نشریه رهپویه معماری و شهرسازی
پیاپی 2 (تابستان 1401)

Research Problem: 

Urban walkability is one of the qualities which some of the best–known urban designers have recently put the finger on, especially throughout the world›s metropolitan areas such as Istanbul, Paris, Copenhagen, Rome, London, and New York (Manhattan). Tehran, the most significant metropolitan area in Iran, has never been a pedestrian-friendly city. Regarding transit, priority in Tehran has been given chiefly to the private transportation mode. As evidence of this claim, the number of urban highways, multi-story roads, and urban tunnels in Tehran has been increasing, especially in recent decades. However, this kind of development would not address the problems of Tehran as a city with a centralized structure entirely dissimilar to American urban sprawl. The traffic congestion and environmental pollution arising from it have been Tehran›s most significant urban challenge during the last several decades. In addition, the increasing trend of socio-economic needs for public places in Tehran demands a more public transportation mode in this city.Nevertheless, the proliferation of vehicles has led to diminishing human-based scale in cities, to decline in face-to-face interactions, reduced safety and security for pedestrians, increased probability of accidents through the roadways, and finally, degraded quality of place and environment. In general, the mentioned concepts bring the city into challenging circumstances that make pedestrian environments more vulnerable and fragile. Due to the consequences above, urban designers and planners need to pay more attention to the defects of pedestrian environments. The article’s question is how to evaluate walkability in urban spaces, focusing on one of the most crowded nodes in Tehran city, Vanak Square, through quantitative measurement of sustainability criteria.

 Due to these considerations and by accepting the fact that changing Tehran into a pedestrian-oriented city is a gradual and incremental process, this paper has focused on the routes leading to Vanak square (one of the most crowded and chaotic intersections in Tehran), and evaluated their walkability by using quantitative methods. It is necessary to meet two sub-goals to achieve this primary goal: identifying evaluation criteria and achieving a quantitative method for evaluating the rate of city walkability.  Significance: Although there have been several research papers about walkability, most of these researches have emphasized one street using a qualitative approach that makes them inadequate for measuring walkability. So, the main goal of this research would be a quantitative and comparative evaluation of the streets leading to Vanak square to be more sustainable and pedestrian-friendly by discovering the criteria for pedestrian-oriented capability. Such an assessment makes achieving more strategic decision-making, planning, and design of urban spaces possible. Moreover, comparing the concepts facilitates the creation of new concepts. This research measures a quantitative method in a common between different spaces. Also, another difference in the current paper is introducing new standards along with sustainable concepts with an emphasis on walkability, so we have achieved parallelism with sustainable development and proposed new ideas.

 There are two significant paths to answer the questions: we utilize the qualitative methods to extract the qualitative criteria and implement the quantitative methods to evaluate the mentioned criteria related to the case study. To analyze the data and estimate the walkability of Vanak Square malls, we use an Analytical Hierarchy Process, which allows us to be able to give scale to each criterion and their sub-criteria, to utilize both qualitative and quantitative criteria simultaneously, to categorize each criterion in a hierarchy, and to simplify the complexities of the problems. It is noteworthy that, since the network-based relationship between criteria in questionnaires has not been approved, this technique is prior to the network-based analysis process. 

 This paper evaluates every single street based on sustainability. In doing so, we educe criteria including concepts such as sustainable development, compact city, safe city, new urbanism, T.O.D, and echo city. This facilitates configuring different dimensions of sustainable development as the supporting ground to evaluate walkability. These dimensions can be explained as economic, social, and environmental sustainability. Social sustainability brings the opportunity for public welfare services, accessibility to public transitions, the safety of riders and pedestrians, security, human scale, visual corridor quality, imagery, and identity. Economic sustainability includes the diversity of activities, simplicity of movement, and the interconnection between attractive zones. Environmental sustainability brings environmental quality and climate comfort. After a survey based on these steps, we estimate Vanak Square streets› walkability: Vanak Street, northern Vali-e-asr Street, Haghani Street, southern Vali-e-asr Street, Mollasadra Street, and Brazil Street. Accordingly, the results show that Vanak Street is the most walkable street in Vanak square. We also found that a market-friendly space affects both the sustainability and walkability of the environment.

