An Introduction to "City Development Strategy" (CDS) Approach in Urban Planning Process With an Emphasis on the Master Plan's Challenges in Iran

In recent decades have been formed new schools and paradigms in the area of urban literature, some of which affected deeply the environment and urban spaces. The City Development Strategy (CDS) can be regarded as one of the most imperative of all. The introduction of CDS stems up from the official formation of City Alliance organization in 1999. However, its official documentaries were published in 2004 in a collaborative effort with "World Bank" and "Human Settlement Center" linking to the HABITAT of UN. This approach has been a focus of attention in Iran during the recent years. There has not only been more attention on CDS approach as one of the newest and most efficient urban paradigms, but on the other hand, many managers, policy makers and urban planners in various countries try to expand this idea questioning how and which mechanisms to use in order to make the CDS successful in spatial ordering of the cities, making positive changes in daily life of the citizens, and finally the reducing poverty. As the spatio-social forms of the current cities are the results of industrial revolution, therefore, they contain characteristics that require physical-social order, and also spatial pattern. In the meantime, the cities in developing world, including Iran challenge more difficult conditions, because the main approach in management and urban planning of Iran relies on Master Plan, derived from traditional planning (classic view) and emphasizing on development, patterns, and physical ordering of the cities, and through which the social dimensions of the city are thrown to the sidelines of urban planning. The preparation and implementation of city comprehensive plans in Iran's urban planning system aims at making the milieu for balanced and harmonic physical growth of the city. However, it practically spends high rates of cost and energy, and mainly does not result in efficient consequences, nor the goals are met. Of the reasons of the creation such trend is the lack of noticing and applying new methods and approaches adjustable to the city conditions in the realm of urban planning, the structural and strategic development of the cities are amongst them. The present article attempts to pay attention to the applications, roles, and the place of CDS in urban context and the process of compiling a Master Plan in Iran along with the review and analysis of urban policies in the country.