نشریه نامه معماری و شهرسازی
سال پانزدهم شماره 36 (پاییز 1401)

The historic urban landscape is the urban area perceived as the result of a historical layering of cultural and natural values and attributes, extending beyond the notion of “historic centre” or “ensemble” to include the broader urban context and its geographical setting. Over the past century, historic urban landscapes have changed due to economic, societal, political and cultural circumstances. While it is not possible to prevent change, managing these changes is essential for conserving historical cities. Historical urban landscapes are constantly changing, due to the implementation of upstream projects, human activities, and climate change. The change management strategy is a part of the urban conservation process by analyzing changes and effects in detail and trying to neutralize the negative impact of change. This research aims to apply change management in the conservation of historical urban landscape of Qazvin which has been achieved by identifying features of historical districts, studying, evaluating and pathology of the changes. Qazvin, as one of the historical cities of Iran with a significant settlement history in its plains, has a historical fabric with inherent values. A combination of economic structure, historic residential neighborhoods, historic buildings and traditional gardens which together create a valuable collection of features of Qazvin's historic urban landscape. Although a significant number of Qazvin's historical monuments are on the National Monuments List, the city has not been spared from invasions and disproportionate urban occupations, and the scope of development intervention in the city has caused irreparable damage. Along with the change in lifestyles and the increase in urban population, the historical context of the city has been exposed to physical interventions ranging from destruction and widening of streets, street designs and disruption of spatial structure, to environmental degradation and its traditional gardens, which in some cases have led to the disappearance of important parts of the historical city. According to experts, the main reason for these extensive interventions in the historical urban landscape of Qazvin is the influence of the inappropriate management and planning for the city and its citizens. This applied development research is action-oriented. The changes in residential areas, green spaces, and streets have been specifically studied between 1956 and 2019, digitalized and compared using ArcGIS10. As the findings show, the number of residential units is increasing while the area per unit is decreasing. Also, the demolition of connected historical urban pathways and the increase in the number of dead-ends are both the result of implementation of urban development plans. With regard to urban green space, a dramatic decline and division can be clearly observed. Accordingly, it can be concluded that the main drivers of change in Qazvin's historical landscape include political, economic, cultural, technological and natural factors that indirectly cause changes in the city as well as factors such as population growth, and urban and infrastructure development. The lifestyle of city’s residents, industrialization, commercialization, wear and tear, and environmental changes have directly changed the historical fabric of Qazvin.

Climate change is one of the most significant environmental reactions that has affected the environment and  along with increasing population, industrial expansion, and urbanization, has led to an increase in urban metabolism and changes in weather patterns. Therefore, thermal comfort, which is a satisfying thermal condition from the surrounding man-made environment, is affected by the surrounding climatic conditions. Historically, the temperature and providing thermal comfort has been one of the most important priority needs of users. In this regard, environmental compatibility, rereading and reproducing concepts in accordance with the environment have been essential. The main objectives of this research in reducing the ambient temperature are to retrieve vernacular strategies and identify the techniques that encompass the natural, cultural, traditional, and social conditions prevailing in an area. The proportions of climatic elements in the façade -the exchange of internal and external boundaries has been one of the main elements in temperature response and balance- including all physical points and vector constituents that form a space with an arch that is closed on three sides, and opened to the courtyard from the front, have shown significant effects on lowering the temperature of their surroundings. In this regard, four porches with four geographical directions (north, south, east and west) in the three houses (with historical antiquity and influential climatic elements like: Sadr Jahromi , Forough–al-Molk and Mohandesi) of Shiraz's historical fabric were selected. In this research, quantitative approaches such as field study and collection of climate data and physical components were used along with computational simulation. The field data and experimental results obtained by devices (portable instruments in the selected buildings) such as thermo-hygrometer to record maximum and minimum ambient temperature and humidity and thermo-pyrometer to measure surface temperature on the targeted points, such as yards and porches were analyzed and validated by Envi-met (climate analysis simulator) software. Lastly, PET thermal comfort index, physiological equivalent temperature and index for determining the comfort temperature in open and semi-open spaces, were calculated using Bio-met software (the impact of all climatic factors can be evaluated by the results of this index). The research results showed that according to the difference between the average PET index of porches and yards, the porch modifier had a greater effect on this index than the yard. Therefore, variables such as the width of the porch, the area of the spatial opening in the facade, and the height of the courtyard have significant impacts according to the geographical direction. By increasing the width of the openings and the height from the surface of the yard, followed by preventing temperature reflections, including long wave infrared radiation emitted based on heat received from surrounding materials and reducing the reception of these rays and their re-emission, the temperature of the PET index decreased, and the PET temperature was in a more appropriate range in terms of thermal perception and degree of physiological pressure. Also, better temperature condition and reduced thermal stress condition were experienced in the porches.

