this study. The questionnaire contains 23 items on a 5-point Likert scale. 280 questionnaires were distributed among tourists in Marivan in 2015, from which 254 questionnaires were collected and analyzed. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was used to ensure the reliability of the research tool. The questionnaire showed a very good reliability of 0.78 percent. Descriptive (frequency, percentage, mean) and inferential statistics (Pearson correlation coefficient, independent t-test, bivariate regression analysis) were applied to analyze the data using SPSS. The results indicated that there is a significant relationship between the variables of social capital (trust, cohesion and participation) and people’s education and their tendency to accept tourists. Moreover, there is a significant relationship between sex and job status of people and their tendency toward accepting tourists. Multivariate regression analysis showed that independent variables explain 13% of the dependent variable (tendency toward accepting tourists).
Urban Design
golrokh kopaie
Volume 6, Issue 21 , February 2016, , Pages 39-50
Abstract
In the increasing development of cities, despite the existence of extensive facilities for children in the present times, no special attention is paid to the effects of the environment on children's creativity. Given the fact that children can go to the playgrounds in city parks independently from age ...
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In the increasing development of cities, despite the existence of extensive facilities for children in the present times, no special attention is paid to the effects of the environment on children's creativity. Given the fact that children can go to the playgrounds in city parks independently from age 6 and receive the greatest influence from the environment at this time it is necessary to pay more attention to playgrounds for children to improve their creativity. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to carry out an extensive evaluation of the effect of physical components of playgrounds on creativity development in Iranian children aged 6 to 12 years in urban parks. On this basis, two hypotheses are proposed: firstly, the physical features of the playgrounds including physical diversity, physical flexibility, and vitality in city parks are effective in increasing creativity of children and secondly, there are differences among the levels of effect of physical indices of the environment on dimensions of children’s creativity including Originality, Flexibility of thought, Elaboration and Fluency in city parks. In this research, descriptive and analytical methods were used simultaneously. In the literature review of previous studies and theories, the descriptive method was used to achieve recognition of relationships and correlations and for the relationships between variables and indices, analytical methods were employed. The required data from the population sample was collected with the help of survey methods and through closed questionnaires -researcher-made answers- and after classification correlation between the effective variables in this study were obtained by using SPSS and factor analysis. These factors included flexible thinking, diversity of materials, elements of sign, the presence of natural elements, physical flexibility, elaboration, originality and diversity of visual detail. Then, a research model was developed based on relationships between variables with path analysis and help of Smart PLS software program. Finally, to ensure the validity of the results, an image based questionnaire was used and at the same time the children’s behaviour during play was studied . The results show a significant relationship between environmental factors and creativity, each physical factor has different direct and indirect effects on the dimensions of creativity. Factor of diversity (including variety indices in visual components, sign-making and material variety) highly affected most of the factors as well as children’s creativity. Thefactor of vitality caused by presence of natural elements as a mediating factor is affected by the factor of diversity and it has the highest direct effect on creativity factors including innovation and thought flexibility.Flexibility factor elements as a mediating factor is affected by the factor of diversity and has direct effect on thought flexibility. It should be noted that the factor of marking index elements in playgrounds compared to other factors has less effect on creativity development during play. Finally, according to the conducted study, some recommendations and solutions are proposed in the fields of urban planning and landscape design to improve children’s creativity in playgrounds of city parks.
Urban Planning
Naser Barakpur; Farnaz Mosannenzadeh
Volume 1, Issue 1 , March 2012, , Pages 41-60
Abstract
Nowadays, one of the governmental challenges throughout the world is energy efficiency in creating cities. In this context, land use planning and its tool (density, uses distribution, etc.) plays a vital role in reducing energy consumption in cities. Serving as one of the key players in the field of ...
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Nowadays, one of the governmental challenges throughout the world is energy efficiency in creating cities. In this context, land use planning and its tool (density, uses distribution, etc.) plays a vital role in reducing energy consumption in cities. Serving as one of the key players in the field of energy in the world, Iran has to apply this tool in order to establish energy efficiency in its cities. The main objective of this paper is to study and to compare the method of integrating energy consideration in land use planning regulations and urban development plans in Iran and U.K. It is a comparative study in which, first, the land use planning alternatives for energy consumption reduction in cities were explored through literature review. Thereafter, an analytical comparing between Iran and U.K. with reference to the legal framework of land use planning for reducing energy consumption in cities and the way of implementing these regulations in the development plans was carried out. Our results revealed that the land use planning role in reducing energy consumption in cities has been ignored, whereas, integrating energy consideration in land use planning can enhance the sustainability development of the Iran cities. Since there is no data on considering energy in land use planning in Iran cities, our findings can be used by the national planning public and governmental authorities in order to integrate the energy consideration in land use planning and urban development plans.
Urban Ecology
Volume 1, Issue 2 , June 2012, , Pages 57-70
Abstract
Suitable land locating is one of the most important factors of housing production, since the multifaceted nature of this process is very complex. Using models and software in land locating facilitates decision making and helps in optimum site selection. Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) is one of the ...
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Suitable land locating is one of the most important factors of housing production, since the multifaceted nature of this process is very complex. Using models and software in land locating facilitates decision making and helps in optimum site selection. Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) is one of the main decision-making methods that works with giving weight to criteria. Using this method criteria and sub-criteria will be classified and finally the best alternative for locating will be selected. In this paper with the goal of facilitating the best land locating for residential space, using descriptive-analytical method, first we explain the process of the method, then the effective criteria in residential land locating will be introduced and the hierarchy tree of criteria will be drawn. The criteria has been set in questionnaire format and distributed between urban studies and housing Experts. The average weight of every criteria and sub-criteria in the way of binary comparisons has been calculated using Excel software. After Prioritization of criteria in AHP method, Realization of criteria Surveyed in 13 Masken-e-Mehr projects as a case study. The necessary information for locating in the questionnaire format has been extracted from Yazd urban organization and then data has been classified and analyzed and finally analytical matrix for locating residential project of Yazd has been drawn.
Urban Planning
Volume 1, Issue 3 , August 2012, , Pages 34-43
Abstract
Supply of suitable housing depends on market conditions, demand rate for it and government policies for allocation of space and facilities. In the worldwide, housing is an important determinant of quality of life. This paper has studied different ways of housing supply by governments in the world such ...
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Supply of suitable housing depends on market conditions, demand rate for it and government policies for allocation of space and facilities. In the worldwide, housing is an important determinant of quality of life. This paper has studied different ways of housing supply by governments in the world such as rent control, selective and subsidy housing, public housing, site and services approach, demolition and renovation, and enabling. This article is an applied research and its methodology is descriptive – analytical. We used the national socioeconomic and cultural development plans and the statistical data of the related organizations and analyzed housing sector of Iran considering the quantitative and qualitative goals and macro strategies. Based on our results and findings, First Plan has considered density of household in housing unit but has not cared about the organizing of informal settlements, worn tissues and increasing of building density. The Second Plan was concerned with worn tissues, increase of density and its main problem was increasing the individual housing. The Third plan has given special attention to low-income groups and its main challenge was paying not enough attention to the relationship between public and private purposes. The Fourth Plan has considered organizing of worn tissues and low-income housing (Mehr housing) that was an effective step towards social justice and supply of housing for low-income households. Finally, the Fifth Plan was prepared with emphasis on the goals of the Fourth Plan, patterns of Iranian- Islamic, Mehr housing, organizing of worn tissues and informal settlements and sustainable development.
