Defining Features of a Good Public Realm

Since ancient times, all schools of thought and different people and societies have introduced characteristics of the best living place (environment or space) for humans. These were introduced by philosophers and thinkers in different societies. In the contemporary era, because of the physical expansion of cities as a result of the development of transportation systems in addition to the growth of tourism, city environments and especially their public domains demand specific characteristics. The main goal of this research is to introduce and explain “features of the best urban public realm.” Analytical reasoning is the main research method used to answer this question. The main characteristics of the good public realm are derived from that part of human needs which is present in public spaces. These human needs can be categorized into three groups, namely spiritual, mental, and physiological. These are corresponding to the three dimensions of human life, those which are mentioned by different religions and schools of thought. Since this research is done in Iran, these human dimensions inevitably derive from Islamic beliefs.