The importance of small urban parks (SUP) in mega cities has been accepted as an essential component of urban lung and restorative settings. As urban population in the world increases and the cost of maintaining large parks escalates, urban authorities are shifting their attention to creating and maintaining smaller urban parks. However, SUP may present a different ambience due to their location, size and visual appearence. In this regard, visual preference which is associated with spatial configuration and content of space, plays a vital role. This research examined 394 respondents’ visual preferences related to 16 SUP located in the city of Tabriz, Iran. It employed a quantitative photo survey method, based on Kaplan and Kaplan's information-processing and Appleton’ s prospect-refuge theories as preselected variables by expert panels. Results indicated that mystery, as an indicator of having winding shapes of paths and expansive body of trees, was the most preferred spatial configuration of space, followed by coherence, refuge and complexity. Legibility and prospect as indicators of wide perspective and sky lines with clear focal points were the least preferred constructs. The results provide information on preferred visual configurations for SUP that may assist urban designers and landscape architects to improve their design of these specific green areas for the public.

Introduction The beginning of cultivating of many human abilities is in childhood; so is the beginning of developing the power of creativity and innovation is period. Studies on the behavior of children indicate that open spaces and gardens can play a significant role in the health and development of children. However, the architectural designs are unique and vague, and the truth is that our children's learning spaces are more likely to undermine their creativity. This study aims to review the necessity of nature in promoting the creativity of the child and the characteristics of these environments that enhance the creativity and innovation of children. The aim of this research is to identify the visual preferences of children in order to boost their creativity using card sorting technique and to review the necessity of nature in promoting the creativity of the child and the characteristics of these environments that promote the creativity and innovation of children. The main objective of this study is to find ways to improve the creativity and innovation of children through the accommodation of educational spaces with nature and the use of environmental features in the design. Method To fulfill the study’ s aim, a qualitative content analysis method was utilized and the Optima Sort software was used to assess and analyze the information. The statistical research population of this study were children aged 4 to 10 who were picked using the purposeful non-random sampling method based on the researches carried out by Tullis and Wood (2004). A total of 30 children were finally selected as the participants of the research. The tools for research were interview and an open card sorting technique. Results The results of the study demonstrate that natural environments – due to their structural characteristics which help create a sense of curiosity and a will to discover, interaction and flexibility, coherency whilst being complex and mysterious allot which affect a child’ s mind – may provide a suitable base on the way of boosting creativity and promoting the various aspects (cognitive, emotional and motion) of a child’ s learning. Also, numerous and qualitative assessments suggest that by accommodating learning spaces with nature and utilizing environmental characteristics, we can improve and boost children’ s creativity and innovation levels. By using these characteristics, various suggestions and solutions may be introduced as design examples for building spaces in way of promoting children’ s creativity. Discussion Since designing the environments and spaces for developing and flourishing of the children's talents is a new subject, it has received no attention in the design of the environments and spaces built for children in Iran. Therefore, it is suggested that effective solutions be sought regarding the educational spaces designs. It is hoped that the solutions proposed in the present paper maybe heeded by the authorities concerned.

Small Urban Parks (SUP) are vital parts of cities that can enhance the quality of the public environment. Visual Preferences (VP) in SUPs, which consist of diverse stimuli, are affected by multisensory perception, including the combination of auditory, olfactory, and tactile stimuli. However, the relationship between sensory stimuli integration (sound, smell, touch) and people’s VP has been neglected during the design process, which can influence the assessment of an environmental aesthetic and preferences. The main objective of the present study is to evaluate how multisensory can affect the VP of visitors through textual and photo questionnaires. Structural Equations Model and Regression were studied on 394 participants, chosen from 16 SUPs located in different parts of Tabriz, Iran. Results identified the “Human and Natural sounds, Human-Body and Natural smells” as influential factors on visitors’ VP; however, touch stimuli had no significant impact. In this regard, paying attention to the visitors’ experience of Natural Sound-Smell Stimuli and the Human-body Sound-Smell Stimuli are essential in designing SUPs. The outcomes of the current research provide a guideline for city planners and landscape designers regarding the relationship between senses and their practical implications in SUPs in order to promote people’s VP and visitation.

One of the most important issues that have absorbed the public opinion and expert community during the recent years, is the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the housing. There are several challenges related to this topic that includes the contexts of the construction, manufacturing, planning to social aspects, cultural, physical and architectural design. The thing that has a significant importance in this topic, is the relationship between architects and the people. The role of their perception and mental images in making the decision is related to the architectural design of the housing. To Investigate the similarities and differences between what the viewpoints of architects and the people, is the main object of the research, that dedicatedly has been done on the facades by using multidimensional scaling analysis (MDS).The research implementation method is based on qualitative analysis of data from visual preferences from the viewpoint of architects and the people. The Statistical population includes 420 of people with a random sampling in the three areas in the central texture of Tehran and with 130 people of the architects that have been academic education and as well as work`s professional experience more than five years.The results indicated that subjective and visual perceptions of people and architects have considerable correspondence and distinctions with each other, which is recognizable.