Urban Planning
Volume 2, Issue 5 , March 2013, , Pages 35-46
Abstract
The relationship between public health and urban planning is an innovative and important issue which enjoys a prominent position in the future urban planning. In this regard, ad -verse air quality condition and air pollutant concentrations higher than the permitted limit set by the World Health Organization ...
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The relationship between public health and urban planning is an innovative and important issue which enjoys a prominent position in the future urban planning. In this regard, ad -verse air quality condition and air pollutant concentrations higher than the permitted limit set by the World Health Organization are considered as a threat to the health of citizens in big cities. According to result of air pollution monitoring (conducted in the Tehran Air Quality Control Company), Tehran air quality has deteriorated in recent years. Likewise, according to the World Bank estimates, the annual economic value of losses of life and damage caused by air pollution in Iran is totaled $ 1.8 billion and Tehran residents’ life-time has on average become shorter by 5 years. Owing to the special geographical condi -tion (topography and meteorology), social (population distribution and traffic), culture (level of culture and related education) and urban development, Tehran metropolitan is faced with the dilemma of air pollution. It is necessary to mention that motor-vehicle emissions are the primary source of most fine and ultra- fine particles in Tehran (More than 70 percent of Tehran’s air pollution is related to motor-vehicle emissions). Both urban air quality as an influential factor in public health and neighborhoods walkability as another important feature of urban built environment are considered in this paper. It should be noted that a large part of the current metropolitan air pollution is caused by emissions from the urban transport sector; thus representing the importance of public and sustainable urban transport. Having this in mind, this study focuses on capability of neighborhoods walkability as a long-term and effective strategy to promote walking trips and improve ur-ban air quality. In this research, the average annual concentrations (in years 2010-2011) of Ozone (O3), Nitric oxide (NO), Carbon monoxide (CO), Particulate matter (PM10), and capability of neighborhoods walkability in fourteen areas around air quality monitoring stations are studied. To estimate the capability of walkability, the 2009 model proposed by Marshal and his colleagues is utilized with slight modification. Measures that are used in the equation include net residential density, intersection density, land-use mix, retail units density and average distance from public transport stations. In the next step, cor-relations between them are calculated using correlation and regression models along with spatial analysis in relation to distance from city centers. These data were analyzed and calculated in ArcMap software. In addition, city centers were determined based on Tehran master plan approved in 2007. Research pinpoint the concentration of primary pollutants, capabilities of neighborhoods walkability increase in adjacent areas of city center and the concentration of secondary pollutant O3 increase with distance from city center. Capabil -ity of neighborhoods walkability and concentration of Ozone (O3) and PM10 were also correlated with each other. In addition, the highest walkability area was observed in sur -rounding area of Golbarg, region 4 and 7 stations and surrounding areas of Pasdaran and Ostandari stations were the most polluted among the others areas.
V D; Z Y; E S
Volume 3, Issue 10 , May 2014, , Pages 37-48
Abstract
This research aims to deal with problems of material recovery facility (MRF) site selection. Since the right choice of a location will improve its performance, making a random choice will negatively affect public health and environment. This has led to a reconsideration of decision making methods. In ...
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This research aims to deal with problems of material recovery facility (MRF) site selection. Since the right choice of a location will improve its performance, making a random choice will negatively affect public health and environment. This has led to a reconsideration of decision making methods. In this study, taking into account environmental concerns and the necessity of emergency preparation, the optimum location for the establishment of MRF in district 9 of the Municipality of Tehran was searched for using a combination of group decision making, multi criteria decision making, environmental impact assessment (EIA) techniques accompanied by emergency response planning (ERP) principles. To gain an all- inclusive perspective, the implemented decision making process of this study consisted of a two-stage analysis, beginning with an initial GIS based site screening using Delphi and fuzzy Delphi guided by a panel of experts in the site selection process followed by a pair-wise assessment of the suitability of five candidate sites applying fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP). Since the conventional decision making methods are incapable of handling uncertainty and vagueness involving the mapping of preferences to an exact number or ratio, this study applied fuzzy logic to overcome this problem. The proposed approach employed triangular fuzzy numbers to deal with the imprecision inherent to the process of subjective judgment. Fuzzy logic is a powerful mathematical tool for modeling uncertain industrial, environmental and social systems, and is a facilitator for common sense reasoning in decision making. Modeling using fuzzy sets has proven to be an effective way for formulating decision making problems where the information available is subjective and imprecise. In this research, information used in the FAHP was obtained from environmental impact assessment of MRF and principles of emergency response planning. The first stage analysis was successful in preliminary site screening leading to exclude the impermissible areas while retaining sufficient areas for further simultaneous evaluation. In the remaining regions, during second stage analysis, the FAHP method incorporated the information provided by EIA and ERP studies leading to fulfill the ranking of the five alternatives. The results indicated that “alternative A2”, the farthest proposed site from adjacent neighborhoods, is the most suitable site for MRF with a potential value of 0.33. The remaining alternatives are A3, A4, A5, and A1, with decreasing potential values of 0.27, 0.21, 0.11 and 0.08, respectively. Compared to other alternatives, A2 is more capable of meeting environmental, social and economic criteria due to its great distance from neighbors. This will mitigate the risk of emergency cases expansion into the neighborhoods. The other strength is that, A2 is close to Fatih highway and this facilitates access to the emergency response services. Thus, Delphi and fuzzy Delphi offered the means to identify five potential MRF sites based on well defined criteria, which were later ranked according to the preferences provided by environmental impact assessment and emergency response planning studies. FAHP offered the capacity to incorporate EIA findings and ERP principles in site selection which is critical in minimization of the negative effects of projects on public health and the environment. The proposed procedure was eventually proved useful in the case study identifying favorable areas for the establishment of material recovery facility. Moreover, research findings show that the proposed framework may aid in recognizing the pros and cons of potential areas for the localization of MRF sites in any urban region.
Urban Management
Ahmad Pour Ahmad; Alireza Darban Astaneh; shiva pourghorban
Volume 5, Issue 19 , August 2016, , Pages 37-56
Abstract
Abstract
Urbanization development, issues and specific problems in urban life have more than in the past made clear the global attention to strategies and useful solutions for optimizing the life of urban residents. Amongst such topics as urban environment, urban safety, urban planning and urban development, ...
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Abstract
Urbanization development, issues and specific problems in urban life have more than in the past made clear the global attention to strategies and useful solutions for optimizing the life of urban residents. Amongst such topics as urban environment, urban safety, urban planning and urban development, urban management is a very crucial factor. City development strategy is a new tool to help development and it can be used for comprehensive and global tidal changes response management, urban poverty reduction and local economy development. Most strategies of urban development as a participatory process follow three main objectives: improving urban management, urban economic growth and poverty reduction. Tourism development is one aspect of national development which in various countries has a great role of importance in economic, cultural, social and political aspects and is an important tool for city development strategy.