In the third millennium, due to environmental changes and especially the transformation in economic systems and the development and expansion of science and technology, education is used by increasing the use of social media to attend universities. Accordingly, in recent years, many efforts have been made to improve access and guarantee. With quantitative development policy, the number of higher education centers and the population is increasing, but other factors of the higher education system are not capable and efficient.As the most prominent investment of human resources, educational systems played the leading role in education and human resources. These systems should be allocated to the budgets of each country and have a decisive role in each economic, social, cultural, political, and social society. Therefore, there is an undeniable need for the optimal quality of their performance to prevent the wastage of human and material capital and to have competition in the future world where quality is the most crucial component for the survival of any organization.In general, we know that good and optimal education in architecture is one of the essential things that significantly impact the progress of architecture. The new educational system, which is formed on the educational pyramid and starts from general education until they reach university degrees, prepares people in a coherent program for the formation process in society. The trend of technology and information technology is a factor in various fields of culture, economy, and society, and it shows itself politically in educational fields.In today’s turbulent world, the fundamental problem of underdeveloped and developing countries is the lack of coordination between university graduates and the needs of society and industry, which causes the growth of unemployment and, consequently, not aligning with the developed world. In order to solve this problem, universities and their performance can be shown as the first and most basic institutions. In other words, turning universities into third-generation universities and educating entrepreneurial and innovative graduates can lead to greater coordination and adaptation between education and society’s needs. On the other hand, by using the university’s scientific ideas of human resources, setting up universities can use other bilateral benefits by establishing a relationship with the industry. Industries attract university graduates and closely relate to the university; they want to benefit from its applied research. As a financial donor to carry out research in accordance with their research needs in entrepreneurial universities, the industry can contribute to research and research. Reach Applications will accelerate more. This article first discusses the role of higher education and explains the third-generation university’s characteristics and the influential factors in entrepreneurship. Then it looks upon the relationship between academic research and entrepreneurship and the factors that lead to the transformation of a university into an entrepreneurial university.Due to the ever-increasing progress of technology and efforts as much as possible to take advantage of the latest facilities and inventions, drum training is inevitable. In this regard, the category that should be paid more attention to is; New educational methods. This issue is crucial concerning education in fields such as architecture, which depends on more effective communication between the professor and the student and educational facilities.The present research tries to explain the characteristics of the third-generation university and examine the degree to which the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning of Soore University has these characteristics. This research is qualitative in terms of descriptive data collection. This research uses interviews and analysis based on the Delphi method to increase information about the research topic. The statistical population of this research is the faculty, professors, and students of Soore University. In this regard, the effective indicators of modern architecture education and the components of the third-generation university were identified and categorized. Then these indicators were organized in a questionnaire and for validation in two rounds to a Delphi panel. The first round included 24 people, including 13 faculty members and 11 senior students of the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning of Soore University. The second round included 19 people ( 9 professors, faculty members, and ten senior students). The information was entrusted to a Delphi panel.Another goal of the research was to investigate the degree of realization of the categories of the third generation university in the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning of Soore University, which are: 1-Skill learning 2-Entrepreneurship 3-All-round independence 4-University interaction with society 5-Creativity and ideation.

In the history of post-Islamic Iran, the Safavid era is considered a turning point regarding critical political developments. During the Safavid era, the economic boom provided a suitable platform for promoting Iranian Islamic culture. This issue made Iranian Islamic art, especially the architecture and urbanism of this period, different from other periods. Studying historical texts and books of geographers and travelers, as a unique form of remaining sources, is highly recommended in studying Iranian architecture and urban planning. Following the crisis of insufficient resources on the characteristics of ancient Islamic cities on the one hand and the limited scope of archaeological studies, on the other hand, the study and research in the books of travelers and travelogue writers are crucially necessary. The urban planning system of the Safavid period was able to plan and design the appropriate model of the Iranian Islamic city in this period of the country's history based on the ancient tradition of Iranian urban planning concepts and benefiting from the experiences of the civilized countries of that period. The urban planning system of the Safavid period was able to plan and design the appropriate model of the Iranian Islamic city in this period of the country's history based on the ancient tradition of Iranian urban planning concepts benefiting from the experiences of the civilized countries of that period. One of the remaining historical documents of the Safavid cities is the unique map drawn by Adam Olearius in his travelogue. Adam Olearius's travelogue is a reliable source that provides researchers with extensive scientific information about Islamic city formation, architecture, and physical structure. Examining this map can reveal the structure of the cities of this period from different dimensions. Olearius, more than other researchers, has considered the urban planning system of the Safavid period from an urban planning point of view. His map and travelogue are one of the resources that we can cite to draw a mental image of the city in the Safavid period. Olearius (2006) believes that Safavid idealism manifests itself in the city gardens. The main objective of this research was to express the basis of the formation of the structural system of architecture and urban planning in the Safavid period and to understand this structure using historical texts and maps of this period. Moreover, the partial objective was to investigate the historical developments and the physical structure of the important cities of Iran in the travelogue of Olearius to reach the main objective of the research. So the question was, what was the structural system of Iranian cities in the Safavid period? Furthermore, how has the structural system of cities appeared in each city's architecture and urban planning? Looking at Iranian cities of the Safavid period, it is evident that the structural system was based on specific physical and natural principles and that political, cultural, and social factors were involved. It is important to examine the essence of the Islamic city in the context of the state of the urban community and the urban body. In order to carry out this research, the first step after determining the limits of the problem was to collect information (Data collection) from documentary sources and documents. After data collection, the interpretation of the obtained information has been presented. Since data collection is based on textual analysis by examining and referring to evidence and documents, if historical information is collected from first-hand sources, it requires a preliminary analysis of the prepared documents. This research is descriptive and analytical in terms of the type and nature of the study. In terms of temporal territory, it is related to the Safavid period. Regarding spatial territory, the cities of Ardabil, Qom, Kashan, Saveh, and Isfahan are the platforms for displaying the mental ideas of the urban planning system. Also, regarding the nature of the data, this research is qualitative and relies on thinking, reasoning, and rational analysis. Therefore, according to the written documents and the main objective, this research relies upon Adam Olearius's maps of the Safavid era and the Safavid era's urban planning system. The findings of this study, based on the travelogue of Olearius, indicate that the emergence of meaningful order and generality in the cities of the Safavid period is influenced by the geometrical system and physical organization. Shaping the whole structure of the city emphasizes concepts such as; joint spaces, directions, axes, hierarchy, valuing, order, and dignity of spatial determination and interconnection, and the emergence of meaningful order and totality in the cities of the Safavid period is influenced by the geometric system and physical organization.

