Participatory Development of Farahzad as a Tourism Destination and Recreational Neighborhood of Tehran: Context and Obstacles

This article explores the participatory development potentials of Farahazad as a major recreational neighborhood and tourist destination of Tehran. It first describes settlement patterns/built environment, social characteristics, and the recent expansion of tourism-related businesses in Farahzad and identifies key stakeholders in the neighborhood. It then examines the context for and obstacles to developing tourism- and recreational-related activities in Farahzad by focusing on operational-structural and socio-cultural factors. Specifically, it analyzes all the existing public-sector plans prepared for Farahzad as well as the views of stakeholders expressed in a set of interviews conducted by the authors in the neighborhood. Results from interviews with public-sector officials and field observations augment the analysis. Findings indicate that public-sector plans prepared for Farahzad, which stress the residential-recreational characteristics of the neighborhood, have given little attention to social aspects of development, including community participation. Furthermore, low levels of awareness among residents about their assets and opportunities as well as underdeveloped sense of community, lack of coordination among various public-sector goals and initiatives, and problems of land tenure faced by many households have reduced the possibilities of community participation in the development of tourism and recreational activities.