The aim of this research is to investigate the role of city development strategy in city planning management to gain tourism development and economic and social prosperity on Hormoz Island. To achieve this goal, the following questions were raised:
1- Can strategic planning guarantee the development of Hormoz Island?
2- Can union of Hormoz Island and Qeshm Free Zone with an integrated management of Qeshm Free Zone Organization affect tourism development and prosperity of Hormoz Island?
The methodology of this research was based on descriptive, analytical and applied methods using laboratory investigation and field work method (interview and questionnaire forms) and findings were calculated by the use of SPSS software and chi square test. In addition, SWOT analysis was used for determination of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, and the SOAR strategic model was used for strategic development, strength description, opportunities, aspirations result outcomes.
The development of tourism in the world needs an effectivemanagement system, strong and advanced infrastructure and improvement of required capacities. One of the most important factors in the tourism development in each region is management knowhow.
The results show that tourism development on Hormoz Island despite historical and natural attractions has had slow progressdue to a lack of required infrastructures, good management, services and social welfare. The future outlook of tourism on Hormoz Island is based on its becoming Free Zone in an efficient management system with the goal of economic prosperity and social development of the region in the three fields of historical, cultural and ecotourism – geotourism.
Document of future perspective:
Shores and Islands of Persian Gulf and Oman Sea, lying on natural, cultural and historical attractions, are some of the most important locations for tourism in the region. The Fourth Economic Programme for the Persian Gulf Coast and Islands focused on tourism as tourism can be developed to create jobs, earn foreign exchange and regional development.
It is recommended that in preparing a document for future visions, Qeshm Free Zone Organization should take advantage of the pristine natural, historical and cultural capacities of Hormoz Island for the development of the tourism industry and attract more tourists to this region through Hormoz Island economic, social and tourism sectors development in the three areas of historical, cultural and ecotourism - geo-tourism. to Using comparative and competitive advantages in terms of geographical location,in addition to the conservation and management of natural and cultural resources, favorable conditions for improving quality of life will be provided. Moreover, by establishing the appropriate infrastructure for tourism, attracting foreign investment, establishment of hotels and tourism facilities, as well as the creation of a competitive market with the Persian Gulf countries in the tourism industry, Hormoz and Qeshm Islands would be introduced as a gateway for tourism in southern Iran and the Persian Gulf.
Urban Design
Nima Ostovar; Mostafa behzadfar; bahador zamani; mahmood ghale noee
Volume 4, Issue 16 , November 2015, , Pages 39-54
Abstract
By design, some features of physical spaces can affect people’s image of time. Reviewing the literature shows a correlation between physical dimension of space and users’ time image; a number of place variables, affecting the duration estimation of time that also causes some environmental ...
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By design, some features of physical spaces can affect people’s image of time. Reviewing the literature shows a correlation between physical dimension of space and users’ time image; a number of place variables, affecting the duration estimation of time that also causes some environmental norms affecting the sense of place. Although, in urban design studies psychological and perceptional aspects of time image is neglected and there is no codified framework to study that, the present study aims to investigate the role of environmental elements in building and supporting the image of time. To achieve this aim, based on reviewing the related literature, a theoretical framework defined that includes some main variables: Time-quantitative variables, dynamic-time features, non-temporal variables, and normative variables. To approach a practical structure in study, "Naghsh-e-Jahan Square" as a case was studied using a mixed research method including storytelling for data collection and AHP for quantitative analysis. In one hand, a “semi-structure interview” technique employed that the analysis of interviews indicated a structure of temporal concepts in people's description of their daily life in "Naghsh-e-Jahan Square". On the other hand, quantifying norms and environmental elements (according to non-temporal variables) was conducted. AHP technique was used to compare the quantified environmental norms, with the impact level of environmental elements that concluded from Fuzzy questionnaires. The result indicates that square manifests different qualitative concepts in different times. Each one of these concepts are along with evidences as dynamic-time features and also quantitative & qualitative factors.
Urban Planning
Reza Ramyar; Esmaiel Zarghami
Volume 6, Issue 23 , August 2017, , Pages 39-52
Abstract
Objectives:
Residential and neighborhood open spaces are more than a simple space. They are the most important places for people living in urban areas and are part of their sense of living. The literature of neighborhood environments has always been attempting to describe neighborhoods in terms of the ...
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Objectives:
Residential and neighborhood open spaces are more than a simple space. They are the most important places for people living in urban areas and are part of their sense of living. The literature of neighborhood environments has always been attempting to describe neighborhoods in terms of the criteria of their overall quality. Social and individual attachment are two major factors having an important effect on the overall quality of residents’ lives. Psychological and sociological aspects of people’s behavior in these spaces are addressed in the disciplines of environmental psychology and sociology. These two knowledge areas have evolved with development of new methods and knowledge improvements. In these two disciplines, different and almost independent, sometimes contradicting, theories have been proposed to in a complementary way. Finding a relationship between the proposed theories in these two fields is rarely considered. Investigating one of the most important concepts in environmental psychology, i.e. place attachment, and using this concept to improve social life of residential neighborhoods, this paper tries to establish a link between these separate disciplines. Most studies conducted on place attachment and meaning of place have been at the individual level addressing mostly individual emotions and experiences. Also, in the social domain, only social emotions and experiences have been discussed. Focusing on social participation and place attachment, this research first tries to show the complexity and multi-dimensionality of these concepts and then attempts to from a framework for social planning in common areas like residential open spaces.
Research method:
Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), as a vigorous regressive multivariate analysis technique, is used to examine the hypotheses in this research. SEM is a multivariate statistical analysis technique suitable for analyzing structural relationships. Its ability to define relationships between unobserved constructs (latent variables) and observable variables has made it a common justified method in social sciences. In the modeling method here, we use SEM that allows complex relationships between one or more independent variables and one or more dependent variables.
Findings:
Based on the findings, place attachment and participation have a significant impact on social capital. The direct correlation between participation and social capital is stronger than that of place attachment, showing higher significance of participation in affecting social capital. Participation has also a great impact on place attachment.
Results:
Place attachment is a complex process that significantly affects social factors. It spreads and gets shaped over time. It is not only the place, but also social relationships produced in that place that support the maintenance and development of local community relations. Places are formed by individuals, groups and neighborhoods, and neighborhood groups are shaped by their place. According to this research, certain places with a strong sense of identity, higher communication, social capital and collective actions such as participation create a higher sense of attachment in the residents.
Passive Defense
Ahmad Danaeinia; Morteza Majidi
Abstract
One of the most important challenges in historic areas and perhaps the most important concern in urban management involves the design of an appropriate transportation system for provision of better facilities with minimal intervention. It is therefore an inevitable necessity to provide access to a convenient, ...
