Environmental Sciences
Year:2006 | Volume:3 | Issue:12|Papers Count:9

Fast development of Tehran in the last decades is the cause of deterioration of environmental capacities which continues. Stream corridors of northern part of the city which has an important role in optimizing environmental situation are not an exception. This continuous and joint network of soil and water which has been preserved by its consumers and keeps the climate approximately sustainable is prone to distortion gradually. Therefore special consideration to environmental capacities is essential. This article attempts to consider Evin-Darakeh stream corridor as a green infrastructure by describing other green infrastructures. In order to reach this goal planning principles for this stream corridor and the related strategies are explained.

This paper concerns on the scientific approach to Nature; especially in general mean as a part of universal knowledge. Through this paper it is perceived that the Constructivism started a critical argument on the western scientific traditions. Constructivism specter in approach to Nature perceives interconnectivity between Nature and Culture. This is one of the facts that Constructive Realism tries to face by using an approach to culture and scientific proposition that shows extensively in universal means any proposition could only achieve to its ideal conception when it is strangified to different culture. So it comes to the state in which there is no exact answer to the questions which related to the value of Nature; and reminding that nature could not be regarded as a knowable norm. So if we do not know the structure of the Natural world any attempt to replace it or a part of it with any artificial world could be a dangerous enterprise. Those ideas are followed in sample study of rice production and the rites and related ceremonies in Japan.

It is the aim of this article to show what contribution landscape modeling can make to the analysis of environmental effects and environmental planning. The term landscape modeling is used instead of regional mode ling to clarify that both, ecological effects related to area and economic effects related to human action, are concerned. Landscape planning is from its origin interdisciplinary which is reflected in the fact that soil scientists, landscape ecologists, landscape planners, etc. should work together on this realm. In the mode ling procedure, the principle of primary integration of disciplines is followed. The concept suggests a real interaction between all the disciplinary modules. It exceeds the commonly used concept of secondary integration, where only the results of independently calculated models are interpreted together, at the end. In the Environmental Sciences Research Institute of Shahid Beheshti University, the Department of Planning and Designing the Environment has directed its research program towards scientific themes with a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approach, and has aimed to practice the conceptual framework of causes and effects of landscape change as a scientific base for land-use decisions in planning. This article outlines an introductory explanation for practice demands and landscape trends. It presents a framework based on a particular type of landscape change research that uses the principles and theories of landscape ecology as an underlying paradigm for explaining changes in landscapes. It introduces principal recommendations for interdisciplinary landscape change research program, and characterizes the key themes and issues about the conceptual framework of ecological networks in landscape ecological modeling.

Sustainable development is a strategy by which communities seek economic development that relates to a strong economy, a clean environment, social equity and engagement of the community in the development processes. This approach enables the creation of healthy communities that can sustain not only current generations but also generations to come. Within the context of the theme of a clean environment, urban parks are an important element of a sustainable city. They provide opportunities for ecology, environmental improvement, active and passive recreation, aesthetic appreciation and a community focus. The city of Tehran, one of the largest cities in the world, with a huge concentration of people and resources, has suffered from many social and environmental problems. The biggest environmental problem currently faces is air pollution: Tehran's air is among the most polluted in the world. The municipality of Tehran has initiated a number of efforts, such as the establishment of additional public urban green spaces in order to alleviate the increasing environmental problems. However as yet, there is no actual strategy for the development of urban green spaces in Tehran. Data were drawl from in-park survey and out-park survey and personal interviews conducted with users aged 12 and over in four of Tehran's parks and facilities such as schools, universities, shopping centres, cinemas, mosques and sport centres. The study involved all type of urban parks. This paper explores the most important role of urban public parks in Tehran and the contribution they can make towards a sustainable environment III the city as a metropolis.

There has been growing concern regarding the proposed Sivand Dam. Its placement in the Parse-Pasargad region, between both the ruins of U Persepolis and Pasargad, has worried many archealogists that the dam will flood these UNESCO World Heritage sites. Currently the construction of the dam is postponed until the international teams of archeologists announce that their excavations in the area are finished. The aim of this study is to increase the knowledge about this valuable archeological region, focusing on two case studies, Persepolis and Pasargad. To prevent environmental destruction caused by archeological excavations, a non-intrusive investigation combining complementary technologies has been carried out. A multilayer analysis of the collected data in geology, hydrology, and hydrogeology, along with aerial photographs, remotely sensed air photos, and satellite imagery provided useful information for preparing environmental and historic layers. The use of GIS and image processing technique allowed a highly effective integration of all data, leading to more rigorous correlation of the different results. The results of this study are indicative of three main findings: (1) identification of buried archaeological features in this region, focusing on the two plains of Farvardin and Marghab, the seat of Achaemenian governors, where the Persepolis and Pasargad established (2) a wall and watchtowers surrounding Persepolis, (3) and a natural lakelet in the Pasargad site.

