Explanation of Critical Urban Theories in Analyzing the Effects of Capital Accumulation on the Spatial Structure of Cities (Case Study: Tehran Metropolis)

Since the 1970s, with the turn of industrial-production capitalism to financial capitalism under the process of globalization and in sync with neoliberal approaches, global cities have witnessed the influx of capital to accumulate and reproduce it in their spaces.This movement of capital from the production sector to space has caused the spatial structure of cities to undergo extensive changes in their spatial, physical, economic, social and environmental dimensions. The consequences of privatization and commercialization of the public spaces of cities in order to reproduce as much capital as possible and space competition and polarization of space can be considered as the result of applying such attitudes. In contrast to this prevailing thinking, urban critical theories have been formed based on the fundamental criticism of these approaches and the explanation of the root causes of problems and the consequences of these approaches on urban spaces. This research, with a fundamental approach and a descriptive, analytical method, and using documentary and library studies through qualitative analysis from the perspective of critical urban theories, explains the spatial structure of Tehran and the effects of capital rule on its spaces. And in the process of spatial data analysis, it uses a spatial model (GIS). The findings of this research show that the metropolis of Tehran, both in terms of urban development plans and urban management policies, has been significantly affected by these capital-oriented approaches. And it has faced challenges such as profit-oriented urban management, polarization of the physical and social structures of the 22 districts of the city, commodification of housing, exchange of land and real estate in the open market, change of use and privatization of space.