The livability of Iranian and Islamic cities considering the nature of traditional land uses in the city and the rules of their settlement (original) (raw)
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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.
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.
Recognition of Sustainable Approaches in Urban Structure of Historical Cities in Iran
Throughout history, most traditional cities and building practices evolved out of necessity and not a supplydriven ideology. Therefore, their sense of sustainability emerged from having found resonance with nature, human-environment interaction, its pace and cyclical progression and that's why they have withstood the test of time and appealed to a variety of functional needs. Much of their charm was a product of the way they related to the character of the neighborhood and allowed for democratic expressions. The patrimony of indigenously designed and developed urban places and spaces is a clear fact; built environments which are culturally rooted, locally produced, and technologically adapted in time and space. Their potential responsiveness to the needs of a changing social and functional world was achieved through mixed activity patterns, organic geometry and human-environment interaction. Historic cities of Iran were no exception and have evolved out of an unique sustainable ideology allowing resonance with nature, human-environment interaction as well as creating socio-cultural patterns for a satisfactory urban life. This sustainable approach has been manifested in characteristics such as direction to prevailing wind and sun, utilization of vegetation and other natural elements, vernacular materials and so on. In this paper the intention is to analyze the conceptions of sustainability in urban structure of Iranian historical cities.
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;
Study of Urban Spaces Problems in City of Kerman, Iran
2009
Although Kerman is a historical city with lots of green spaces but is known boring by locals. We have studied the people's behavior in 24 case studies in city of Kerman during 3years ". The research is a case study research and cases were chosen regarding their importance, uniqueness, expansion, and potentials. We collected our data with direct and indirect observations, documenting people's behavior, mapping behavioral patterns, having interviews with local people, neighbors, using questionnaires and people's comments about the spaces; we derived a general view that helped us to have a better understanding of what people want and need. We divided these open derelict spaces in three groups; 1. Ancient spaces with a great identity, interesting and in some cases unique in our architecture in national scale but forgotten and disappearing by destroying or ruining 2. Green open spaces or city parks 3.Mega buildings in shrinkage process, empty for years without function making the image of the city unpleasant. In this paper we use maps, charts, tables, and photos about our observations and present the problems, some solutions and ideas that we found out to regenerate the urban spaces of Kerman and make them more attractive to people.
IJHCUM; International Journal of Human Capital in Urban Management, 2017
The rich identity, originality and validity of the “Ancient Iranian Urbanism and Architecture”, always have been stimulating the urban designers and planners to have research about their valuable qualities and historical principles. Unlike the past, today’s Iranian cities have inefficient urban qualities; because they are inspired by the western urban designs, without paying attention to their contents and contexts, which have destroyed the originality and identity of them. So in this research, to achieve more efficient urban design solutions, is tried to revive the concepts and principles of the ancient Iranian urbanism. Also, according to globalization and urban commonalities, the main attempt is to find the overlaps and common qualitative norms between the western contemporary urban design approaches and the ancient Iranian urbanism principles. Due to this, by utilizing the comparative and descriptive methods, is tried to have research in theoretical resources to suggest some comprehensive principles, in order to reach an appropriate concept for the implementation of urban design projects in Iran, which may revive the original Iranian contextualism. This research will create a linkage between innovations of the western urbanism approaches and values of the ancient Iranian urbanism principles to have a prospective and more accurate understanding of the Iranian urban developments.
Analysis of the Urban Planning System in Iran
The administration and organization of urban planning Relationship management in various cities of the country is concentrated in a single organization. Plans approves of our bodies are different and sometimes quite diverse. The study analyzes the structure of urban system in the country, and identifies the different aspects influencing the performance of the urban system in the country. In this study the method is objective in nature, is analytical and descriptive. Based on the results of the research findings, we evaluated the problems of the urban and the result was that the inefficiency of the current situation nicely explains Urbanism.
Factors Affecting the Formation and Change of Urban-Spatial Organization in Ahar City of Iran
Ahar is name of a historical city located in northwest of Iran. The existing documents and historical writings along with some inscriptions, architectural and archeological monuments within the city and its suburbs all indicate the historic antiquity of this city. From the pre-Islamic period, little information is available about Ahar. Some sites such as the Jame mosque of Seljuk period and Sheik Shahab Aldin Ahary’s complex indicate that it was a developed city in the Islamic period. The aim of this investigation is the identification of the factors affecting on the urban evolution process in different historical periods. The spatial organization of Ahar has been developed within the Islamic period, but the hypothesis of research is the indications of pre-Islamic period are in the present-day location of it. The question of research is: what were the components affecting the formation and development of the spatial-urban organization of Ahar? This investigation is a basic research which utilizes the descriptive-analytic method based on the analysis of historical documents’ contents. The necessary information has been obtained through library and field studies. The research results show the following: the formation of Ahar dates back to the pre-Islamic period. Based on some historical documents and narratives, the location of the initial core of the city is considered to have been in the vicinity of the historical graveyard of the city; and since the reign of Islam, the city has developed around the core, yet at some periods of time in the course of history, the city has undergone locational changes and has developed toward the northern and western grounds.
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.