With the emergence of extroversion and new construction techniques and styles such as apartments, villas and residential complexes during the contemporary era, housing architecture in Iran did not materialize properly as in the past. Thus, it no longer thoroughly reflected the identity and cultural background of society and it gradually suffered from an identity crisis. In this regard, several identity trends (from first Pahlavi period) started in the contemporary era and architects with different points of view referred to Iran historical architecture and tried to revive its identity through various adaptations. Some of these references were made with formalist approaches, whereas shape and form are always one of the prominent aspects of architecture. In order to specify and explain all types of form-oriented approaches in reference to Iranian architecture, a number of contemporary residential buildings that have been designed and implemented with identity concerns were selected in this research. The evaluation of the buildings was conducted through observation, literature review, and using the theories of its architects and critics, in a descriptive-analytical manner and from a formalistic perspective. Thus, the types of formalist approaches that appeared in the body of works to identify the Iranian architectural features of the building were extracted and explained. Explaining the various aspects and features of the formalist approaches taken from real examples, shows the physical manifestation of architects' identity-seeking thoughts, provides the opportunity to compare the different actions of architects in giving identity to housing from a formalist perspective, and provides the possibility of improving the weaknesses and enhancing the strengths. This is an important step in evaluating the identity of housing in contemporary architecture of Iran and is a necessity that can lead to the continuation of Iranian architecture. Various types of form-oriented approaches that have been used in the contemporary residential buildings in order to revive the architectural identity of Iran, can be divided into several groups, including the use of "spatial patterns", "space organizing ideas", "physical elements and components”, “indigenous materials", "common geometric order and shapes and patterns" and "conventional colors" in Iranian architecture. By examining and analyzing these subsets two different approaches in formalistic references to historic architecture were identified namely, "subjectivist" and "objectivist". It also revealed the extent to which each of the subjectivist and objectivist viewpoints was able to revive Iranian architectural identity in contemporary housing, and explained the ability of each approach to make connections with people to represent different manifestations of Iranian architecture. It pointed out that if the revival of Iranian architectural identity in the contemporary era is attended by referring to the formative aspects of historic architecture, it requires a thoughtful interaction between objectivism and subjectivism in the formative approaches, to meet the emerging needs and lifestyles of people. In addition to its appearance, the main application of historic architectural forms should also be considered.

“Urban green spaces” which include urban and peri-urban parks are a part of “urban public spaces” and also an element of what is called "social space". This space plays an important role in enhancing the quality of life in urban areas. Public urban parks have the capability to strengthen the social, cultural, environmental and health aspects of life and provide a variety of benefits for the people living and working in cities, such as providing opportunities for various leisure-cultural-social and physical activities that would reduce the tensions of urban life and improve the people’s physical and mental health. These benefits and opportunities become even more important during crises, either natural or man-made. Pandemics can be considered an urban planning problem, as they not only affect "urban life" and the behaviour of people living and working in urban areas, but can also affect urban policy-making processes and generate changes in urban guidance and control systems and mechanisms. Experiences such as social distancing, lockdowns, various modes of limited and compulsory quarantines and self-quarantines in some countries, have presented social lessons to be learned by both people and policymakers. From the beginning and during the Covid-19 pandemic crisis that started in late 2019 and early 2020, urban and peri-urban parks and public green spaces, not only provided opportunities for physical activities, but were also a useful source of urban resilience in cities worldwide. The pandemic crisis and the regulations to mitigate it seems to have extended the use of public green spaces and parks. Considering the importance of tackling such crises and their impact on the theory and practice of urban planning and management, the purpose of this paper is to examine the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic crisis on the use of public green spaces and parks by Tehran residents. To investigate these impacts, a web-based (online) survey was conducted amongst the residents of Tehran. The necessary data were collected, processed and then analysed with SPSS software using descriptive statistics. Findings of the survey indicate a decrease in the respondents’ motivation and use of urban green spaces and parks during the pandemic. The correlation between variables such as “people's use of green spaces and parks” and “social and economic characteristics of the users” was not confirmed. However, there was an increased tendency to use local parks (compared to city-wide urban public parks and other green spaces at urban and peri-urban levels) during the pandemic due to their accessibility. This paper supports the notion that in order to conserve and enhance the positive effects of urban parks and other urban green spaces, in general and during a crisis, besides appropriate planning support systems, an efficient planning process and culture are necessary to address the needs of users of these spaces.

