JOURNAL OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBAN PLANNING
Year:2020 | Volume:13 | Issue:28|Papers Count:6

Cities have found a special status in sustainability practices, to the extent that urban sustainability has become one of the main issues in today's world. Meanwhile, from the social viewpoint, the concept of sustainability is always considered as a neglected field, and as a result, urban researchers are less concerned with its relation to planning issues (such as urban form). Meanwhile, studies show that the main roots of social crises lie in the neighborhoods of large cities and their situation. Whereas, social sustainability has become a significant objective of urban planning practice, and has a presence in the various stages of the development process of urban neighborhoods. This research aims to develop a method for measuring social sustainability in relation to urban form as one of the main tools of urban planning intervention. First, typology of the neighborhood form and measurement methods of social sustainability in relation to each form has been derived from theoretical literature. Based on studies conducted in the first stage, the urban form of the neighborhood is divided into four types: shifting planned, shifting organic, stable planned, and stable organic forms. According to the characteristics of each of the four types of urban form, a series of neighborhoods in Tehran city was selected as a case study and then a questionnaire was distributed among its inhabitants to measure social sustainability, i. e. Shahrak Gharb neighborhood has been selected as a stable planned form, Narmak neighborhood as a shifting planned form, Imamzadeh Yahya as a stable organic form, and Chizar as a shifting organic form. Moreover, in order to measure social sustainability, the concept is divided into two dimensions of "social justice/social inclusion" and "social capital/social cohesion", and it was calculated using the following ten main indicators: place attachment, social mix/cultural unity, social interactions, security/trust, demographic stability/change, basic needs (housing, water, sewage, education and viability), wage distribution, access to local opportunities and facilities, health and safety, and decision making/participation. Using Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), it has been determined that the level of social sustainability of the shifting planned neighborhood is the highest one among those case studies. It should be noted that Pearson correlation test was performed to measure the dimensional reliability of factors, which consists of less than three indicators, and its correlation with the value of 0. 5 can be considered as "strong". The characteristics of the urban form of each neighborhood in four factors of density, land use, type of urban block and open spaces network, have been investigated using analytical tools such as Space syntax and ArcGIS. Finally, it has been analyzed how each of urban form factors affected these differences. According to the analyses, it can be said that in the planned neighborhoods, if the initial density and compactness will be low, the amount of change can increase the density over time to a level that ensures social sustainability. Of course, each factor of urban form has a threshold limit. That is, passing from a certain limit can reverse the relationship to social sustainability and be a disturbance factor for it.

Management of physical dimensions in residential neighborhood requires special attention to residents and their perceptions due to the impacts on quality of life. Some research has been done in this regard, with emphasis on cognitive, social and psychological aspects, and mostly focused on human-environment relationship. On the other hand, preparing positive theories and design guidelines for designers to provide optimal physical transformation requires consideration of both morphological processes as well as paying attention to residents’ point of view. Understanding residents’ narratives of magnitude of physical changes requires qualitative methods of analysis to verify compliance with objective facts. The main objective of this study was to understand the residents’ perception of magnitude of physical changes in order for establishing design guidelines for physical development management in residential neighborhoods. This exploratory study used mix-method research. Among the original methods of qualitative research, phenomenography was employed because of its focus on categorizing residents’ different perception of magnitude of physical changes during the past 20 years. To increase the validity of the findings, qualitative, intermediate and final stages of a complete cycle of evolution were selected. Totally, 14 old residents in two groups and four alleys were chosen for survey. Concepts and issues identified by them were classified using a coding. Morphological and quantitative studies also was performed. Then, based on adaptive research approaches, guidelines for designers, ranging from urban designers, landscape architects and architects were established for this purpose. The results reveals that morphological studies of how physical dimensions change including height, density, mass and space, and envelope change over time are intertwined with semantic and symbolic and biodiversity issues such as relevance to open spaces. During the course of physical changes, two issues are more important; first, changing the nature of the elements that had a particular identity in the past and the second, new things that have never been seen before. In terms of physical transformation, the most important principle is the size and elements of view and their dimensions. Land-related issues such as yard and the size of houses play a more important role, and socio-spatial identity becomes highly dependent on the body. The results also provide approaches to policymaking based on differences in resident quality assessment mechanisms and to improve lives at varying intensities. The criteria as a guide for designer can be summarized as follows. Greater physical and altitudinal coordination between buildings and shorter construction time cycles as a pleasant stimulus have become a prominent aspect of resident's time of adaptation. The presence of side walls overlooking the alley is an important factor in reinforcing the mentality suspension. Prolonging the construction period and transformation of the alley into a semi-complete construction workspace will become an effective factor in satisfaction of residents. Finally, it seems that preparation of a documentation for each alley, controlling the magnitude of physical changes in terms of number and type in neighborhoods like Niavaran is necessary. Because, in each period a type and a scale of physical traits as a local identity is established in the minds of residents, which requires maintenance and mentoring during gradual changes.

