Priority Assessment Application of Non-Euclidean Theory from John Freidman Criteria in Urban Planning Process in Iran

The issue of city planning has been known as the most challenging field and activitis for policymakers and city officials due to the citie's numerous constanly changing problems and complecities in the era of globalization. Therefore, having a dynamic, collaborative and felixible approaches can envisage an efficient planning and management for the cities. Considering the fact that city planning system in our country follows centralized, comprehensive and "up-down" procedures, it is essential to have a collaborative, flexible and "bottom-up" approach in order to encounter the urban problems and complexities in a continuous, efficient and process-based manner. Accordingly, based on the specified criteria of John Friedman's non-Euclidean planning theory and its theoretical framework, which is known as collaborative and decentralized approach in urban planning process, it can be useful to apply it in urban planning of our country. Consequently, the present study is an attempt to evaluate and analyze the metric priorities of John Friedman's non-Euclidean approach in the process of urban planning in Iran.
This "descriptive - analytical" study was conducted to evaluate the priorities of applying the criteria of John Friedman's non-Euclidean planning theory in Iran's urban planning. To collect descriptive information, library-based documents and studies were used; and a survey including the views of 30 experts in the field of urban planning was administred to collect analytical data . Then, FDAHP model was used to analyze the data. In this study, to evaluate Freidman's non-Euclidean planning theory 5 criteria and 21 sub-criteria were used.
The 5 criteria in John Friedman's non-Euclidean planning, normative approach, innovative approach, political approach, interaction oriented approach and social learning-based approach, in conjunction with 21 sub criteria as well as using expert's views in the first stage showed that interaction oriented approach, obtaining 0. 4452 final non fuzzy weight, had the highest priority among the mentioned criteria for applying the urban planning system and infrastructure in Iran. The evaluation of the sub-criteria also indicated the following priority of sub criteria of interaction oriented approach. That is the process which refers to participating, creating correlation and overcoming the the domination and centralization in decision-making and decision-taking process.
Today, cities are the most significant places for illustrating the mankind's civilization and progress which implies major transformations and a variety of positive and negative changes in its environment and even beyond it. Regarding these issues, the complexity and dynamics of urban issues along with the progress made in these places, it is obvious and necessary to have a dynamic and flexible city planning against specific issues in the cities. Due to the problems and shortcomings of urban planning process in Iran, We tried to apply the priority criteria for the assessment of John Friedmann's non-Euclidean planning for being implemented in urban planning in Iran. To do so, the views of 30 experts were surveyed, and by using of FAHP model, the result showed that interaction oriented criteria approach is more prioritiezed to to be implemented in urban planning and infrastructure conditions in Iran. This issued was even confirmed by the sub criteria which can be very useful in participatory process of urban planning.