Background and Purpose Nowadays, the use of urban parks due to the increasing population, apartment lifestyle and the distance of the physical space of cities from natural environments, has received more attention than before. Urban parks, as part of the natural infrastructure and effective components in the appearance of the city, are the place of connection between urban man and nature, and without a doubt, the landscape can be considered as one of the influential components in their attractiveness, identity and sustainability. Studying the evaluation of popular preferences for the visual quality of the landscape can play a vital role in identifying the existing landscapes with different visual value in order to protect and organize the situation in urban parks. This study tries to visually evaluate the landscape of Sayad Shirazi Birjand city park based on the approach of popular preferences. Methods and Materials Therefore, based on the uses and similarity of the spaces and activities, the entire site was classified into two recreational and service-welfare zones. Then, 8 photos from each area (a total of 16 photos) are selected based on visual indicators such as complexity, continuity, imagery and chaos that describe the visual characteristics of landscape and theories of landscape preferences and experience. To determine the criteria that users consider in the assessment of beauty or ugliness of visual quality of the landscape, a questionnaire and interview (from 100 users as a sample calculated based on the Cochrane model) are used, the Q-Sort technique has been used. Results The findings of the study show that the recreational zone with an average score of 0. 601 is considered as the optimal area (with the most desirable scenery) and the service-welfare area with an average score of 2. 248 as an undesirable area (with the least favorable scenery) in terms of visual quality users were selected. Discussion and Conclusion From the users point of view, the lack of green space and also the lack of coordination between the existing planting design patterns with the natural structure of the site in the service-welfare area, plays an important role in reducing the visual quality of the landscape of this area.

Among senses that humans interact with their surrounding is the sense of sight that has the greatest role in enjoying natural environment. The natural environment has a condition that gives calm to the eye of each viewer. For satisfaction of citizens, it is necessary that urban managers consider visual elements in the design of parks. Zahedan as an emerging metropolitan in the South East area, has numerous parks, Mellat Park of Zahedan that is situated on the road of Zahedan to Khash can have a function in the region. However, this park suffered from serious damage in the terms of aesthetic. This study for determining these damages examined two hypotheses: 1. visitors of Zahedan Mellat Park regarding public preferences, preferred area of designed spaces to other areas. 2. Different age groups in the Mellat Park have different evaluations for visual landscape.This paper is based on public preferences using a classification model quality (Q-Sort) visual assessment of the present situation in the parks based on the tastes of the citizens. According to this model, with regard to the types of landscape existing park space is divided into different area: 1- Area of designed spaces, 2- Area of games and 3- Area of with natural covering. The 495 photos were taken at two different times of the area and with regard to the objectives of the study and a total of 24 images for each area were elected. The images, according to the preferences, were ranked in five categories (very nice picture, nice, ordinary, ugly and too ugly).The results show preferences respectively from the most to the least important priorities: area designed spaces 40%, natural area cover 38% and of the area games 22% with the preferences of visitors.

The recognition and evaluation of the visual features and components in the perception process is a way for the aesthetic evaluation of a phenomenon. When facing an architectural building, its faç ade has the first impact on the observer's aesthetic experience process. Various physical components and visual qualities play a role in creating the architectural faç ade. Extraction of the visual preferences in the architectural faç ades and investigation of the forming components and elements of these preferences can lead to developing the criteria in the aesthetic evaluation. Consequently, studying these visual components in the architectural faç ades and investigating their aesthetic preferences are of significant importance. The current study aims to evaluate the observer’ s aesthetic preferences of visual qualities and components that forming the external faç ades of the residential buildings. The theoretical concepts and approaches were presented to reach the research purpose in the theory section of the research using a descriptive-analytical method. By studying the research background and explaining the considered research concepts in this part, a structure of the studies and evaluations on the visual components was introduced, and the theoretical framework was presented. In the practical section, using the preference tests, the relationship between the visual components and aesthetic preferences of the faç ades of twelve historical houses of Tabriz was measured using 320 respondents. Also, the preference scores of the respondents were analyzed by a descriptive-inferential method using SPSS software. The research results showed that two visual components of the diversity of the structure of the architectural elements and the forming levels of the architectural faç ades, as well as complexity (visual richness) and using the curved lines, have more impact than other visual qualities and components of the architectural faç ades. Considering and investigating the visual components, including the structure of the architectural elements and different levels of the faç ade can be used as criteria in the aesthetic evaluations and analysis of the faç ade of the residential buildings. These criteria can also be applied in architectural designs of the buildings’ faç ade.

Introduction: Due to increase of urbanization and population growth, which cause noticeable changes in the ecological structure of cities, creation of green spaces such as urban forest parks is essential as modulators of urban environment. Urban forest parks are natural or manmade parks that are located within or adjacent to cities and play an important role in ensuring stability of biodiversity. These parks can also provide environmental, conservational and educational functions as well as being used for leisure times. In the recent years, physical development of urban areas of Zahedan and the vital need of citizens for recreational spaces caused this forest park to be a popular and suitable place for leisure time. In this research, Zahedan Mellat forest park was selected top rovide reasonable suggestions and strategies by using quality sort method and visual evaluation approach.