Cultural Heritage of Urban Definitions: Centres and Borders (original) (raw)

From the so-called Islamic City to the Contemporary Urban Morphology: the Historic Core of Kermanshah City in Iran as a Case Study

Proceedings 24th ISUF 2017 - City and Territory in the Globalization Age, 2017

The modernization of a second order city The Iranian cities like all cities in Muslim world were influenced by western modernization and had major changes. Before 1920 the traditional Iranian cities, including Kermanshah, shared the components and spatial relations of the so-called Islamic cities: city wall and gate, madrasih (religious school), hammam (public bath), bazaar (commercial district), citadel (governmental palace), Friday mosque, Mahallas (residential neighborhoods) that were divided often based on different ethnics or religions criteria and hierarchical networks of winding alleys and the numerous cul-desacs that link the houses to the city center (Borumand, 2009; Kheirabadi, 2000). In 1920 this traditional pattern experienced the beginning of new phase in urban and structure change (Ehlers and Floor, 1993; Marefat, 1988). The first steps for modernizing of Iran, especially Tehran as the capital, were taken during the regimen of Naser-ed-Din Shah in Qajar dynasty by the 1870s after his visit of Paris (Katouzian, 1996). But it was not fundamental until the early 1920s with monarchy of Reza Shah during Pahlavi dynasty (Habibi, 2006). The importance of urban modernization study in Iranian-Islamic Abstract. Pre-1920 cities in Iran were characterized by a number of features shared by other traditional cities of Islamic world. Although often criticized for their Eurocentric nature, the features of "Islamic city" can be useful as starting point to analyze the modernization process of these traditional cities and their crucial impact in their structural transformation. As the traditional cities of the Islamic world have been much more studied than the twentieth century changes that have transformed them, we need more holistic and integrated understanding about the changes derived from the modernization process. To explore the broad and widespread of their metamorphosis, it is more enlightening if we study second order cities, rather than studying the transformations of major capitals such as Cairo, Istanbul or Teheran, where interventions are more exceptional and more rhetorical. Therefore, this paper aims to study the historic core of Kermanshah city, to understand the link between urban and social transformations due to modernization process by tracing it historically. We will focus, particularly, on studying the stages of urban transformation and changes of urban morphology as well as conflicts and differences between traditional urban features with the modern ones. In other words, we are interested in understanding how traditional morphology and structure of residential and commercial zone are affected by the opening of new and wide boulevards in course of modernisation process, and how these changes influence everyday people life.

A new approach to the Iranian urban planning, using neo-traditional development

2012

In order to find the possible uses of the traditional urbanism in solving the modern urban problems, some of the contemporary urban problems that were likely to be partly or completely solved were targeted in chapter 1. The two research questions that were going to be answered were 1) which characteristics of the traditional Iranian urbanism can we use to solve some of the modern urban problems of the country? and 2) How can the effective traditional city characteristics be applied to ease some of the modern problems? Before studying the Iranian cities, the similar experiences in other countries and cultures were considered. The neo-traditional trends, practices, and built communities were discussed so that the nature of the research is determined. For example it was explained how the compact and traditional urban form was used to control urban sprawl in North America. Apart from the practical background, the theoretical aspects were reviewed. These theoretical bases were the interactions of built environment with urban transportation and environment. Before starting the main body of the research, the previous researches on the traditional urbanism including urban form, the main elements of the Iranian city, and the historical views of the urban growth were discussed. Also some of the neighbourhood infrastructures were described to make the foreign reader familiar with the Middle Eastern urban architecture. The main research methods that were used were direct observation, literature review, and Space Syntax theory. The theoretical bases and applications of SS were explained in chapter 6. Two case study cities were selected to be studied; Yazd and Kashan that both are located in the center of Iran. The studied cities contain a population of 400000 and 270000 so the results are generalized for the cities with the same range of population in similar climates and geographical conditions. Such cities are mostly mid-sized cities or small large cities in the south, east, and center of the country and also some parts of the western provinces. The historical urban growth, population growth, the typology of the constructions in the historical core and the new developments, mobility flows in the new and old textures, neighborhood organization, Neighborhood unit centers, and the hierarchy of the street networks of the two cities were studied. The first research question was answered by defining the main characteristics of the traditional Iranian city. To answer the second question, solutions in form of general strategies were discussed. Each of the suggested strategies can be implemented via some practical ideas. The study was started by the following hypothesis: “There are tips in the traditional Iranian city that have the capability to be used in contemporary Iranian cities to improve the related conditions of urban transportation, environment, energy use, and land consumption”. At the final stage of the work, it became apparent that the hypothesis is true because the possibilities and circumstances of using the traditional specifications and values became clear.

