Human scale in Naghshe-Jahan square

Human scale is one of the most important features of urban space which has an important role in creating a favorable relationship between human and space. This feature makes space more human friendly and easier to perceive. In many resources, historic towns and urban fabrics remaining from the past are perfect examples of representing and understanding the quality of human scale. Therefore this paper has analyzed Naqhshe Jahan Square in Isfahan as a specific example of historic urban spaces, from this point of view. Many resources of architecture and urban design emphasize on the good proportion between human and space in the creation of human scale. But human scale as an urban quality is obvious in Naghshe Jahan square in spite of its functional nature and its vast surface initially seems not supporting this feature. Accordingly, this article has examined what factors make this square user friendly despite its huge dimensions. In this study the analytical-descriptive approach to this issue has been handled. The results has shown that in this square, with emphasis on the perceptual aspects of space, rather than its real size and components, the quality of human scale has been strengthened.