Explaining the influencing indicators on the texture pattern of pilgrimage cities with an emphasis on religious tourism

Urban planning of pilgrimage cities has always been associated with challenges due to their unique characteristics and under the influence holy places present there. The main goal of the current research is to explain the indicators influencing the texture pattern of pilgrimage cities, considering the tourism capacity there. This research is applied-developmental in terms of purpose and has been conducted with the descriptive-analytical method. Also, in order to collect data, the method of document-library studies has been used. The results show that in the planning related to change and development in the context of pilgrimage cities, effective indicators should be explained and taken into consideration by decision-makers and planners, and interventions should be made with comprehensive evaluations, appropriate to the genome of such cities and considering the rights of pilgrims and neighbors. In the current research, 19 indicators affecting the texture pattern of pilgrimage cities include privacy and domain, centrality, enclosure, hierarchy, desirable landscape, appropriateness of religious spaces, cultural-entertainment spaces, residential spaces, service-infrastructure, access network, the context around the holy place, environmental resilience, Islamic lifestyle, religious identity, spirituality, safety and security, education, and social interactions were identified. Then, the important rules and considerations in the planning and development of pilgrimage cities were presented based on the explained indicators.