Research Team: Lalaa Jahanshahloo, Ph.D. , Alireza Shahi
Role: Researcher
Client: Islamic Azad University Science and Research Branch – Thesis for receiving M.A degree in Urban Design
Location: Tehran, Iran
Date: 2014
If you plan cities for cars & traffic, you get cars & traffic.
If you plan for people & places, you get people & places.
Abstract
The urban environment assumes a central role in facilitating socio-cultural interactions among residents (Rezazadeh, 2008, p. 46). Among its fundamental attributes, the urban space offers a platform for fostering unfettered social exchanges, transcending the constraints of gender, age, and other societal delineations. Contemporary life has given rise to a multifaceted urban existence alongside the traditional domestic sphere, collectively referred to as urban life. Within this urban milieu, life unfolds in distinct ways, with its most advanced and refined manifestation manifesting itself within the urban spaces.
These urban spaces encapsulate the prevailing culture, climatic nuances, societal structures, lifestyles, and customs of the populace, serving as arenas for both individual and collaborative utilization. The creation of urban spaces capable of nurturing a harmonious rapport with their denizens, while effectively addressing their multifarious needs, necessitates a profound comprehension of the manifold dimensions that define the spatial context. These dimensions encompass social and cultural characteristics, attributes related to specific activities, climatic considerations, and the application of architectural and urban design principles with an emphasis on physical and aesthetic aspects, among others.
Consequently, the imperative of developing spaces that encompass all these aforementioned requisites and can attract individuals, prolong their sojourn, and ultimately serve as conduits for their social interactions emerges as a pivotal and incontrovertible concern. The primary objective of this research endeavor is to delineate a set of principles that beckon individuals towards urban spaces, enticing them to linger, while concurrently considering the physical and functional principles that can transform these spaces into veritable arenas for a plethora of human activities.
In essence, given the prevailing lacuna in contemporary urban planning, where the construction of urban spaces and buildings often lacks a coherent framework of guiding principles, this research aspires to proffer a blueprint for the design of sociable urban spaces.