Soffeh
Year:2004 | Volume:14 | Issue:38|Papers Count:7

The policy of developing new satellite towns close to metropolises, so as to manage population overflows of the metropolitan area has been implemented for major cities of Iran. This study reviews the success of this policy for the city of Mashhad and its satellite new town of Golbahar. Far from planner's projections, the low population growth rate of Golbahar requires a serious review of urban planning and management policies of both the metropolitan city and the new town.      

The expansion of cities in and around the peripheral agricultural land has caused land contamination within urban areas leading to an inefficient city form. Nevertheless, failure to control the process by means of various economic, planning, and ecological restrictions would eventually result in destruction, waste of resources, and an inefficient use of urban space. Drawing on a historical analysis of urban planning and design, the author examines a planned strategy to solve the problem.      

Of the many theories developed in urban planning only a few have proven to be practically applicable. One of the few applicable theories-the Systems Theory-has unfortunately been neglected by both the academy and practitioners of urban design in Iran. The theory has still much potential even after six decades since it was first introduced. This article starts with definitions of key terms such as urban systems, homogeneous systems, etc. and the application of the theory in this discipline.      

The rapid concentrated growth of metropolises such as Tehran has caused numerous environmental and socio-economic problems such as the wide gap between the capital city of Tehran and small and medium-sized cities of the country. In the past two decades a significant number of studies have focused on development solutions for these cities. This article examines the potential of small population centers around Tehran for absorbing the population overflow and provision of employment opportunities.      

This is a semiological study of sacred form, its raison d' être and its ontological relationship to time and space. The analogy of architectural and musical proportions is used as a basis for architectural creation. The study concludes with a description of different proportion systems which lead to a new approach to the study of Islamic architecture.      

Usually neglected in the Modem thinking and subject to much controversy and misinterpretation, Tradition is frequently understood in the limited context of menial human affairs. It however deserves a deeper review in the context of spiritual and supernatural which better explains its role in aesthetics, art and architecture.      

The evolution of students' schemata in their course of architectural training can be used as a measure of quality of instruction delivered by both the tutor and eventually the school. The article briefly reviews methods for studying the development of schema in students in the process of architectural design education.