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One of the most important challenges in historic areas and perhaps the most important concern in urban management involves the design of an appropriate transportation system for provision of better facilities with minimal intervention. It is therefore an inevitable necessity to provide access to a convenient, safe transportation system such as the subway in the historic, distressed area of Tehran, Iran given the high population density and accumulation of administrative, political, and other services in the area as well as natural and unnatural hazards, so that safety can be maintained, and service can be provided in case of a crisis. Important urban community centers throughout Tehran’s historic area, subway stations can be regarded as dual-purpose, used for temporary accommodation and emergency services in case of an unexpected event. Activities that can be carried out at a subway station include accommodation of citizens, storage of food, provision of emergency service, and transportation of the injured. Application of passive defense requirements to the design of subway station components is one of the most important ways of providing subway security in critical conditions. A subway station is composed of different components, with the entrance element intervening the inner and outer spaces as the first component. Location and design of the subway station entrance is an important task involving particular complexity as well as intricacy and requiring precise predictions. Therefore, this research needed to address two significant questions. Firstly, what indicators are involved in subway station entrance design in Tehran’s historic area given the architectural requirements and passive defense considerations? Secondly, to what extent have these indicators been utilized in the design of the subway station entrances in Tehran’s historic core, and which is the best station in terms of observation of the indicators? The aim of this qualitative applied study was to evaluate the subway station entrances at Tehran’s historic core in accordance with the standards and to determine the indicators for design of subway station entrances based on passive defense considerations. First, the intended indicators were extracted through a review of the domestic and international regulations, the most important being Article 21 of the Iranian Building Code and FEMA’s regulations. For a better understanding of the extracted indicators and acquaintance with the regulations in other countries as well as in Iran in subway station design, four subway station entrances in China, Brazil, England, and Canada and three in Esfahan, Mashhad, and Tabriz in Iran were analyzed as samples, where the above indicators were investigated. The extracted indicators were evaluated in Tehran’s District Twelve using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), and the degree of importance (weight) for each of the criteria and options was calculated based on the above regulations using the Expert Choice software and a prioritization of the indicators based on the method of sensitivity analysis. The results indicated that the criteria distance from the entrance building to the main arteries and method of access to the entrances had the greatest and least impacts on subway station entrance design with relative weights of 0.205 and 0.027, respectively. On that basis, the Darvazeh Dowlat subway station entrance was identified as the best with five out of the nine standard indicators and a relative weight of 0.147, followed by the Baharestan, Khayam, Imam Khomeini, Panzdah-e-Khordad, Saadi, and Mellat subway station entrances.
Urban Economy
Volume 1, Issue 4 , March 2012, , Pages 41-54
Abstract
The functionality and efficiency of urban development plans in Iran is not satisfying for urban authorities, experts, and people. Confronting the issue of property rights is one of the major reasons for the inefficiency of these plans in a society, where the right is recognized officially by regulations. ...
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The functionality and efficiency of urban development plans in Iran is not satisfying for urban authorities, experts, and people. Confronting the issue of property rights is one of the major reasons for the inefficiency of these plans in a society, where the right is recognized officially by regulations. These plans are restrictive and passive and are not capable of interaction with their production values, and they seem like a tool for violating the people’s rights in action. Market-Oriented Planning (MOP) is one of the latest approaches dealing with urban issues, which relies on the entrepreneurial values of urban spaces and achieving the development objectives by establishing a link among production values of plan and the two old enemies; Market and Planning. The concept of introducing “Transfer of Development Rights (TDR)” in urban development plans' frameworks is a new method, which can contribute to more successful implementation of these plans in Iran. This happens through establishing an internal connection between tools and development objectives, as origins and purposes of transfer of development rights. It is crucial to have an exact accuracy in designing and improvement in urban management and in ongoing monitoring of the results. If the concept of TDR be integrated in urban development plans framework, such as comprehensive and detailed plans, the implementation of urban development plans' objectives could be more reachable and that is because this technique establishes a connection between property rights and land use plan, and creates an interaction between development and value preservation. Considering the results of the proposed transfer of development rights plan in Kashan city, development rights are transferred from sending areas, where conservation objectives and developments origins are required, to receiving areas as our development purposes. The sending areas in Kashan city are divided into two major categories; the first category includes special valuable lands, which are agricultural, historical and architectural values, precious natural resources, or having a perfect landscape respectively. The second category is related to propose lands for public services in land use plan. Receiving areas in this city are lands, where there is a good demand of developing from the market, and additionally considering the high potential of development, existence of essential infrastructure and enough interests for investment of developers, which are proposed for the future development of Kashan City from the urban planners. Based on the mentioned criteria these areas are located in three regions of Naji-Abad, Fin, and Shahed. Accordingly, in addition to considering the social justice and preserving the valuable lands and buildings of the city, the future development of the city will also be planned and directed. The ratio between development right and overall ownership right is 35 to 65 percent and the baseline development right density is 120 percent in Kashan City.
Urban Design
Ameneh Nasr abadi; Mohammad Reza Pourjafar; Ali Akbar Taghvaei
Volume 5, Issue 17 , February 2016, , Pages 41-54
Abstract
Geometrical shape of Chaharbagh axis –one of the main historical axes in Isfahan, Iran, belonging to the Safavid era- has seen much evolution and development over time. Furthermore, it has experienced historical changes consistently over the different periods .The basic structure of Chaharbagh ...
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Geometrical shape of Chaharbagh axis –one of the main historical axes in Isfahan, Iran, belonging to the Safavid era- has seen much evolution and development over time. Furthermore, it has experienced historical changes consistently over the different periods .The basic structure of Chaharbagh Street, the masterpiece of urban design in Isfahan, dating back to the Safavid era, is based on patterns and geometric shapes and forms the main subject of this paper. Studies show that the main focus of Iranian architecture and urbanism is based on aesthetic perspective and Iranians have always placed a great deal of importance on beauty and aesthetics of space and have considered science of geometry as a powerful tool to achieve create balance, harmony, beauty and order in space. Architecture of the Islamic period with their hidden geometry inspired the viewer's eyes to be illuminated with the beauty of existence. In fact, numbers, proportions and patterns were used and connected, the to create the beauty. In addition to the geometric patterns and their related numbers, Islamic architecture applied sacred meanings to the system which played a symbolic role which people comprehended. It seems that, in this case, geometry was used as the way to create level, volume and sacred symbols. Thus, in designing the shapes and forms, Iranian architecture communicates between proportions based on abstract and supernatural principles. Forms expressed with symbolic language is named holy geometry and have remained over time. In the traditional world, geometry is inseparable from the rest of the pythagorean sciences such as arithmetic, music and astronomy. Architecture that was closely linked with geometry was often of holy and important places to manifest of truth.Thus, in the Safavid era, people created a heavenly place through architecture for themselves which paid attention to the beauty and holiness of a place.Iranians were trying to apply proportion in the dimensions of the buildings to reflect the cosmic relations which were included in the golden ratio. Indeed, using the geometric in design as an art form to create shapes, patterns and proportions, reminds us of the importance ofarchitecture in the world.Therefore, in this study the use of geometric measures and seeking transfer sizes (modules) are an important basis for creating aesthetic beauty in the Chaharbagh axis. The method used in this research is descriptive analysis based on the historical literature, books, and maps, extracted forms and geometric proportions of Chaharbagh in the Safavid period. Then, formation of the Chaharbagh was elicited by using the aesthetic value of geometric design. The result of the analysis in this paper indicates that Chaharbagh of the Safavid era communicated comprehensively the material and the spiritual and geometric proportions merge forms to comply with a sense of value Proportions had established a coordinated structure, between the components and totality and show the extreme usage of geometric role in the beautiful Persian architecture.
