the explanation of how influential forces influence Karaj transformation emphasizing on the 1950-2012 period

Karaj was just a small town in the 1920s. in the 1950s, it was populated by fifteen thousand. However, now it is between the four biggest cities in Iran and populated more than 1.600.000. The various forces that have changed this city are not so well- studied. These forces also contain an important part of modern development history. This article is going to investigate these forces through historical study. This research has an explorative- explanative goal. It is going to investigate the forces that transform Karaj. These forces are not so clear. For achieving these goals, inductive and reproductive strategy are used. Necessary data are collected from social products for secondary analysis. These data are mostly collected through content analysis of various urban plans and historical sources during history. The data were analyzed by historical study. Karaj has some historic buildings dating back to two thousand years ago. This city has been originated just beside Alborz mountain and also the Karaj river. It has been located in a historical way which improves its importance. The transformation of Karaj has happened in some steps. For the first transformation, some channels were branched for irrigating agricultural land. Then these channels have played an infrastructure role in the development of Karaj. The atmosphere of Karaj and its nice weather, its short distance to the capital, and also the national transportation infrastructures make Karaj a focal point for palaces, industrial sites, and also some research institutes. during the 1950s, private investors build some industrial sites in Karaj. These sites have created a part of the Karaj structure. However, after the 1960s decisions of government on a national scale, Karaj has changed into an interesting site for new developments and absorbing rapid immigration. the investigation shows that power is the most important dimension in the transformation of Karaj. Centralization and industrialization policies of government consequent from these policies lead to the rapid transformation of Karaj in the last hundred years. The main dimensions of Karaj urban form are borders, centers, and differences affecting natural and political forces. The rapid development of Karaj produces a sort of social chaos which leads to a new phenomenon compared with the other main cities of Iran. In contrast with the other cities which have horizontal or vertical relations, Karaj experiences neighboring relations. The neighbor relation is the consequence of locating various groups just beside each other. Social division in Karaj does not have a rigid border as the other cities may have. However, the segregation of different groups is widespread in all parts of the city. There are so many neighborhoods that are constructed around different centers such as industrial facilities. Following the development of Karaj, these developments come around each other and many brownfields also remain between these developments. Resulting high amount of immigration, there are so many informal neighborhoods inside and outside of the city. These informal parts lead to dispersing the city and also produces so many social problems for Karaj. These non-harmonization developments, also reflect on the physical form of Karaj.