City is the mostcomplex human product, and the long-lived urbanization process has a vague future. In other words, the future of cities is facing challenges that require different tools for action because the complexity and multidimensionality of urban issues have grown far more in line with the increasing rate of urbanization and technological advances. The uncertainty of the situation, the likelihood of different futures, and the understanding that any wrongdoing can alter the fate and quality of countless people's lives have complicated decision-making in urban problems. In such circumstances, a detailed understanding, analysis, and awareness of challenges facing contemporary cities in the future will be useful in drawing rational and desirable urban perspectives. Meanwhile, as a literary and then cinematic genre resulting from the last two centuries of industrialization and the social and scientific revolutions, science-fiction is considered to be one of the few cultural and pervasive media outlets that regularly tends to the ideas about the future. Currently, science-fiction has increasingly gone beyond simple predictions of science and technology and has brought concerns about humanity, societies, governments, ecology, and their interactions. One of the most frequently-portrayed sci-fi subjects is the future of cities through narrating stories in the context of cities. Stories in which the city is not merely a background, but plays a crucial role. Science-fiction extrapolates the dimensions and aspects of the contemporary situation, the elements, and trends of the present, to find out what they end up with if their full potential is demonstrated. Science-fiction scenarios are based on today's facts and represent the future. Thus, studying and analyzing science-fiction works, followed by offering different scenarios for future cities, will caution both the public and experts about the serious consequences of today human activities. Consequently, such a heightened awareness of these different scenarios and possibilities prevents various trials and errors. The relationship between the modern city and cinema as two twin phenomena of the contemporary world has developed unique lessons for urban analysts and decision-makers, the reading of which requires adoption of efficient and explanatory methodologies. The present study has a futuristic nature and aims to develop an understanding of the subject from an interpretive and inductive perspectives by adopting a qualitative approach. This study seeks to elucidate the challenges facing future cities by utilizing science-fiction cinema experiences while applying a qualitative content analysis approach. To meet these challenges, a wide range of films (data) have been selected and studied in depth through non-random, purposeful and exploratory sampling at four stages from a series of futuristic science-fiction films. The collected data was coded and analyzed in the form of the proposition, category, and concept. The results indicate that the concepts of governance and urban governance, sustainability, spatial justice, environmental quality, informal settlement, digital media, and media architecture, augmented reality and virtual reality, smartness, structural elements of the city, culture, and urban brand will be the leading challenges ahead of future cities.

In the second half of the nineteenth century, the world celebrated the attainments of the industry by establishing universal expositions. From 1867, each nation had to display its culture and architecture by erecting a pavilion. The presence of Iran’ s pavilions in the universal expositions, especially in seven periods, from 1867 to 1913, brought new ideas about redefining architecture and reinterpreting architectural history. This event was synchronous with the vicissitude of political and social of the Qajar era in Iran. These pavilion structures reflect some crucial features to understand the historical contexts of Iranian Modern Architecture. This paper will discuss the influence of these pavilions on the genesis of Iranian Modern Architecture by addressing four issues: (1) Architecture and national identity: the form and the exterior faç ade of the pavilion structure had to reflect the Iranian identity, so the government tried to come up with an architecture that would show it well. Therefore, there was particular sensitivity in the relationship between architecture and national identity. Stressing on historical styles as a resource for demonstrating national identity found an important role. The issue that which style and historical works should be selected and exposed to visitors was a kind of a new challenge. The subject of national identity, after the defeat of Iran in the war with Russia, became more intense. During the Nasser al-din Shah reign and especially Mozaffar al-Din Shah and Mohammad Ali Shah eras (the time of these two kings coincided with the constitutional revaluation), the issue of national identity has been bound up with the materials of ancient Iran and has influenced the design of pavilions. (2) Architectural history: referring to the history and selecting the form and figure for designing pavilions was the other issue of the Qajar government. The attendance of French architects has helped this matter. This issue impacted Iranian architecture in small dimensions, but in an influential way. Howbeit, this subject was not so noticeable in the early pavilions, while it left its mark on the four Iranian pavilions from 1889 to 1913. This subject defined and framed a noteworthy and sensitive vision about historical periods of Iranian architecture. (3) Archaeology and ancient Iran: from Fath Ali Shah period, archeology has played a prominent role in Iran's relations with other states of Europe, especially France. Granting archeological excavation rights to foreign states (particularly Achaemenid and Sassanid territories) in Fars and Khuzestan, highlighted the glory of these eras and their palaces, and influenced not only the field of architecture but also the thought of the Qajar rulers. Using columns and arches of the pre-Islamic period, it has been able to find a steady place in the design of Iranian pavilions. (4) The discourse of Orientalism: the latter issue, which unfortunately has not been able to attract the attention of researchers in the analysis and scrutiny of modern Iranian architecture is Orientalism. Orientalism as a strong discourse in the second half of the nineteenth century had a great impact on political and social life and even the architecture of Iran. This issue is tractable in design of Iranian pavilions in the Qajar era.

