BAGH-E NAZAR
Year:2011 | Volume:8 | Issue:18|Papers Count:8

Public space has always been a key research area across a wide spectrum of disciplines including philosophy, urban geography, visual art, cultural studies, social research and urban design and planning. Urban spaces play an important role in the social-economic life of city dwellers and throughout history acted as a center of communication and change. In modern era, public spaces in cities have turned into main business centers from which a particular section of the society is benefiting. This is the result of modernization and all the changes that it has brought about in the society. In fact, rationalization which is a product of the enlightenment era is limited to the rationality of approaches, devices and technology. This reflects a strain of rationality or «instrumental rationality», and it can be sought in the dialectics of man, society and nature the result of which is man’s struggle to overcome nature and then damage it to a great extent. These concerns are today reflected in debates pertaining to «sustainable development». The purpose of this paper is to discover the interactions and connections among the urban space, the sustainable development and the Communication Paradigm which is expected to help explain the above three elements. In order to get there, the role of urban spaces throughout history has been studied particularly with regards to aspects such as society, economy and environmental concerns as emphasized by the principles of sustainable development. A historical review of urban space, its size as well as its production procedure could help better understand the role of urban spaces and the way it could improve sustainable development. This paper investigates the connection between the concepts of urban space and sustainable development using Communicative Action Theory. In this way, the Communication Paradigm as a basis for explaining this connection is described. Thus, using the theory of Communicative Action, the instrumental rationality of modernism has been brought into the spotlight. This theory questions the tenets of modern instrumental rationality and further presents Communicative Rational as a solution to overcome modern problems. This research studies how Communicative Rational is manifested through urban spaces. It has taken into consideration the fact that Communicative Rational could be an approach to overcome the logic of domination and profit as well as a solution to prevent whatever disrupts the orderliness of nature and its various elements as well as their interconnections. Eventually, the Communicative Paradigm is presented as a model based on which urban spaces can be developed based on the principles of sustainable development. This Paradigm will help determine the features of sustainable development and also introduce urban spaces as the beating hearts of cities. Further, it will help promote the social, economic and environmental roles of cities by determining an appropriate set of discourse ethics for urban spaces.

The following paper has developed to investigate the effect of regional culture and climate in transformations and developments of structure of urban residential buildings in the selected study area. Dwelling customs in the past and its manners in Iran and Azerbaijan republics cities, contained both open and close private space. Today, dwelling refers only to the case of inner space. As designing residential house is influenced by various factors including culture and climate, description of new residential buildings design proportionate with culture and climate, is not possible in a glimpse and as a short introduction. For this reason, the major focus of this writing has been on impressionability of these houses from culture and climate, and on comparison of past century’s understudy houses.The main purpose of surveying Tabriz and Baku residential buildings is identifying the influence of some factors such as culture, common religion, climate and the existing oppositions among them which has had a role in formatting residential buildings and construction industry of the area. By adopting these cases, particular conditions should be determined for designing the contemporary houses.In passing through historical to contemporary house, we should see what values historical houses have lost and what other forces, except native knowledge, naturalism and energy-saving, have influenced the formation of contemporary house. And also, we should identify socio-cultural needs of historical cities inhabitants which demand necessary surveys inadvanced design methods and proper scientific analysis.By certainty of this matter that even new residential buildings aren’t a perfect response to the traditional living manner of habitats and they haven’t had the structure of complete dwellings, this key question is raised whether today’s houses are proper for today›s life. House’s shapes aren’t only the result of physical forces, but they are the result of a collection of socio-cultural factors in their widest form. House shape, in its turn, varies by climatic conditions, construction methods, accessible materials and technology (for creating desired environment). So socio-cultural forces and existing climatic conditions are the primary or major forces and others are the secondary or varying forces.Changes in historical cities of Iran and Azerbaijan republics made during conversions and renovations have caused changes in from and structure of residential buildings. Thus it`s essential that some lawfulness of designing methods suitable with influencing factors of culture and climate in the new residential buildings of Tabriz and Baku, be distinguished. Considering the modern technological facilities and specifications of traditional architecture, new models of planning must be suggested. It is obviously important to suggest projects in compliance with socio-cultural demands of residents and with consideration of the process of climate influence on the architecture of the houses.Designing residential buildings proves its own acceptability and reasonability when it is formed by some criteria raised from territory’s ability and society’s needs and can maintain its response power even after time passing.

