Description of the Model of Urban Design Qualities of Social Bridges

Abstract As a dominant approach in the literature on urban design, walkable urban spaces are of great importance. So, the concept of "bridge as a social space" which has a valuable place, especially in Iran, can be redefined and used in the development of today's spaces. Social bridges have many benefits that can be effective at different levels from the neighborhood to the world in addition to their walkability because they have great potential for creative design and can be used to fulfill goals such as establishing social interactions, creating collective memories, creating identity, and dynamic functioning for cities. This qualitative study was conducted to identify the factors that make urban bridges successful social spaces. For this purpose, after reviewing the theoretical foundations and world experiences, two bridges of Tehran, where urban life flows, were examined. The visitors to these spaces were randomly selected and interviewed in-depth concerning the qualities of the space. The interviews were continued until theoretical saturation was achieved. The collected data were then analyzed by content analysis. The results indicated that the criteria for the qualities of social bridges are based on functional and perceptual components.Keywords: urban design qualities, social bridges, walkable bridges, walkability, Pedestrian promenade.