Confronting functional decline of historical-local bazaars as the public settings, which have profound relationship with daily behavior patterns, requires an ecological approach and investigation of behavior-environment interfaces as well as different ways of built-environments utilization by people. This study aims to present a conceptual model for an interdisciplinary analysis of community-built environments through reviewing the synomorpy theory y Rager Barker and to apply it in analysis of local Tajrish Bazaar as a lively setting. This study has tried to answer these questions: How the principles of synomorphy theory can be applied for presenting a model in order for analyzing the performance of public settings? According to this model, how synomorphy of Tajrish local bazaar can be evaluated? To what extent behavioral affordances resulted from synomorphy of environmental structures satisfy the new behavioral patterns demanded by users in Tajrish Bazaar? Using qualitative approach, this research has been fulfilled through content analysis method in the first part as well as analytical-descriptive and ethnography methods in the second part. Moreover, this research has accomplished the direct and non-intrusive observation of 16 behavior patterns in Tajrish Bazaar by utilization of field study techniques (such as photographing, filming, keeping notes and mapping environmental behaviors) in four different periods of time. Furthermore, this ecological environment has been analyzed according to a pattern consisting of four fundamental structures and their three subset components. Subsequently, the influence of six environmental structures’ interfaces on the occurrence of various behaviors has been investigated though 26 propositions by applying deductive-inductive reasoning method. According to the results of this research, the interplay of social and milieu structures in Tajrish bazaar plays role in directing and framing environmental behaviors more obviously. On the other hand, innovative behavioral strategies which people have been applied in the utilization of environmental affordances, shows that the milieu structure does not create vigorous synomorphic interface with behavioral patterns and specially, can not provide necessary physical affordances for the occurrence of some stationary behaviors. As a result, providing physical opportunities for both individual and group stops of people, improving formal affordances of internal edges and partitions locating in the widened parts of Tajrish Bazaar’ main passage and also increasing facilities for sitting and standing in open spaces surrounding bazaar’ s main entrances is a solution for elimination of this problem. Accordingly, revealing the hierarchy and enhancing clarity and flexibility of relationship network between activities, milieu components and active users seems to be three significant themes in order for enhancement of synomorphic interplay between old milieu structures and new behavioral patterns. On the other hand, identifying the obstacles of milieu structure’ s adaptability with new behavioral patterns is considered as effective interventions in plans for revival of historical settings, especially local bazaars. In general, rethinking about public settings for hindering and predicting behavioral problems of existing and future built-environments is possible and essential. Therefore, codifying more accurate observational templates for evaluation of behavior-milieu relationships, adding other valuable informational layers into observation-centric studies of built environment and importing behavioral indicators into abstract patterns of spaces are considered as research implications in the field of environmental design.

Alphabet of interactive learning between tutors and learners in architecture and landscape architecture academic education is borrowed from visual language. A fundamental tool of this language is drawing that make the transition of concepts in the design studio possible. When representation bridge between mutual expectations of educators and learners, it performs exactly correctly with consideration of technical matters and reflecting on the inner emotions and creativity of learners. Representation is an emotional, metaphoric and transformative aspect of drawing. Design educators must deepen the creative entity of representation to help the learners in constructing personal conceptualization in the process of designing. In landscape architecture discipline, the language of visual presentation has two tasks at least; demonstration of visual and apparent displays of environment as well as representing thought and impressions of the landscape designer. Demonstrating the ephemeral aspects of the environment, as it is, through drawing is an important skill that must be obtained by novices. Description of natural beauties, representation of dynamic, ongoing and inconstant instinct of nature and delineation of biophysical and cultural features of the site, must be especially regarded in the landscape design studio as the first experience of students in the handling of large scale landscape projects. Also, representation has another task, which is to represent the instantaneous nature of transient qualities and kinesthesis experience in the perceptual realm. Paying attention to other senses (esp. listening, touching, etc. ) in addition to a sense of sight for expanding the content of landscape representation is a critical attitude, which could be regarded as an idea generator in representation. Here arises a question that instead of excessive emphasis on visual perception as a generator for landscape representation, how to suppose creative imagery clues to some extent based on other kinesthesis experiences such as aural perception? How critical listening capability can lead to an educational strategy for enhancing the language of representation in landscape design? Promoting novices’ skills in landscape design representation in studios in Iran relying on increasing the capability of aural perception is the goal of this research that is performed by grounded theory and data analysis methodology. At first, students’ perceived auditory experience was recorded in the test and control groups and then using field and intensive semi-structural interviews with them, their feedback on short time drawings was received. Also, the level of abstraction of the students’ drawings was investigated by Delphi method with a survey from three experts in landscape architecture. The results demonstrate obvious differences between the responses and drawings of two groups, and the test group was more capable of verbal description and visual, abstract, primitive representation of physical modes of sound because they were purposefully directed toward critical auditory perception. The result of the analysis indicates the success of this research in promoting the conceptual level of representation due to relying of the students on aural perception and developing the language of presentation of the landscape. In this way, aural perception can be used as a useful strategy for enriching the content of landscape representation.