Urban spatial structure in central Iran: introduction analysis of sahe-ja

Journal of Urbanism: International Research on Placemaking and Urban Sustainability, 2020

Modernization of Iranian cities during the 20th century has radically altered and, in some instances, completely destroyed parts of the historic fabric of cities. Two approaches have dominated efforts to address these impacts: development-driven and conservationdriven. Because both approaches originate outside the complex and fragile contexts of Iran's historic fabric, their respective and collective outcomes have proven neither logical nor practical. Scholars have proposed a third, context-driven option, which urban planners and municipal officials try to restore and preserve urban fabric according to their structure while also maintaining quality of life for residents. Applying the context-driven approach to the spatial structure of the Ali-Gholi-Agha quarter in Isfahan reveals one such discrete element: a semipublic type of space called "sahe-ja." By interrogating whether and to what extent sahe-ja serves as a determinative element in the quarter's historic urban fabric, this paper demonstrates the logic and practicality of the context-driven approach.

Analysis of the Street Shaping up Trend and Its Architectural Change in Western Region of Iran ( 1921-1978 ) Case of Study : Kermanshah , Hamedan and Sanandaj Cities

2015

The street is considered as one the main ingredients in forming cities which its shaping up trend is affected by different factors as: system of governance (political), cultural, social and economy ingredients, etc. This effect has been more evident during first and second Pahlavi Governments. In other words, Pahlavi architecture order during Reza Shah's two decades of monarchy (1925-1941), the Iran government had been the determinant of architecture order along with modernity login (with the purpose of modernism), most of the projects were built by western orders while by the policy of linear and cruciate organizing of streets created new context beside the old one. This situation caused disturbance of traditional context structure and connectivity network of some important ingredients such as market, main mosques and etc. This paper has been done by descriptiveanalytical method for analyzing of the street shaping up trend and its architectural change in western region of Iran,...

The Contribution of “Street” Component in the Process of Modernization and the Development of Tehran Case Study: The Lalehzar Street

Bagh-e Nazar, 2021

Problem statement: The street is one of the most important constituting components of urban appearance in modern times; by adding the street elements to the ‘urban planning system’, a great change has happened in the formation of architecture and urban planning in the present century in Iran. This development besides affecting the physical construction have had a great influence on the cultural and identity structure of urbanization in Iran. “Lalehzar Street” is one of the most important landmarks of modernism in the architecture and urban planning in Iran , which has had a great influence on the evolution of general landscape of Tehran city at the earlier this century. Research objective: This research study is trying to examine the influence of ‘street-linings’ and physical evolution on the process of modernization and development of Tehran, in which “Lalehzar Street” has been selected as a case study. Therefore, the urban development under the influence of ‘street element’ and the cultural impact of “Lalehzar Street” on human interactions will be examined here from various aspects. Research method: At first step, “Lalehzar Street” is selected due to its importance and effect on the modernization of Tehran city, and later based on the library and documentary studies, using interpretive-historical method the urban developments in Tehran is discussed by choosing the case study of “Lalehzar Street”, from the second half of the Qajar rule onward; and at the final step, the role of the street in the process of modernization and development of Tehran is analyzed by using analytical-descriptive method. Conclusion: The Iran’s political and social developments have been influenced by modernism since the second half of the Qajar rule, that many of its manifestation have been represented in various forms in Tehran. One of the most important appearance of this proceeding is the emergence of the street with its European pattern, which has influenced various aspects such as the city structure, commercialization and citizen interactions in a course of time from Qajar to Pahlavi that has given a new and modern appearance to the city.

Reviewing the Constituent Components of the Spatial Organization of Iranian City after Islam in the 9th-14th AH Travelogues

