Redefining Urban Functional-Spatial Response Strategies to Covid-19 Outbreak in Iran With Emphasis on the East Asian (China) Experience

Problem statement:

 The urban functional-spatial structure was developed in a historical process during which it faced numerous jeopardies. It has always played a fundamental role in reacting to crises, both as a damaged center and an emergency relief center. The structure defined for urban crisis management in Iran has been mainly formed based on the management of crises due to natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes. The experience of Covid- 19 has shown that in the face of the epidemic crisis, it lacked pre-conceived plans and strategies that offer practical solutions with an emphasis on the functional-spatiality of cities.

The current study aims to find out how existing experiences can be used to improve cities’ functional-spatial capability.

By the use of the content analysis method and analytical review of the experiences of China and other East Asian countries, the current study attempts to adopt the functional-spatial management of these countries. It has been done based on a framework including the introduction of a context for emergence, requirements of creation, continuity, and assessment criteria to investigate their feasibility for conditions of Iran based on the existing managerial structure and the trend of disease spread.

Based on the results, the establishment of an interventional system based on integrated urban management and governance is highly important to be able to help cities first concentrate their workforce and resources strongly and regularly before the epidemic reaches them. In uncontrollable epidemic conditions, it can provide services to homogeneous areas by forming a cluster structure. It can also divide the whole city into relatively independent areas to send medical and service personnel with emphasis on the local community. The most important functional-spatial strategies include spatial management based on the local community, temporal-spatial management, smart control management, and urban resilience and governance.