Housing and Rural Environment
Year:2013 | Volume:32 | Issue:142|Papers Count:7

While concentrating on rural and urban residential architecture in Iran during various periods and studying different models of houses, we can recognize some elements as basic and structural parts. Although this architecture seems to have been changed and evolved over years but it has preserved its structural elements and main parts. Courtyard, balcony, terrace, vestibule and corridor are some of these elements each of which has various roles. Some aspects of these roles are in correlation with other parts and some relate to the function of the element itself.One of these elements which may be seen in lots of residential (or non-residential) buildings in  urban and rural textures is "Forecourt". “Forecourt’ is a place in front of some buildings’ entrances which is usually surrounded from three sides. As the first step of hierarchy of entering the building, it provides a place for entering, gathering, moving and understanding the building. In buildings such as mosques, houses, inns and even bazaars, this architectural element has various roles in the fields of behavior, social relationships, sanctum definition, creating correlation between indoors and outdoors as well as respecting user’s eminence and avail. Unfortunately, today in new buildings, the presence of this effective element of indigenous architecture has been omitted or decreased. In some places where it is built, it does not play an appropriate role because of defects in form or content.This paper aims to present and introduce this element in indigenous residential architecture of Iran. It also points its place in skeletal texture as well as its role in behavior and social relationships. We have tried to study forms and functions as well as qualitative effects of this architectural element on the environment. We aimed to recognize its role through this study. It has been eased by delving in written references, as well as comparison and analyzing available instances and accessing meanings and concepts from their contents. In this paper ‘Forecourts” are divided into three categories due to their vastness and their role in social relationships. Then elements and characteristics of each category have been studied. Doors, frontispieces, stoops and porches are elements of forecourts, some of which could be seen in all types while others are just available in third group. Then the role of "’Forecourt” in houses and urban and rural textures of Iran is analyzed. This role is in the fields such as correlation between indoors and outdoors, hierarchical access, building apprehension and social relationships. It is hoped that by recognizing and appropriate analyzing of such worthy elements in our indigenous architecture, we could move forward to improve and upgrade contemporary residential architecture of Iran.

Earthen architecture and usage of different building techniques is found all around the world where architectural richness and various building cultures may be taken into consideration. The widespread and high capacity of earthen architecture from the past to the present, have provided the ability for construction of various types of buildings such as rural houses, government headquarters, religious buildings and even complete city with earthen material. In this study, Iran is considered as one of the oldest countries which have used earthen architecture, the method which has unfortunately been forgotten for many years in the contemporary architecture. Revival and recognition of it can provide valuable lessons to meet our today's requirements in the field of earthen architecture. Simple and commonplace techniques of traditional architecture could provide many technical and practical applications which can be studied and used for conservation of contemporary earthen architecture. Therefore, by doing a survey of these practical aspects of earthen architecture, based on the local know-how in the South of Khorasan, and their potential efficiencies in conservation and restoration of other earthen structures, is the focus of this paper. Primarily the main architectural resources in any region seem to be the local architects of these places. This is because the architectural construction is subject to the different conditions of materials, climatic and geological features and may have intricacies which is in the mind of the local architect and not recorded anywhere else. The problem is that as long as this local knowledge is not recorded anywhere except in the minds of the local architects, the general knowledge of this filed is gradually fading away and we seem to be moving towards losing this invaluable type of information. To deal with this problem, this study intends to contribute to preserve parts of this knowledge and pass it forward through having had many of these local veteran architects directly interviewed. For this purpose, field studies were carried out, some questionnaires were prepared and experienced traditional architects of the region were identified and eight of them were interviewed and the results have been collected and analyzed. The analysis of this study has been carried out within an applicable-developmental research based on a combined method (descriptive, measuring, field research). Moreover, the content analysis of the results is presented as recommendations for conservation and restoration of adobe buildings. It is worth saying that these recommendations have been presented according to the subject in direct relationship with the result of interviews and are tried to be classified and categorized in the fields of conservation and restorations. Eventually, according to the results, the lessons learned from architecture and experiences of local architects which are considered to be the important part, have the capacity to be upgraded for contemporary restoration measures and can provide useful and practical recommendations that if paid attention will cause guaranty and conservation of adobe buildings.

