Evaluating the Role of Physical and Functional Factors in the Socialization of Traditional Iranian Markets Using Space Syntax Technique (Case Study: Tabriz Bazaar)

Sociability is one of the crucial concepts in multifunctional urban spaces to establish appropriate social relations among people. One of the basic human needs is to communicate with others. Meeting social needs of a person and the occurrence of social relationships requires a defined place and space which can establish a set of social and cultural relationships among different groups of people in a particular place. It is essential to pay attention to the social dimension of space in buildings and to find the link between spatial qualities and social concepts, including socialization, in the success of these spaces. Bazaars have been among the community spaces with high social cohesion potential in urban society, so that the life of city and Bazaar have always been interconnected, and in many cases, cities gain meaning and notion by Bazaars. Today, due to the change in the structure of urban space and patterns of people’s lives, the impact of people’s lives and the lack of proper adaptation to the traditional physical environment, Bazaar is at the risk of becoming a museum-Bazaar place, paying no attention to the physical and functional aspects.

The purpose of this study is to measure the level of socialization in the market, recognizing its social context and factors affecting its social quality, by analyzing the structure, coherence, market cohesion and prioritizing physical-functional aspects. Attention to the social quality of Bazaar and the restoration of social life in it requires the recognition of its social context and effective factors.

The research method in this article is descriptive-analytical and uses UCL Depth Map software and Space Syntax’s Technique in order to measure the degree of Bazar socialization, understanding its social context and factors affecting the social quality of the Bazar, by analyzing structure, integration, Bazar solidarity, and prioritizing physical-functional aspects.

The results show that the spatial values ​​of Space Syntax in different parts are fundamentally different so that the structure and social cohesion of Bazaar have significantly been reduced and the measure of the interconnectedness of the newly constructed streets has increased. As a result, the necessity of paying attention to the changes and consequences of urban development is evident from the physical and functional aspects to enhance the Bazaar’s social characteristics.