Review of Synomorphy Theory in Architecture of Persian Local BazaarCase Study: Tajrish Bazaar, Tehran

Confronting functional decline of historical-local bazaars as the public settings, which have profound relationship with daily behavior patterns, requires an ecological approach and investigation of behavior-environment interfaces as well as different ways of built-environments utilization by people. This study aims to present a conceptual model for an interdisciplinary analysis of community-built environments through reviewing the synomorpy theory y Rager Barker and to apply it in analysis of local Tajrish Bazaar as a lively setting. This study has tried to answer these questions: How the principles of synomorphy theory can be applied for presenting a model in order for analyzing the performance of public settings? According to this model, how synomorphy of Tajrish local bazaar can be evaluated? To what extent behavioral affordances resulted from synomorphy of environmental structures satisfy the new behavioral patterns demanded by users in Tajrish Bazaar? Using qualitative approach, this research has been fulfilled through content analysis method in the first part as well as analytical-descriptive and ethnography methods in the second part. Moreover, this research has accomplished the direct and non-intrusive observation of 16 behavior patterns in Tajrish Bazaar by utilization of field study techniques (such as photographing, filming, keeping notes and mapping environmental behaviors) in four different periods of time. Furthermore, this ecological environment has been analyzed according to a pattern consisting of four fundamental structures and their three subset components. Subsequently, the influence of six environmental structures’ interfaces on the occurrence of various behaviors has been investigated though 26 propositions by applying deductive-inductive reasoning method. According to the results of this research, the interplay of social and milieu structures in Tajrish bazaar plays role in directing and framing environmental behaviors more obviously. On the other hand, innovative behavioral strategies which people have been applied in the utilization of environmental affordances, shows that the milieu structure does not create vigorous synomorphic interface with behavioral patterns and specially, can not provide necessary physical affordances for the occurrence of some stationary behaviors. As a result, providing physical opportunities for both individual and group stops of people, improving formal affordances of internal edges and partitions locating in the widened parts of Tajrish Bazaar’ main passage and also increasing facilities for sitting and standing in open spaces surrounding bazaar’s main entrances is a solution for elimination of this problem. Accordingly, revealing the hierarchy and enhancing clarity and flexibility of relationship network between activities, milieu components and active users seems to be three significant themes in order for enhancement of synomorphic interplay between old milieu structures and new behavioral patterns. On the other hand, identifying the obstacles of milieu structure’s adaptability with new behavioral patterns is considered as effective interventions in plans for revival of historical settings, especially local bazaars. In general, rethinking about public settings for hindering and predicting behavioral problems of existing and future built-environments is possible and essential. Therefore, codifying more accurate observational templates for evaluation of behavior-milieu relationships, adding other valuable informational layers into observation-centric studies of built environment and importing behavioral indicators into abstract patterns of spaces are considered as research implications in the field of environmental design.