The landscape of public places plays a crucial role in creation of an efficient urban system as well as urban development in any community. The development of public places in cities, whether from the viewpoint of quality or quantity, will only be efficient and feasible when priorities for current urban issues are determined. A more sound approach on that requires using people’s opinions - as inhabitants of urban spaces - as well as modern scientific methods. Considering that various viewpoints exist with regards to urban priorities and that any decision over urban issues should consider all priorities, the present article tries to identify and evaluate the priorities and approaches for designing public urban places in Assalouyeh. To obtain more accurate findings, the model of Analytic Network Process (ANP) has been applied in the related research. The research is based on a descriptive-analytic approach and uses library resources and field studies. It also uses primary research techniques like interviews with officials from related organizations and distributing questionnaires. The target area is a main park in Assalouyeh, a central street, the traditional bazaar as well as six other urban areas. The first step involved identifying the most important issues relating to urban landscape of public spaces through library resources, interviews and questionnaires. In the next step, the collected data was categorized by considering the features of the ANP model and the issues of Assalouyeh. Accordingly, a conceptual ANP model was prepared which comprised three clusters (criteria/group), and nine options (node/sub-categories). These were carried out by using Super Decisions software. In a further step, the results of field studies were analyzed. The results were presented through charts and diagrams as well as raw written data. Considering the high volume of the investigations, only some findings have been mentioned in the present article. Nevertheless, results show that the highest priorities over designing urban landscape of public spaces in Assalouyeh were related to the nodes of Art Wall (normalized score 0.513, intuitive cluster priorities), Market and Dolat Street (normalized score 0.544, clusters of public space) and Urban Furniture (normalized score 0.684, the physical structure of clusters - physical) in clusters of three stars. Accordingly, the strategies for designing urban landscapes of public spaces in Assalouyeh were determined based on the comparison of clusters and nodes and the priorities involved. For this, the features of the Urban Furniture, the public space view of buildings and the bazaar, the Dolat Street as well as the Art Wall of the Jomhori Islami were taken into serious consideration.

Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) is one of the most prominent urban development approaches that have appeared over the past few decades. It mainly focuses on the relationship between public transportation and urban development. The cornerstones of this approach include enhancing the quality of local urban designs, increasing mixed-use areas, expanding social interactions, encouraging people to drive less and use other mediums that are more compatible with public transportation services such as bicycles and commuting on foot. A look at the first generation of TODs in developed countries has revealed many barriers that are believed to have strongly undermined the effectiveness of this approach. However, the lack of a comprehensive understanding of this approach and therefore ignoring its principles through urban development regulations still remains as its main challenges. This article briefly introduces TOD and its underlying tenets. It then brings into the spotlight the general guidelines for planning TOP projects by discussing the four pivotal principles like compactness, mixed-use areas, pedestrian-oriented development and mobility alternatives. 

An important aspect of designing landscapes of university campuses has always been promoting the quality of learning among students. Most universities in Iran have been constructed in a way to address this point as much as possible. Therefore, it may be worth to have a closer look at the real effects of campus landscape designs on the quality of students’ learning abilities. The purpose of the current research is to review and analyze the theories of landscape designing particularly the Attention Restoration Theory (ART) and examine their manifestations in some of Tehran’s university campuses. The focus, however, is on Shahid Rajaee University. A further theory that has been studied in the present research is Gibson’s Affordance theory which, of course, still needs to be thoroughly examined through further investigationsFor this research, about 150 pictures from views, vistas and scenes of Shahid Rajaee campus landscape were analyzed. Eventually, 52 pictures were picked to study the four parameters of Attention Restoration Theory (Being Away, Extent, Fascination and Complexity) as well as ART’s theory matrix (preference matrix). In conclusion, a new matrix named ‘design and preference’ was presented which has been developed based on preference matrix. This new matrix manifests the quality of perceived image in minimum four degrees. It helps to show the quality of landscape designs from the viewpoint of designers, campus managers and students. As the research parameters in Shahid Rajaee Teacher Training University (SRTTU) campus indicate, an informed design of landscape elements on the campuses can help promote tired mind. However, making an informed landscape on the semi natural environments such as university campuses, in a way that could lead to the restoration of mental focus in both academic and administrative affairs needs more research and consideration in psychology and ecology approaches. The next step in this research deals with an assessment of students’ perception of the desirability of each point (vista or scene) of view of the university campuses. For this, photo questionnaires are used to obtain the required data. This is a topic that could be used for future researches. Also, more researches need to be carried out over Gibson's theory about the environmental features of university campus and it could be a perfect subject for further research. Finally, the main aim of this research is to determine key parameters that could be utilized for promoting the current understanding of landscape designs in campuses of universities and accordingly enhance the students’ learning abilities.