At the beginning of the 21st century, which is known as the era of "Information and Communication Technology", we are witnessing the emergence of new attitudes towards the city. The e-city or digital city is an example of an emerging concept that reflects advances in information technology on the urban environment and the lives of citizens. Although information and digital technologies are gradually entering the urban system, the outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic in late 2019 has significantly highlighted the need to develop digital (not in person) services in cities. Apart from the advantages and disadvantages that can be enumerated for digital city, this article discusses the position of the digital city and its related components in the face of infectious and epidemic diseases. The aim of this research is to identify the capacities and bottlenecks of the digital city with regards to infectious diseases. As a result, attention to this issue will play a more prominent role in the decisions and policies of the country. The present study has used an interpretive analytical method based on documentary studies and field survey. The target population includes all Iranian citizens who have at least a basic knowledge of the internet and cyberspace. The validity of the questions was checked by receiving the opinion of experts (15 people) and the reliability was confirmed according to the Cronbach's alpha test for 25 experimental questionnaires (0.852). Since in the exploratory factor analysis model, the sample size should be at least three to four times the number of variables, the sample size of 160 people (approximately 6 times the number of variables) was considered. Due to the nature of the questions in the questionnaire, which are mainly related to the services provided on the internet, the samples were selected from people who had experience using the internet, especially during the Covid-19 epidemic. Then, the data obtained from the questionnaires were entered into SPSS software and evaluated by exploratory factor analysis model. According to the findings, the digital city can play a key role in managing the Covid-19 epidemic through the factors of "digital infrastructure services", "internet financial exchanges", "internet amenities", "non-attendance medical services", "electronic administrative services", "virtual education services" and "electronic transportation services".  The findings also show that the status of services related to the digital city during the Covid-19 epidemic in Iran has generally been associated with moderate public satisfaction. More detailed results also indicate that despite the relative availability of digital city infrastructure in Iran, policymakers in this area have not been very successful in the use of infrastructure and actualization of capacity, especially in the two factors of "digital infrastructure services" and "non-attendance medical services". Therefore, strategies in this regard have been proposed at the end of this article.

Following the significant growth of urban designers’ research during the last 30 years in Iran and the growth of the range of issues in Iranian cities, the question is to what extent have urban designers addressed the issues of Iranian cities in their articles, dissertations, books, meetings, and conferences? By doing so, the future direction of research can be mapped to solve the problems of Iranian cities. For this purpose, the study identified Tehran's urban problems based on grounded theory and in-depth interviews with three groups of experts from urban management organizations, consulting firms, and universities. The result could be categorized in cultural, social, and environmental qualities as the substantial dimension of urban design and urban design education, and documents, laws, plans, and projects as dimensions of urban design procedures, and urban management and urban economics as interfering factors. After identifying the main categories of Tehran's urban issues and calculating the frequency of concepts in each of them by the participants, it was identified that about 22% of the frequency of Tehran's urban issues is in the field of urban management. Also, urban design education, urban system, urban documents, and laws have the largest share of Tehran’s urban problems, respectively. Among the issues related to the quality of the city, social quality and environment have been the most important, and cultural quality has been the least important. In addition, by examining the subcategories, it can be seen that the most highlighted issues by the interviewees are related to organizational structure of urban management, financial resources in urban economics, curriculum and stakeholder communication in urban design education, issues of urban projects in the category of documents, laws, plans, and projects, challenges of mobility and access in the urban system, environmental cleanliness in environmental qualities, urban justice in social qualities, and urban identity as one of the cultural qualities in Tehran. Then, by comparing them with the thematic frequency of articles, dissertations, and books published by urban designers, it was found that among the qualitative dimensions of the city, while most of the issues are related to the quality of the environment, it has a very insignificant place in the volume of urban designers’ research. Social qualities such as urban justice, social capital, and public law have been considered in the studies of urban designers. Although mobility, access, and traffic are the main issues of urban systems in Tehran, less attention is paid to them in research compared to other urban systems. The importance of other urban systems, especially the form of the city, has a significant place in the studies. Generally, it can be stated that the number of research by urban designers in the dimension of urban design procedures is very small. In terms of the substantial dimension, while the studies related to the urban system are justifiable, the qualities of the city, especially the quality of the environment, should be given more attention in the research.