Explanation of the role of laws and regulations in the production of contemporary urban space: the case study of Zanjan city

After the constitutional revolution, by the establishment of the legislative institution, laws and regulations became a powerful tool for the government to produce the urban space, transform and control it. The content of established laws is in accordance with the characteristics and the prevailing discourse in each era. If in the first Pahlavi period the laws and regulations were established for the transformation and changing the urban space, in the second Pahlavi period, they were applied for the circulation and consumption of the capital in the urban space, and in post-revolutionary Iran, they are used in order to create added value from the space, provide housing and control the urban space. In the contemporary period, the physical space of Zanjan city, like most of the cities in the country, is drastically changed due to the effects of various factors especially the laws and regulations. Enactment of the laws without considering all their aspects and effects on the one hand, and adopting incorrect land and housing policies on the other hand lead to the supply of land in excess of the city's needs, mainly in the form of land development plans. Subdivided lands are entered into the land market cycle like a commodity, which results in an increase of almost one million percent in the price of land in the last 35 years in Zanjan city. The research method is an ex post facto(post-event) method. Library studies, questionnaires, and aerial photographs are used to collect information. Analytical aspect of the issue can be traced in explaining the results of applying laws on the physical aspects of the city, the price of land and housing, the formation of institutions responsible for the city development, and so on.