The beautiful and untamed mountains in Iran are a strong source of identity for the residents and the visitors. The view of the Alborz Mountain's peak, Damavand, from Tehran is breathtaking. Yet the same geological processes that have created these magnificent mountains have also made the country very susceptible to devastating earthquakes. While there have been numerous quakes in Iran with many casualties, none have ever overwhelmed international headlines the way the earthquake that struck Bam on December 26, 2003) has. Since that faithful day, there have been many other natural disasters all over the world. The tsunami in the Indian Ocean and the Hurricane Katrina along the gulf coast of the U.S. are two events that have also caused devastating tragedies. There are major lessons to be learned from the Bam experience that can be applied to other similar situations. The relationship between nature and culture adds a significant insight into the complex situation, where reconstruction extends beyond bricks and mortar to the reconstruction of lives and the continuation of a culture. In this regard, the process of people's participation is of vital importance. In Bam a unique approach was used to recover cultural values and reach out to segment of the population that is vital to Bam's future, its children. The Bam experience involved children in a UNICEF workshop and provided a way to involve them in the design of parts of the environment, through their own eyes. This article describes the historic nature/culture relationship in Bam and how the workshops were used to recover them and to find hope in the midst of a disaster.

A review of earthquakes occurring in Iran during the last three decades (since 1983 up to the present) indicates the outbreak of many earthquakes, eight cases of which having a magnitude of above 7. Review of major natural disasters of the 20th century shows that earthquake is one of the most dreadful disasters of the world, four cases of which have occurred during the past century in Iran. According to the above evidence and the tectonic maps, Iran is located in an earthquake prone zone; therefore, reducing the risks of earthquakes should always be considered in all fields of human activity, especially in architecture and construction. Taking pre-emptive measures to tackle natural disasters especially earthquakes through observing the principles of architecture and urban construction, and observing the system of urban and rural construction management is a priority and an important strategy for sustaining the development of the country which can decrease the damage caused by earthquakes. From this point of view, the consideration of the way buildings are prone to earthquake and choosing the methods suitable for the structural socio-economic conditions and natural environment are among the most important measures to be taken. If vulnerable spots of buildings are not taken seriously, damage to buildings may continue. Given that among the natural disasters of the last two decades, Manjil Earthquake, June 1990, and Bam Earthquake, December 2003, were greater than the previous disasters in terms of property damage and loss of life, and since there is more evidence available about them, examination of and diagnosis of man-made factors in theses two major earthquakes become especially important. The present article comprises three main sections. The first section focuses on the behavior of buildings in the epicenters of the earthquakes, namely the provinces of Gilan, Zanjan and Kerman. The second section highlights the damage inflicted upon the buildings and their vulnerable weak parts, and the final section summarizes the ignored matters and concludes by providing regular strategy of diminishing the losses.

This article deals with the dilemma of man's expectations from the environment and the responsiveness of the environment to man's desires. Can we find harmony between these opposing forces? The important issue is to pursue our honorable goals, hopefully, in the expectation of finding every element of harmony we can in the relationship between ourselves and the rest of nature, rediscovering old harmonies and perhaps finding some new ones too. This study focuses on some sample studies such as the Kohala Coast on the island of Hawaii and Abbas Abad hills in Tehran, to clearly play the concepts of preference and affordance against each other and use the criteria for sustainability as a framework. It concludes that in interpreting nature man reeducates himself and in the process his value system changes. Therefore in the long run a new culture will emerge which is more in harmony with the natural processes.

This paper studies Tehran gardens in the time span from Qajar dynasty up to Pahlavi period. A brief glance at Tehran's old map reveals that the situation and location of the birth of old gardens, having been affected by the environmental potentiality of the background, on the one hand, have first led to the introverted growth of the city and the fortification of the central citadel and, on the other hand, have led to the extroverted growth of the city, i.e. the development of Tehran as the time went by. At the present, most of these gardens have been demolished in the interest of developing Tehran and only a couple of them have survived. In view of this, identifying the structural elements and the system governing therein, the ratio of difference between this pattern and the Iranian pattern of constructing gardens and their role in extending the city mountain ward are among the objectives of this study. In this study with pay attention the signification of political, economical and sociality affairs in development of Tehran city, the prevalent system of the gardens of Tehran and the role played by them in the orientation of the city are examined through a study of Niavaran Garden.