NAZAR Research Center (NRC), 2021

Spatial organization is a concept derived from a systemic view of the city and its components. It considers the city with a meaning more than the algebraic sum of its physical components. Its meaning is derived from the regularity, ratio, and relationship between components of the city. The spatial organization of a city is a result of the agreement between residents in the formation of the city. According to this perspective, the constituent components of the city in every civilization are formed based on a particular organization and discipline resulted from their similar cultural framework. Therefore, the spatial organization is a distinguished cultural aspect and identity mark. The travelogues of the orientalist of the 9th to 13th AH are the key sources. Although they did not address the city with a clear and systematic view, by mentioning the social life events and describing spaces and significant city elements, provided a mixed image of the spatial organization of the city. Analysis and comparison of the descriptive and specialized findings to explain the spatial organization of the city provide new interpretations about the nature and method of the formation of the Islamic-Iranian city. The current paper aims to address the formation of the particular spatial organization of the Iranian city functionally and semantically. In this regard, the components of the spatial organization are studied in terms of its role in the structure of the "whole" city and the interaction relationships. Research method is historical. Data collection was done using library method, including travelogues and technical resources. The relationship between tourists 'descriptions and experts' opinions of Iranian cities and its spatial organization was done through rational inference and analysis of findings. The city space organization is the product of an attitude towards the city as an independent whole. The necessary condition for finding the meaning of the city as a "whole" is the purposefulness of the components and the regularity between them that realizes the formation, development, and evolution of the city in the form of a dynamic organism. In the Iranian city of the Islamic period, four components form the territory, center, structure, and small units, model, and particular relations of the spatial organization of the city. In a general classification, among the four key components of the spatial organization of the Iranian city, due to its creating feature, the center is the necessary condition. Also, due to the service role, other components, along with the center are the sufficient and complementary conditions for the realization of the city's spatial organization.

Autumn & Winter 2016 of urbanism (IAUKHB), (IAU Isfahan International Branch), Lecturer at De-partment of Architecture

2016

Challenges related to the management of urban and natural elements in different aspects of structural, conceptual, and aesthetic preferences; Objective and subjective representations of cities and towns in the perspective of historical documents, art and literature; Understanding the subjective and objective aspects of landscape and urban landscape, streetscape and squares in order to explain the principles of proper planning and design criteria; Documentation, conservation and restoration of gardens and green spaces within the urban landscape and the process of formation and transformation in urban settings; Typology, document and explain the principles of landscape protection and promotion of street and urban landscape in different cities of Iran;

Fading Out the Sematic Dimension of Street in Iran from the Ancient Times to Today

Bagh-e Nazar, 2019

May the street be full of the belles always Because this integrity comes second to her beauty Statement of problem: priority of thought over the language or priority of language over thought has always been one of the challenging discussions among the thinkers; but the mutual effect of these two on each other is agreed upon by everyone. In other words, the strong civilizations produce words, and the words make culture. Therefore, having a deep knowledge about the words used in different scientific fields such as urban studies, leads to the increasing the importance of their role in space production. The city, as one of the most important manifestations of human civilization, enjoys some primary elements which street is one of them. In Iran’s cities, “street” with its modern day concept, is rather new that despite its ancient history, the new use of which dates back to the contemporary2 era. This research aims to interpret and classify the conceptual-formal evolution of street in the history of Iran’s cities through analytical study of historical documents, and ontological question of street. Purpose: the main purpose of the research is explaining and categorizing the evolution of street. Research method: the current research is a historical-analytical one that classifies the similarities and distinctions of street application in post-Islam Iran’s history. Conclusion: street plays a conceptual role in formation of cities in Iran’s history, but in the contemporary era, with fade-out of its semantic aspect, it has downgraded to only the form.

Regenerating the Spatial Patterns of Contemporary Neighborhoods in Tehran Based on Traditional Neighborhood Patterns by Examining the Evolution of Three Periods of Qajar, Pahlavi and Contemporary

THE TURKISH ONLINE JOURNAL OF DESIGN, ART AND COMMUNICATION, 2016

Passing from traditional society to modern and from modern to network society is emerging whole world by leaving bad and good effects. Iran has passed this transition from traditional to modern very quickely without preparing scientific, cultural and artistic bases. Old neighborhoods which were places to ghatering people with common Ethnic, religious, social and economic properties gradually had been distincted from environs during the lapse of ages. In this Study patterns and origins of traditional neighborhoods of Tehran city and revolution of transformation have been studied and analyzed by reconsideration theories and aspects. For needed information in this case of study two neighborhoods from different periods have been selected. Odlajan from Qajar age and Shahid Bagheri in 22 zone of Tehran from contemporary. Evaluation of the resulting patterns based on theorical foundations and studies has caused regenerating these patterns to employ in contemporary neighborhoods designs. Based on the principles and patterns extracted in the theoretical foundations of traditional neighborhoods and the needs of today's society and recreating the patterns and principles, principles and standards proposed in the form of three factors of form (the form of physical, urban perspective), performance (system of land use and activity, movement and access systems), perception (skeletal public space) have been suggested.