Urban Sustainability
Golnaz Mortezaei; Mahmoud Mohammadi; Farshad Nasrollahi; Mahmoud Ghalehnoee
Abstract
Rapid progress in technology and, consequently, the increasing growth of urban population has inevitably led to the development of residential neighborhoods. Changes in the form of urban texture and their inconsistency with climatic features, together with the rise of energy demand, have had manifold ...
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Rapid progress in technology and, consequently, the increasing growth of urban population has inevitably led to the development of residential neighborhoods. Changes in the form of urban texture and their inconsistency with climatic features, together with the rise of energy demand, have had manifold adverse consequences such as global warming and climate change. According to previous research, most energy in cities is consumed by residential buildings which is highly affected by the city shape, an issue which needs to be amended. Therefore, since buildings account for a significant portion of energy consumption in cities, wise decisions should be made for designing new urban textures that reduce energy consumption. Research on urbanism and energy efficiency has offered different views. The vast majority of studies conducted on the optimization of energy consumption in urban areas have focused on the impact of urban shape on fuel consumption in transportation or have evaluated energy consumption in micro scales. But, as thermal performance changes in scales beyond the building scale, researchers must analyze the thermal performance of buildings in larger scales such as neighborhoods. The missing part in this field is the assessment of energy consumption in neighborhoods. To fill this gap, the present paper attempts to assess the primary energy consumption of cooling, heating and lighting systems in new patterns of residential texture on neighborhood scale. Afterwards, on the basis of primary energy criterion, efficient and inefficient patterns are identified and, finally, some strategies are provided for optimizing energy consumption in new residential areas. The present study is an applied research conducted using descriptive-analytical method. Data was collected by documentary and field methods. In the first step, the concepts of primary energy, energy efficiency, and typo-morphology approach are described and analyzed in order to formulate the theoretical framework of the research. The relationship between microclimate and morphology is also investigated. Then, following the typo-morphology approach, the residential texture of Sepahan Shahr, Esfahan, Iran, is categorized on the neighborhood scale. Finally, simulating the primary cooling, heating, and lighting equipments’ energy consumption in the residential textures via Design Builder software, results are analyzed based on the comparative approach and statistical tests. The results show that there is a strong correlation between primary energy consumption and indicators of design layout, mass placement, form of the building, height of the building, and open spaces. Also, there is a moderate correlation between primary energy consumption and block proportions. Moreover, based on the results from the variance analysis, common row patterns and square-shaped patterns are the most and least efficient patterns of new residential textures, respectively, though the lighting systems’ energy consumption is lower in square-shaped patterns. Other patterns, such as H, T, I, and L shapes are in mid-level for primary energy consumption. Among these patterns, the H-shape is the best choice for four-storey buildings with high-density.
Urban Planning
gholamreza malekshahi; Amer Nikpour; Sanaz Habibi
Abstract
IntroductionSatisfaction with the residential environment is an important factor for attaining life satisfaction. One of the most important measures of the Iranian state is the provision of housing for low and middle income classes in cities through the Mehr Housing Project. It seems that the policy ...
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IntroductionSatisfaction with the residential environment is an important factor for attaining life satisfaction. One of the most important measures of the Iranian state is the provision of housing for low and middle income classes in cities through the Mehr Housing Project. It seems that the policy behind this project paid particular attention to quantitative aspects of housing rather than its social and economic characteristics. The Mehr Housing Project is the biggest national housing plan which needs to be studied in terms of its outcomes due to its broad and new character in Iran. The present research aims to investigate and compare the satisfaction level of the residents of the state-initiated andself-owned Mehr houses in Amol. Methodology The research methodology was based on descriptive and analytical approaches and the required data was collected via field survey and secondary documents. The number of samples was determined using Cochran formula to be 253. Due to data abnormality, nonparametric tests were applied to analyze the residents’ satisfaction. Also, the binomial test was used to investigate and identify the satisfaction level with both state-initiated and self-owned Mehr houses. The Mann-Whitney U test was applied to compare the satisfaction level between state-initiated and self-owned Mehr housing project. Finally, Friedman’s test was used to rank the satisfaction level of residents. Amol state Mehr housing, with 546 households, is located in Hezarsangar Avenue, Amol, Iran.These complexes were constructed by 4 different cooperative companies. In addition, there are 3 other self-owned Mehr housing complexes, includeing the Paniz complex with 64 units and Pahlevanzadeh complex with 64 units, both located on the Taaleb-e Amoli avenue, and Royal-Roz complex with 182 units located on the Mirzahashem-e Amoli boulevard. The socio-economic condition, landscape and access in the self-owned Mehr housing is better than that in the state Mehr hosing.Cochran’s method was used to determine the sample size. Eventually, 253 households(153 households from the state Mehr hosing and 100 households from self-owned Mehr housing)were interviewed. Due to data abnormality, nonparametric tests were used to analyze the residents’ satisfaction. The applied methods include the binomial, Mann-Whitney and Friedman tests. Results and discussionIn this article, we tried to evaluate the objective and subjective factors that affect residents’ satisfaction with the state and self-owned Mehr hosing. The results show that the satisfaction level is low in all the housing components, the minimum satisfaction level being associated with the facilities, visibility and landscape. In Mehrself-owned housing, a dissatisfaction is observed with the components of facilities, visibility and landscape. As for the other components, given that the significance level was 0.05, the satisfaction or dissatisfaction level with any of the components was not significant. However, the degree of satisfaction with Mehr self-owned housing is relatively higher than that of the state.According to the results, Mehr housing complexes do not meet the expectations of residents. It can thus be argued that certain quantitative aspects along with the apperance of the houses have been prioritized in planning the construction and implementation of the Mehr housing project. The results are consistent with previous research results for mostcomponents. As a result, neglecting the quality, needs and satisfaction of residents has led to dissatisfaction with Mehr housing project. Therefore, managers and planners need to review the objectives and receive feedback from residents. Conclusion In providing housing for low-income groups, quality improvement, particularly in the area of the quality of physical space, the provision of educational, health and commercial services, the provision of sports equipment, playgrounds and greenery, the reinforcement of public transport and landscaping are necessary and effective on the satisfaction of residents. It is thus suggested to develop some strategies to achieve the above objectives for the Mehr housing complexes in Amol.The culture-led urban regeneration and cultural tourism are two sides of a coin in the renovation of valuable urban areas. The first is a comprehensive process for saving the deteriorated urban areas of the city from the destruction of physic and activity, and the latter is the most effective way of promoting people’s participation, culture and art and mobilizing social and cultural forces for old urban areas. Culture-led urban regeneration is one of the most recent approaches to sustainable urban regeneration, which, after many years of experience, has proved its legitimacy not only as a theoretical approach, but also as a practical strategy for the modernization and improvement of the old neighborhoods. The contribution of the cultural and human heritage of valuable neighbors to the process of regeneration can be realized because the local economy and related businesses would be supported through tourism development and tourists’ interest in such neighborhoods. Therefore, the culture-led urban regeneration through tourism development can be considered as one of the most promising solutions for the sustainable regeneration of old towns.When tourism is considered as way of rehabilitation of the underlying culture, culture-based tourism is clearly intended. Cultural tourism is defined as a type of tourism whose main purpose is to spread the horizons of knowledge through the discovery of artistic heritage or architecture of a land. This article investigates the interaction of the two in the framework of strategic planning of cultural tourism development in the old fabric of Rasht, which covers the Zahedan and Sagharisazan neighborhoods. The research method is descriptive-analytic, using a combination of qualitative and quantitative tools, including a questionnaire, for data collection. The internal and external factors are evaluated through a panel of 30 local experts, including experts from the Municipality and Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department. The sampling method was snowball sampling due to the uncertainty of the population.The results show that, despite having its own cultural resources, the old fabric of Rasht has not been able to use local resources due to the weakness of the cultural tourism infrastructure and the lack of creativity in the use of art and culture in the process of culture-led urban regeneration.Prioritized strategies, executive policies and action plans were developed for mobilizing cultural and artistic sources in developing cultural tourism while actively protecting cultural heritage and identity simultaneously. Creating new and different tourist attractions through reviving ritual traditions, improving historic buildings by planning attractive activities for tourists and pedestrinization of Bazar-Khahar-e- Imam –Zarjub are among the most prioritized strategies designed for cultural-led urban regeneration through urban tourism in the old fabric of Rasht. Besides, the results of this article show that the plan for tourism development in the Iranian historical neighborhoods should be a long-term plan that prioritizes the provision of infrastructure and changes in short-term views towards urban management.