In different periods of Iran's history, ownership of land and buildings has left a great impact on rural communities. However, in rural areas it is hoped that implementation of the plan of issuing title  deeds for rural real property could help decrease the unorganized physical conditions of the villages. The study area having a long history in being chosen for residence in Iran plateau, was one of the areas in which the plan of issuing title deeds for rural real property has begun in 2000's and ever-since this area has taken the consequences of the plan. This study aims to examine the social and economic impacts of this plan in Eghlid County. With regard to the aim of the study, this study was an applied one, but considering the methodology, this was a descriptive-analytical study. The statistical population of the study included 3,270 households in 10 villages, and based on Cochrane formula, 247 questionnaires were filled out according to systematic random sampling method. The study results showed that there is a relatively good correlation between the plan of issuing title deeds for rural real property and changes in social and economic aspects throughout the villages of the region. Intensity factor of the variable of the plan of issuing title deeds for rural real property on social changes in villagers' life was 0.309 and indicates that variable parameters of the plan explain 31% of changes in the social aspects of villagers’ life. Accordingly, the variable of rise in investment in the villages with the co-efficient of 35 % was the strongest predictor of changes in social aspects of rural life. In other words, the more the rural land is established by the plan of issuing title deeds, the more the chances for rise in investment in the rural areas, and the more the social changes in rural life. On the other hand, using the coefficient of determination in regression model, the plan of issuing title deeds only explains 25% of variation in the economic dimension of villagers’, life. Accordingly, the effect of the variables of rise in investment and getting real estate into economic cycles respectively explain 32.5% and 27.6% of variation in the economic dimension of rural life. Based on LISREL causality test, the plan of issuing title deeds for rural real property has a direct effect of 0.32 on the economic dimension of rural life. According to the research findings, the following guidelines were suggested: to exempt certain social classes from the charges of the plan, to observe the coordination of reviewing Guide plans and the plan of issuing title deeds, to develop a comprehensive database of rural properties, to facilitate lending banking loans by the relevant organizations and their management by rural governor, and to modify the charges of issuing title deeds in villages with respect to the actual price of rural real estate, etc.

Regarding the importance of rural development in the national development process of Iran in recent years, different approaches and methods have been taken into consideration in order to achieve rural development goals, among which the most important is Rural Guide Plans (RGP’s). Despite the primary objectives and programs set to achieve rural development, it seems that the preparing and implementing of the plans have encountered numerous difficulties of various dimensions which tend to reduce the effectiveness and efficiency of RGP’s. Thus, the main question of the survey was to identify difficulties involved in implementing RGP's in rural areas. In this respect, the main objective of the research was to analyze the difficulties of implementing RGP's in the villages of Zanjan County. The methodology used was non-experimental in terms of controllability degree of the variables, and field research in terms of method of data collection. The statistical population covered by the study contained all heads of rural households in the villages having more than 100 households in Zanjan County where the plan had been implemented and completed by the end of 2010 (N=8748). According to the Krejcie and Morgan table, a sample size of 370 was selected using a stratified random sampling (n=370). A questionnaire was used to collect the data. The content validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by a panel of experts. A pilot study was conducted to establish the reliability of the research instrument. The Cronbach’s Alpha coefficients for the main scales of the questionnaire were higher than 0.75. The data were analyzed using SPSSwin19and LISREL8.5 softwares. The exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were used in order to identify factors related to difficulties of implementing RGP's in the study area, and examine the goodness fit index of the research model, respectively. The results of the exploratory factor analysis showed that five factors, namely, managerial- planning, environmental, physical, cognitive-informative and technical explained 67.73 percent of total variances of the difficulties of implementing RGP’s in the villages of the Zanjan County. Based on the findings of the confirmatory factor analysis, the mentioned factors sufficiently measure independent and separate dimensions of the difficulties involved in implementing RGP’s. The findings of this study can increase the effectiveness and efficiency of RGP’s through contributing to a better understanding of the plans and providing some practical strategies and suggestions for solving the difficulties of implementing RGP’s in the study area.

