An Analysis on Improving the Quality of Urban Spaces in Informal Settlements with Emphasis on the Form and Sense of Place, Case Study: Toos Sofla Neighborhood, Toos Historic City

Improving the quality of life in any society is one of the most important goals of urban planning policies. The most important factor that should be considered in evaluating cities and urban environments is the quality of public spaces because public spaces are the basis of Citizens' social interactions and demonstrates the cities' culture and identity. Today, we are witnessing an abnormal phenomenon called informal settlement, which is due to the lack of meeting the housing needs and shelter of the low-income groups and urban infrastructure facilities are in poor condition. The historic city of Toos is an example of this situation.

Aims and Objectives:

The present study seeks to evaluate the public spaces of Toos city using environmental quality criteria.

The research method in this research is descriptive; The volume of the statistical population is 313 people, which is calculated using the Cochran's formula and the information is obtained through questionnaires and field surveys, then the data is analyzed through AHP and SWOT techniques.

Findings and Results:

based on the results, the components of sense of place and urban form have been analyzed by AHP method. To determine the coefficient of importance (weight), the criteria have been compared in pairs and a 6 * 6 matrix has been recorded. After determining the importance factor of the criteria and the importance factor of the options, the sequences are prioritized. To examine the sense of place component, the keywords of memory, identity, security, beauty, order and diversity are effective factors on the sense of place. In order to improve the quality of Toos' urban spaces based on the components of sense of place and urban form and to study urban issues and problems, strategies are proposed.