Promoting Public Participation Through Public Spaces of The Creative City* (Case Study: City of Yazd)

Citizen participation in various aspects of urban affairs is a key component of urban management to create sustainable city. Public space has a great role in increasing social interaction, reflecting citizens’ creativity, promoting sense of interest, and creating sense of participation among different social groups. Creative city is concept that provides a new way for city application of creative factors to generate opportunities for urban prosperity. Thisapproach canbe a toolfortourism growth through public space development and Emphasizing theimportance of culture as an urban development factor. In this process, the important point is to increase the attractiveness and competitiveness of public space for cultural events and more use of public spaces. The key point is promoting constructive interaction among people in public spaces by cultural events. The purpose of this paper is to promote the opportunity of citizen’s participation through introducing new forms of public space which is in line with characteristics of creative city. The characteristics and criteria of creative city were conceptualized based on the literature review and experiences. This formed a structure to detect the status of public space in the city of Yazd regarding the concept of creative city. Yazd is ancient city with dualtexture (old and new) that its public spaces was not consider by cities authority. Although its Physical quality is deteriorating, its spatial structure consider hierarchical pattern in the line with good city form theory. The urban development plans pay more attention to the new development area and ignore the old neighborhoods. While public spaces in the old part of the city contained the potential to promote participation. But they were given less attention by cities authorities and urban development. The study shows that the public spaces contain hierarchical in the old town. On the contrary, there is no hierarchical in the new development area and they only contained semipublic and public space zone. Thisstudy shows thatcan be used toincreaseparticipation in city spaces, but they require some physical changes and reorganization. New and old Public spaces such as midancheh in center of old neighborhood ,bazaar and , other tradition trade spaces, Public spaces of Offices, educational spaces, Mosquesandother Religious and historicalspace, Streets, alleysanddead ends, Leisurespaces, terminals, and nods. Yazdpublic space planning can bedividedin several categories: Multi-purposepublic spaceslike bus station, open space of old neighborhoods, new open spaces, streets and shopping centers. In the meantime,most of this spaces especiallyurban exciting spaces are meanly neglected. The creative city emphasis on the public spaces in line white participatory approach and its capability to adapt white interest of the creative class and the people. The difference-value analysis and resulting uniform standards, including the hierarchy of public spaces, multifunctional and responsive spaces, activities close to each other, exciting atmosphere, and corporate culture show that the city of Yazd contained the potential of a creative city in Iran. Each of these points can motivate the presence and participation of people in the decision-making, implementation and management of the city.