A large number of Qajar rugs are pictorial rugs and a lot of them are exhibited in carpet museum of Iran. Studying this extensive collection, created and extended in Qajar period, illustrates many points and issues concerning the history of rug weaving regarding pattern and motif of rugs. The phenomenon of illustrating in Qajar rugs is intensely correlated various cultural, Social and artistic factors. This article attempts to consider closely the different aspects of these factors as influential factors in the process of illustrating the rugs of Qajar period. Identifying and categorizing pictorial rugs of carpet museum of Iran in terms of themes used in them, understands various traits of pattern and motif and their concepts in a special and homogenous range of pictorial rugs.Another result of this article is taking in account of a group of rugs in the carpet museum of Iran as valuable and great treasure and resource regarding old rugs of Iran, which is remained much unknown yet.In this article the influence of western culture and art on these rugs, tendency to realism in art, appearance of publishing and photograph and humanistic thinking, are considered as influential factors in the phenomenon of illustrating in Qajar rugs in this article, I have 11 instance of pictorial rugs in the carpet museum of Iran in several groups which are classified according common themes like kings and celebrities, ancient of Iran, religion, stories of literary.Our way of researching and gathering information and illustration are based on librarian and field study method and our way of writing is historical, descriptive and analytical.

The four arched of Qasr-e Shirin which is known as Chahār Qāpi with sides of 25 meters is considered as one of the biggest fire temples of Sassanid era in Iran which was probably made above 14 centuries ago according to historical sources and archaeological artifacts. It is likely that Chahār Qāpi was made by the order of king as regards its dimensions, stability and beauty as well as supplied accessories. A further glory for this structure comes from the fact that it was located in the vicinity of Khosrow palace – what has already raised speculations that the temple was built so that the members of the king’s court would perform their rituals in a way befitting the royal dignity. This could be particularly true when considering that the Sassanid rule was deeply rooted in religion and the kings of this dynasty considered themselves as the guardians of Zoroastrianism. Therefore, making water and fire temples was extremely important in the Sassanid dynasty. Chahār Qāpi has a strong and remarkable foundation and jamb, even though it was destroyed by the Romans and later abandoned when new rulers with new religions came to power in Iran. These elements are undoubtedly signs of its greatness in its days of architectural glory. Chahār Qāpi which has four thresholds is among fire temples that have vendor corridor as well as very beautiful interior decorations. This structure was surrounded by a collection of rooms and facilities parts of which were discovered by archaeologists in recent years and then restored by them. The architecture style of this temple is completely Sassanid. Common materials of the era like rubble stones and gypsum mortar were used in its construction. There was also a lofty dome at its top.This article has tried to offer a clear picture of sites used to perform rituals of Zoroastrianism during the Sassanid era. The sites are commonly known as Chahār Tāqi each with the form, construction materials and decorations particular to a specific section of the Sassanid society. The Chahār Tāqis built for the royals were much stronger and bigger and had more decorations and corridors. The information presented in this article has been collected from observations of Muslim historians and geographers as well as the findings of archaeologists in order to provide a clear image of Chahār Qāpi. According to information obtained as the result of this research, the fire temple of Chahār Qāpi was simultaneously constructed with the palace of Sassanid king Khosrow Parviz. The cruciform plan of this monument that comprises of two perpendicular axes recalls the style of some Sassanid palaces, especially in the beginning of this dynasty.