Urban Ecology
Salahaldin Shoshtari; Mahmoud Ghalehnoee; Victoria Ezzatian; Aida Maleki; Mostafa Paknejad; raofeh rahpou
Abstract
The urban heat island phenomenon is one of the challenges with which most metropolises have been struggling due to unplanned city expansions. Multiple factors have led to the emergence and escalation of this phenomenon, which can be classified into three main categories: the macro-climate of the region, ...
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The urban heat island phenomenon is one of the challenges with which most metropolises have been struggling due to unplanned city expansions. Multiple factors have led to the emergence and escalation of this phenomenon, which can be classified into three main categories: the macro-climate of the region, materials used at urban fabric and urban texture. Various suggestions have been given by experts in this area to reduce the severity of this phenomenon and improve the urban microclimate. However, as the phenomenon is different in each city or metropolitan area, various location-specific solutions will be offered to reduce the factors contributing to the phenomenon. The study uses satellite data, including images of the Landsat satellite on July 18, 2015, as well as the overnight satellite images of Modis and the GIS, along with land data from the metropolitan weather stations closest to the selected simulation area where thermal islands were examined. In this regard, the extent of the impact of different uses on the formation and severity of thermal islands in Isfahan was investigated. Based on the findings, applicable suggestions in the field of urban activity are made with an emphasis on the green space. In this paper, on the city level, the main green spaces including green spaces of urban streets and different types of urban parks were examined with regard to their geographical location in terms of the three categories of surface temperature (approximate 24-35°C, 35-40°C, and 40-51°C) and the applied map of each of these categories were developed. Accordingly, at the city level, the temperature in 10% of urban green spaces was above the normal, the temperature in 15% of urban green spaces was in the normal range, and the temperature in 3% of these spaces was lower than the nornal range. The Abbas Abad area was studied in terms of urban usage through a simulation of the effect of green spaces, especially green spaces on the boundaries of the roads on the urban microclimate. This area is one of the areas with the most abundant, old green space in the city. In this regard, an urban green space with old trees was selected in the historical fabric of Isfahan and was modeled using Envi-Met. The simulation results for summer 2015 indicate that, despite the close proximity of the three selected points, about 1°C of difference is seen in the temperature of the three spots. The proximity of the water bodies, and green spaces in particular, is one of the main factors. Additionally, the ground data follows the pattern of simulations points as well. Therefore, different scenarios are proposed for the presence of green spaces and evaluated through simulation. The results of this paper show that small green spaces, if designed based on scientific principles, can have a good effect on the thermal effects of heat islands on the small scale. Also, because of the large scale of urban areas, the combined methods proposed in this study can lead to the application of measures to reduce the negative effects of heat islands for urban management.
Passive Defense
Mohammadreza Pourmohamadi; Rasoul Ghorbani; Ghafour Alizadeh
Abstract
The main objective of this research is to identify and provide a solution for the vulnerable infrastructure of Tabriz city from the perspective of passive defense. Therefore, this research is a type of applied-developmental study with a descriptive-analytical method. Data was collected using library ...
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The main objective of this research is to identify and provide a solution for the vulnerable infrastructure of Tabriz city from the perspective of passive defense. Therefore, this research is a type of applied-developmental study with a descriptive-analytical method. Data was collected using library sources and a supplementary questionnaire filled by 20 experts in the fields of architecture, urban planning and passive defense. The findings of the research indicate the desirable condition of passive defense safety considerations in providing suggestions. The research planning process is as follows: 1. The quantitative model for determining the levels of the centers of gravity of the Metropolis of Tabriz shows that, from the total 32 infrastructures, 17 infrastructures are classified as vital and critical infrastructures and 15 are classified as important and maintainable centers, representing the significant number of vital and critical centers. Creating a large number of vital and critical centers instead of a single critical center and increasing the distribution of important centers in the city to promote the security of the city against military attacks are regarded as key issues in the discussion of damages and threats in passive defense. 2. According to the quantitative threat model in Tabriz metropolitan area, the threat of missile and airborne strikes were selected as the base threat: 20 centers of gravity out of the total of 32 centers are at stake of this threat, indicating the predominance of this threat on the assets of the city. Therefore, missile and airborne strikes were considered as a major threat in the modeling, network analysis and layer standardization in the GIS environment. 3. The final map of the vulnerability of the metropolitan areas of Tabriz drawn using fuzzy overlapping functions in the ARC_GIS environment with 22 effective indexes in the form of five criteria (vital arteries, crisis management centers, military and police centers, urban facilities and support centers), the basic threat of airborne and missile attacks and coefficients of the criteria and indexes obtained from the Super Decision analysis software model show that the vulnerable zones of Tabriz are classified into five levels: The area with very low vulnerability is 13.7%, the low vulnerability area is 9.5%, average vulnerability area is 23.5%, high vulnerability area is 32.3%, and extreme vulnerability area is 21% of the total metropolitan area of Tabriz, which is in contradiction to the principles of passive defense and increases the spatial vulnerability of the city. It is therefore necessary to develop a strategy based on passive defense principles to reduce the vulnerability of the city. 4. According to the average model, the nearest neighbor, the average expected distance between infrastructures of Tabriz metropolitan area is 455 meters, but the average infrastructural gap is 264 meters. The ratio of the nearest neighbor is 58%, showing the cluster distribution of Tabriz city centers. This ratio is in contradiction to the principles of passive defense and exacerbates the spatial vulnerability of the city. It is thus necessary to apply the principle of dispersion of passive defense regarding centers of gravity in Tabriz. 5. According to the SWOT model, the results of evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of internal factors by studying and identifying critical centers in Tabriz metropolitan area indicate that the city’s weaknesses are more than its strengths. Therefore, drawing on the strengths, some strategies must be used to reduce vulnerabilities caused by the weaknesses and threats of the city.
