The Narration of Text and Image and Promotion of Urban Identity with Emphasis on the Use of Graphic Tools (case study: Bojnord Downtown)

Problem Statement:

The category of identity first includes areas such as Philosophy, Logic and Psychology, gradually, due to the fundamental developments in science and technology, the scope of identity topics was also extended to man-made environments. In simple terms, identity is a set of features and characteristics that distinguishes a place from other places. Identity includes the physical characteristics of the appearance and landscape and the vitality of the environment, which is understood from the environment with the presence of social activities and behaviors, ecological quality, natural environment, behavioral camps, collective memories and other effective contexts, and this non-fixed concept is formed and finally according to the inclusion of the mentioned dimensions, it includes a more complete conceptual dimension.Graphic tools can have different applications such as advertising and beautification, etc. Sometimes these applications are combined with each other and at the same time, in addition to being a suitable advertising tool, they also play the role of beautification and urban identity. The alignment of these goals causes the city to take on a proportionate image, and in this case, it can be said that graphic tools are involved in the narration of text and images and have been able to take a positive step in this direction. Sometimes graphic tools are used just to beautify and identify a part of the city so that the image of the city can be prepared according to the desired space; This space may be event-oriented and run for a short time in the city. Sometimes, a symbol based on the city's identity and narration is designed and implemented permanently in the city. Like urban furniture, which is another graphic tool, and if it is created according to the identity, art, culture, climate and weather, it can be very effective in narrating the city. In another case, these tools are only placed in the environment and have no role in the specific narration of the city, signs and boards which are the tools of advertising and their role is only as a place for various advertisements in the city environment, and as it was said, their visual role in the city is not taken into consideration and are only a place for advertising. In the sample under study, it can be seen that graphic tools are formed regardless of the identity of the city; Graphic tools that do not fit with identity, art, culture, localization, etc., do not play a role in the narration of Bojnord city and are only tools for advertising, in such a way that they don't even pay attention to the appearance of the city, the created disturbance and visual pollution.The recent developments of Bojnord city and sometimes lack of attention to the use of identity issues in it have caused the historical and cultural identity of the city to receive little attention and the new developments of the city, alien to it, continue to grow. The development of these traditional values sometimes continues as a point in the historical places of the city (such as Mofakham complex), while the spread of cultural and historical values can flow throughout the entire fabric of the city. Understanding the current situation and people's understanding and experience of it, along with the traditional and past concepts of the city that still exist in the minds of many citizens of the city (even if the narration of text and images in the contemporary city does not correspond to it) is a subject that has gained the researchers’ attention.  In this way, the identity, culture and values and the role they can play in shaping the concepts, meanings and somehow "heterogeneous perception of the past, present and future" of cities will be the main topic of the present research.

Research questions:

Apart from what is mentioned under the title of "concepts of identity" in the context of our cities with the aim of avoiding the uniformity of the development of cities or distance from the categories of "non-identity" of cities, the present research tries to make the use of graphic tools in the Bojnord downtown a basis for investigation to pursue a central question: To what extent have the graphic tools used in Bojnord downtown (between the Mokhaberat intersection and Shahid Square) been useful in reflecting the city's identity with an emphasis on text and image narration?

This research has been conducted through a survey study and it tries to explore the way of manifestation and reflection of the city's identity in Bojnord downtown (between the Mokhaberat intersection and the Shahid square) with the descriptive-analytical method and based on the observation tools.At the same time, the emphasis of the research is specifically on graphic tools effective in this manifestation, focusing on covering the discussion of the specific urban identity of Bojnord city. 26 graphic tools (including signs (guide signs, street names, provision of regulations, etc.), fences, hedge, murals, benches, etc.) have been examined, and at the same time, it has been tried to consider these elements by the researchers in the creation of identity. In addition, five core questions about the "narrative of text and image" have been asked by a random method and available samples, from a total of 50 people present in the study sample.In general, according to the descriptive statistics of the research participants, out of the total number of 50 participants in the research, in terms of education, 37% have a diploma, 54% have a master's degree, and the rest (9%) have a doctorate or higher. 95% of the activists have admitted that they have repeatedly used or referred to the space. The average age of the majority of respondents is between 15 and 65 years old (86%). Finally, 93% of the respondents are natives of North Khorasan province.

The results of the application of Kristeva's theory of intertextuality, along with the researcher's field observations and the results of the citizens' questionnaire, showed that in the investigated area, according to the researchers' field impressions, while there are some of the 26 graphic tools under investigation, predominantly, a unique identity of the application do not exist in space creation, identity creation and beautification (except for the limited use of statues and murals) and secondly, the citizens who use the space (repeated use of the space) have acknowledged the lack of inducing a specific identity from the graphic tools available in the city center. Meanwhile, it seems that the development of Bojnord city and especially the downtown, regardless of the cultural values of identity, cannot reflect the special narrative of Bojnord city over time, and the result of this is the physical development of the city uniform with other cities and far from the specific identity of the city. The continuation of such a trend will result in the development of the city becoming alien day by day to "Bojnord" and its cultural factors; what will grow the "new" Bojnord city against the "old" Bojnord without paying attention to it. According to the field impressions and observations made in the sample under study, out of the total of 26 graphic tools examined, 14 items are within the available range, out of which, only two items are "murals (in some cases)" and also "statues, Symbols and monuments (to some extent)", have a special identity. It is worth noting that many graphic tools are selected and placed in the environment according to environmental requirements. The design of these tools in accordance with the identity of the city can strengthen these existential needs, but the harmony and proportion between the set of graphic tools that are placed in a combined environment is another issue that deserves more attention and investigation. As mentioned in this article, since cities have a social and cultural identity and each city has its own values and traditions, preserving these things in the narration of the text and image of the city can be very effective. Therefore, paying attention to the issue of value and especially the values emanating from history and culture, which directly play a role in creating identity, remembering civilization and narrating, should be taken into consideration by urban planners and should be considered in urban development policy making. Also, environmental graphics with the aim of guiding, informing, beautifying, increasing communication and interaction and ultimately creating identity in this process (by emphasizing the adoption of an intertextual approach in order to highlight identity-making subjects and new and attractive narration) can facilitate many affairs.