Codification of a theoretical model for the production of spiritual-led urban space in an Iranian-Islamic city, Based on grounded theory method (case study: the central part of Mashhad)

Urban development and the process of space production have always been accompanied by serious conflicts. This has led to the production and reproduction of profit spaces based on the logic of capital accumulation. One of the manifestations of this confrontation can be seen in the interventions made in contexts of special identity, such as Mashhad, which is in serious conflict with the issues of sustainability and its three dimensions. Against these challenges, spiritual-led urbanism and the need to identification its indicators in contemporary urban planning in order to balance the current vicious cycle seem necessary. The increasing trend of researches in this field by reputable scientific centers shows the need to apply this concept more and more in the scale of contemporary urban planning. This research aims to provide a spatial reading of the indicators of the production of spiritual-led urban space in contemporary urban planning in line with the adjustment of the current cycle, with the aim of compiling effective spatial components in this process. In terms of the goal, this research is among developmental and qualitative research that was conducted with the grounded theory method. The statistical community includes experts and key informants (21 individual interviews and 2 group interviews) who were selected as the sample size using the purposeful sampling method. The findings of the research are the identification of 23 indicators in the form of 8 main dimensions, including space syntax, role-playing, symbolism, sustainability, and justice, security, and management structure and Contemporizationof theoretical knowledge. The achievement of this research is placing a balancing concept in the cycle of space production, which will reduce the ambiguities and shortcomings of the urban planning system, especially in cities with the support of spiritual identity, by structuring effective spatial components in the production of spiritual-led space.