Urban Management
sharifeh sargolzaei; mahmoud mohamdi; Reza Mokhtari. M.A.; Gholam Reza Shiran
Abstract
HighlightsThe paper considers organizational level and managers' viewpoint in investigating technology acceptance model.This paper proposed a citizen-based conceptual model on e-government acceptance for developing countries.The results of this research explore new constructs effecting decision about ...
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HighlightsThe paper considers organizational level and managers' viewpoint in investigating technology acceptance model.This paper proposed a citizen-based conceptual model on e-government acceptance for developing countries.The results of this research explore new constructs effecting decision about technology acceptance. Introduction Following the introduction of the concept of smart city, a wide range of organizations have sought to develop the application of new technologies in urban management and planning. Numerous research projects have been conducted to identify the aspects of acceptance and application of technology. However, very few have studied technology acceptance at an organizational level. Among the research projects focused on effective factors in technology acceptance at an organizational level, very few have been concerned with the effective aspects of technology acceptance in non-governmental organizations in developing countries. Therefore, such aspects have not been identified precisely for the municipality as a non-governmental organization in Iran. This can make it difficult to apply technology in the municipality or even cause such efforts to fail. Therefore, it seems necessary to conduct a comprehensive study in the area.Theoretical FrameworkThe review of the literature reveals that technology acceptance has been proposed in various fields such as many areas of human behavior. The most important theories in the area of technology acceptance include the theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 1991), with over 67300 citations, the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (Venkatesh et al., 2003), with over 23870 citations, the theory of reasoned action (Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975), with over 52450 citations, the diffusion of innovations theory (Rogers, 1983), with over 100700 citations, and the technology acceptance model (Davis, 1989), with over 43980 citations in Google Scholar. Each of these theories represents a number of constructs that are important in the measurement of user intention about technology acceptance.Two research categories are identified here: studies on technology acceptance at the micro level, such as those focused on private organizations, and studies on technology acceptance at the macro level, such as those concerning e-governments or public organizations. The latter group investigate citizens’ acceptance of e-governments regardless of the organizational level and managers’ viewpoints. Based on the above theories, this group of studies seek to specify e-government acceptance by modeling user behavior. This paper proposed a citizen-based conceptual model of e-government acceptance for developing countries, seeking to identify the effectiveness of constructs on technology acceptance in a public organization, namely Isfahan Municipality.MethodologyThe objective of this research was to identify the factors effective on technology acceptance in the Isfahan municipality as a non-governmental organization. Given the subject of the research and the population, the grounded theory was used, which is one of the most efficient choices in qualitative research. For this purpose, a semi-structured questionnaire was designed based on the review of the literature and used for interviewing managers and senior experts in the Isfahan municipality. The grounded theory was extracted directly from data collected systematically during the research process and analyzed. In this method, the collected and analyzed data and the final theory are closely interrelated. Moreover, the analysis involves a confrontation between the researcher’s mind and the data. The purpose of this analytical method is to organize the data in specific categories based on their characteristics and dimensions and then to describe each of the categories. The results of the interviews were recorded as textual data using the Atlas.ti software, and were analyzed using the method of finite element analysis. Coding methods were employed to identify the effective categories and dimensions and their interrelations. Results and DiscussionThe context in which a technology is to be used, including the social, cultural, and political characteristics of the society, has an important role in the extent to which the technology gains acceptance. Another effective factor is the cooperation and participation of organizations and their ways of thinking and performance in that regard. It should be noted that these dimensions have indirect as well as direct effects on decision-making for technology acceptance, applied through moderating constructs. The results of this study demonstrated that 23 categories were effective on technology acceptance in the Isfahan municipality, which could be classified further into eight major groups. These include the background, causative, technical, encouraging, deterrent, moderating, decision-making, and consequential categories.The findings also indicated that the constructs proposed in this research were significantly different from those introduced in previous research. This could be due to two fundamental differences between this study and previous ones. Firstly, the present research examined the constructs of technology acceptance at the level of the organization, which involved different dimensions from those concerning the acceptance of technology at an individual level. Secondly, there were fundamental differences between the areas in which the data were compiled in the sample tests. In other words, this research was conducted in the context of the technical, cultural, political, economic, and social infrastructures of developing countries, leading to different user attitudes and views from those concerning developed countries. ConclusionThis paper aimed to generate a conceptual model to increase urban service technology acceptance in organizations by modeling the constructs affecting managers and experts in the municipality. It clarified the relationships among these constructs. Identification of these constructs and their relationships can be useful in the attempts to correct the process of technology acceptance in organizations, especially public ones. The results of this study are particularly important to managers, urban planners, and researchers studying technology acceptance with a smart city approach. The findings can facilitate the process of developing smart cities with a focus on municipalities. Moreover, the constructs presented in this research can be tested using quantitative methods in future research projects.AcknowledgmentThis article was extracted from a PhD thesis on urban planning entitled A Novel Framework for Urban Service Technology Adoption According to the Smart City Approach: Case Study of the Urban Service Technology in the Isfahan Municipality, defended by the first author under supervision of the second and third authors in the Art University of Isfahan.
Urban Planning
parvaneh jalerajabi; reza ahmadian; Zahra sadat saiedeh Zarabadi
Abstract
This research was conducted mainly to provide a method based on artificial intelligence algorithms in order to obtain optimal urban land use allocation, subjected to mathematical modeling from the perspective of spatial justice using multi-criteria decision analysis concepts, both parcel-based and floor-based. ...