One of the most important structural elements in the development of rural residential areas in support of the poor and reduction of rural vulnerability can be a special attention that should be paid to physical aspects of human, social, economic and environmental activities. Nowadays, guide plan as the first national comprehensive effort for organizing our country's villages is counted as the most important tool for rural development management. Rural guide plan is one of the rural development projects that can have a fundamental role in an integrated development of rural areas. Guide plan with the aim to provide the ground of revitalization and rural guidance in terms of social, economic, physical and environmental by fulfilling justice of appropriate facilitiesis intended to provide relative welfare for the villagers. Meanwhile, there is a serious doubt of the positive and sustainable impact of the project where in some rural areas has had adverse effects and dissatisfaction of the villagers. Thus, investigating the satisfaction of the villagers and the factors that are influential in this regard is of great importance. In this regard, the main purpose of this study was analyzing the factors affecting the villager’s satisfaction of guide plan. The statistical population of this study consisted of all households of Gharagol village at Diwandareh County. By using Cochran’s formula, 81 heads of the households were selected by simple random sampling method. The main instrument of this study was a questionnaire which its validity was confirmed by a panel of experts and its reliability was affirmed by calculating Cronbach Alpha Coefficient ( a>O.7). Data were analyzed by SPSSWin18software in two parts of descriptive and inferential statistics. The results showed that the satisfaction of the majority (86.5%) of villagers toward guide plan was low and average. In addition, the results of factor analysis of three factors: “creating interest to the village”, “physical effects’ and ‘creation of sub-employment in the village” was identified as the effects of guide plan. The results of correlation analysis showed that there was positive and significant relationship between the majority of existing components in guide plan with the villagers’ satisfaction. Finally, based on the results of the study, in order to improve the effects of rural guide plan on social, economic, physical and environmental aspects of rural areas, a number of recommendations and guidelines for rural development managers, planners and policy makers were presented.

The issue of immigration is not a new phenomenon and it can be said that different countries encounter differently toward this matter. Immigration is the result of attraction and repulsion of environmental and individual factors of territories and has always been an interest to geographers and some sociologists. In the meantime, Rural - urban migration as a result of economic and social consequences has been studied more than any other demographic phenomena. In developing countries, rapid population growth and extension of rural families are of important factors which lead to the migration of rural youth to the cities. The phenomenon of uncontrolled rural migration as one of the fundamental problems in the country has a negative role and consequences in the origin and destination of migration. Today, one of the major problems of the government is monitoring the uncontrolled migration, solving urban complexities and reducing adverse effects of migration on rural areas. However, we can say that the industrial revolution is the start point of rural migration to urban areas. The Rural - Urban Migration have always been an important issue to scholars from various disciplines. Migration in developing countries, worsen the situation in the migration origins on the one hand and also causes economic, social and cultural problems in the destination due to the lack of facilities in proportional of migration rate on the other hand. Over the past decades many attempts have been made for understanding these implications and seeking ways to reduce and illuminating them but unfortunately because of the lack of strategic and integrated vision, none of them has been successful. In the strategic vision by emphasizing on sustainable development, one of the ways for maintaining the rural population is to improve the quality of rural life including achievement of equality and protection of cultural diversity, increasing collective sense and citizenship, achieving a better quality of life and any changes in economic activities that will enhance and improve the quality of life. In this paper, by using analytical tools based on SWOT method, internal points of strength and weakness and external opportunities and threats outside rural settlement of Solok rural district of Hashtroud County has been explained by unified viewpoint, and strategic actions for solving the issue of maintaining rural population in the case study village has been proposed. The findings show that it is possible to encourage villagers to remain in the villages by participatory approach to rural development through entrepreneurship which also increase their morale and motivation.

The subject of house is complex and includes a wide range of dimensions. It must be found as a comfort and resting place for its residents. In recent years, the Iranian architecture and lifestyle has been confronted with modem international urbanism and transformed the dwellings of Iran into unacceptable situation which is in contrast with the Iranian culture and values. The shrinkage of the design layout in the current Iranian compact dwellings has threatened the appropriate level of privacy. One of the most important aspects of designing internal spaces is the amount of privacy in architecture design. Studying the matter of bounds and privacy in house is not a novel subject. On the contrary it draws people’s attention all over the world and particularly in Iran. However the provision of conditions suitable for privacy of people is encountered with some changes. This can be attributed to social alterations. Boundary does not create privacy but only a separation. It creates an aura of privacy and stops others from being disturbed. In this article, to understand the privacy in the housing, BDSR model is suggested. This model is based on four defined spatial privacy including barrier, distance, step and ring. Method of research is descriptive - analytical and is carried out on the case studies of traditional and contemporary houses in the city of Yazd. The research analyzed, and compared the spatial quality of contemporary houses with traditional ones based on their response to privacy. Quantitative methods of data analysis were done using an analytical model. Comparative study made between two types of traditional and contemporary accommodation represents a significant development in contemporary housing space in privacy. These changes which are expanding day by day and have made problems for the dimensions of the space, is the reason of the identity crisis of contemporary housing. However, it has led to the emergence of multiple identities with different rates in the country. The discussion can be considered as a beginning for space to be used in contemporary housing. The recreation of space based on the arrangements of traditional architecture was suggested through the strategy of introducing flexible elements and spaces.