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This research was conducted mainly to provide a method based on artificial intelligence algorithms in order to obtain optimal urban land use allocation, subjected to mathematical modeling from the perspective of spatial justice using multi-criteria decision analysis concepts, both parcel-based and floor-based. For that purpose, objective functions were considered for land use allocation, including mixed use, suitability, dependency, compatibility, and access to services, in terms of both floors and neighbors. For achievement of the main purpose, parameters effective on urban land use planning were examined to optimize urban land use allocation from the spatial justice perspective. This led to a presentation and classification of the spatial parameters effective on land use allocation based on sustainability and, more specifically, spatial justice concerns. The main part of the research, named “land use allocation modeling with NSGA-II” focused on development of a land use allocation model and its optimization. The main stage in the modeling procedure was to adapt multi-objective optimization algorithms to land use allocation and, then, to define it as desired. The adaptation of the multi-objective optimization algorithm involved the definition of the solution structure, objective functions, and problem constraints and their calculation for use in the second version of the Non-dominant Genetic Ranking Algorithm (NSGA-II). The objective functions were defined based on criteria and indexes extracted in the second part of the research, including maximization of accessibility to the facilities, of service efficiency (compatibility), of mixed uses, of land suitability, and of spatial dependency. Moreover, seven constraints were introduced for land use allocation, including avoidance of allocating wasteland to the first floor of the parcel, allocation of a land use to the third floor provided that the second one already has a defined land use, possibility of land use allocation to various floors of the same parcel, consideration of maximum and minimum land parceling, avoidance of exceeding the per capita standards in neighborhoods and districts, and, finally, allocation of the necessary land uses to each of the neighborhoods. The models were then implemented, where the main purpose was to optimize urban land use allocation according to all the criteria and constraints. In other words, these criteria had to be defined in terms of the model objectives and with an extensive search space (many of the possible land use allocations) at the same time. Therefore, a set of solutions, which included Pareto front, i.e. optimal, solutions, was obtained rather than a single solution to the problem. As decision-makers prefer to examine the corresponding scenarios after introducing their own decision priorities, the AHP method was used finally after the optimal Pareto solutions were obtained for selection of one of the four possible land use allocations and its presentation in a land use plan given spatial justice concerns. For that purpose, weights were assigned to the objective functions based on spatial justice. Once the objective function values were normalized, the desired weights were multiplied by the normal values. After the calculation of total weight, the solutions corresponding to the objective functions being addressed were converted to land use plans in ArcGIS. The results of land use allocation in floors were compared to the actual conditions. It could be stated in general that the most important achievement of the study involved the introduction and presentation of an efficient model that was appropriate for addressing multi-criteria decision-making problems for allocation of urban land use. The presented model performs simultaneous optimization, and helps decision makers to select one desired solution from among multiple optimized ones according to their priorities, although it is in contradiction with some of the objective functions. The results of the model designed for land use allocation given spatial justice concerns improved the spatial distribution of facilities at the level of the area under study. Moreover, a quantitative evaluation of the allocation results demonstrated that the commercial, academic, health, sport, and cultural land uses were allocated properly per capita, increasing the level of enjoyment in neighborhoods across the area under investigation. Land use allocation, Spatial justice, Multi-objective optimization method, NSGA-II.
Urban Planning
mehdi karoubi; Mohammad Taghi Taghavifard; soran ahmadizad
Abstract
Highlights
- The tourism development model is necessary due to the rapid growth of this industry, increasing income and employment in the countries of the world.
- As actors in tourism activities, local stakeholders play the greatest role in the sustainable development of cultural tourism.
- The eight ...
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Highlights
- The tourism development model is necessary due to the rapid growth of this industry, increasing income and employment in the countries of the world.
- As actors in tourism activities, local stakeholders play the greatest role in the sustainable development of cultural tourism.
- The eight common components of discussion include urban potentials, citizens, impact of border cities, event management, orientation toward other tourism destinations, tourism economics, government management, and advertising.
Introduction
Tourism is one of the largest, fastest industries in the world, which causes an increase in income, employment, and investment in many countries. As a cultural event, tourism development causes effective interactions between tourists and destinations to let them acknowledge and respect each other more. In fact, it provides an apportunity for establishment of more effective communications between nations and people. Cultural tourism is a topic addressed in the tourism industry, and there is a lot to do in that regard in a country like Iran, which is the origin of civilization and written history. Kurdistan Province is located in the west of Iran. Given its diverse cultural attractions, it should attract more cultural tourists through careful planning in the field of cultural tourism, and profit can be made by local people in return as cultural products are sold to tourists and promoted. This provides a good opportunity to take advantage of the attractions of this province, especially the cultural attractions. The aim of this research was to consider a model for development of cultural tourism in Kurdistan Province.
Theoretical Framework
The outbreak of the Coronavirus has almost devastated the tourism industry, and the images of empty streets and entertainment venues, blackouts, and closed shops in cities around the world are very strange and sometimes frightening. Of course, the statistics on the tourism industry in different countries are alternating. According to a global estimate, approximately three million jobs in the tourism and travel sectors have been eliminated or are expected to be lost soon. International travel revenues have fallen by more than $300 billion, and hotel occupancy has fallen sharply to about 25 percent. Experts and specialists in the field of tourism have different opinions about the future of travel and tourism, but the Coronavirus will definitely change the way of thinking, tourists’ behavior , and the amount of people’s travel around the world. However, the tourism industry is moving towards purposeful holidays in today’s world, and a new form of tourism along with cultural tourism involves travel that combines relaxation and satisfaction of mental needs . Cultural tourism can have particular effects in any region, such as rediscovery and celebration of local residents’ lost cultural privileges, recognition and development of regional awareness in spatial dimensions and cultural identity, promotion of a good sense of belonging to a culture, economic infrastructure development, in the long run, and enhancement of employment in an economy undergoing recession. The present developmental applied study aimed to describe the conditions or phenomena under study, and such a plan can be implemented only to help understand the existing conditions better or to assist the decision-making process.
Methodology
The present study is considered as applied, as it is possible to apply the results in the cultural tourist attraction program, and a mixed research method (qualitative and quantitative) was used therein. First, the researcher identified the factors affecting the development of cultural tourism in Kurdistan Province using the method of semi-structured interviews through opinion polls provided to professors and managers and research information obtained by questionnaires in the field of cultural tourism based on earlier research. The theoretical framework and library studies were used to examine the results and identify the factors effective in the field of cultural tourism. The population in both theoretical and practical sections included A) faculty members of universities, including professors of tourism management, in Kurdistan Province and professors of universities in neighboring provinces with expertise in the field and at least one research article in the field of cultural tourism with a scientific rank (scientific-research, scientific-development, ISI, and ISC), B) tourism managers, marketing experts, and specialsts in cultural heritage, handicrafts, and tourism in the cities of Kurdistan Province, C) managers of tourism agencies in Kurdistan Province, and d) cultural tourists.
Results and Discussion
Using common concepts, categories were extracted which included eight components: urban potentials, citizens, impact of border cities, event management, orientation toward other tourism destinations, tourism economy, government management, and advertising. The research results indicated the favorable conditions of urban potentials, citizens, impact of border cities, event management, orientation toward other tourism destinations, and tourism economy. However, government management and promotion in Kurdistan Province was not in favorable conditions. The results were examined through verification of eight hypotheses appropriate to the eight components.
Conclusion
From the final results of the analysis of available data and information, it can be inferred that Kurdistan Province exhibits a high capability (potentially) of attracting tourists and developing cultural tourism. However, a large part of the province has been abandoned and ignored due to improper advertising and provision of information, lack of infrastructural facilities, physically inadequate access routes, and relevant organizations’ insufficient supervision and planning to introduce the unique features and privileges of museums. This includes the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, which has failed to draw visitors’ attention to this tourist destination in line with expectations. Given the high potentials of Kurdistan Province in the field of cultural tourism development, the present study suggested that the province should be turned into a cultural province. Finally, it should be acknowledged that cultural tourism involves tourists’ behavior and their interaction with local residents. We must promote cultural development and increase respect for the cultures of other countries among the citizens of Kurdistan. Residents can play an important role in the formation of tourists’ perception of the destination.
Slum Settlements
H. Gh.; A. J.; M. J.; D. J.
Volume 2, Issue 6 , June 2013, , Pages 43-58