The Mongols began construction after the invasion of Iran and the initial destruction. The Mongols did not have a particular architectural style, and most were tent dwellers. They created simple temporary buildings but paid much attention to science and were diligent and active in developing the sciences and architecture. Their architecture was in continuation of the architecture of the past, but with a higher height at the entrance. The Mongols had almost no religion and were not fanatical about other religions. The Europeans, who were at war with the Muslims of the East, were able to start new relations with the Mongols. The beginning of cultural and economic relations between Iran and Europe was formed during this period. Political relations improved and trade between the Iilkhani and the Europeans flourished. The peaceful relations established with other countries during this period led to cultural progress and, as a result, its transfer to the East and the West. One of these measures was the establishment of the Rashidi robe, which has transmitted the thoughts and sciences of many Islamic and Eastern scholars to Europe through Andalusia. This period coincided with the period of European Gothic architecture. Its main feature is the height of construction. Furthermore, some scholars believe that patriarchal architecture is a model of European Gothic architecture. Therefore, by examining and comparing two cases of Iilkhani mosques )Varamin Grand Mosque and Natanz Grand Mosque( with two cases of Gothic churches: Salisbury Church and Sainte-Chapelle Church ). In this comparison, first, the appearance factors such as scale, number, color, and type of decorations were examined, and then, the esoteric factors, such as the shape of the entrance and its location, were compared. At this point, we conducted a comparative study with a qualitative comparative comparison method which studied the influence of Gothic architecture on the entrance architecture of Iilkhani mosques. The factors compared included the number of primary and secondary entrances, types of entrance geometry, the entrance angle relative to the geographic north, the type of view to the space after the entrance, the color and material of the decorations, the geometric dimensions of the entrance, and the location of the entrance concerning the side walls of the building. We examined the role of cultural interactions between Mongols and Europeans, studied the entrances of mosques and churches, compared the subscriptions, and differentiated indicators. We observed that contrary to the researchers' perceptions, the architectural interaction has not been effective, especially in the formation of the entrance of the building. Moreover, the theory of building elevation is still valid due to the creation of urban symbols and Thiol structure.

The social life of citizens has always been affected by various factors, one of which is the third place, which is one of the most important places in public arenas. These places have always been a place for everyday life to flow in front of official life, which has significantly impacted the city's public life and its citizens' social life. The third place, as one of the central institutions of the public domain, can play the role of an alternative shelter relative to home or workplace. It is a place where people can visit regularly and connect with friends or strangers. The city's attraction is that it frees people from norms strongly felt in personal spaces and allows people to learn about themselves and others. The key to successful public social life is for people to consistently replace essential activities with optional activities (activities they enjoy) in places where they feel comfortable, safe, and have time to spend. Urban spaces are places that belong to the general public. They are not limited to the physical aspect and gain meaning with the presence of humans and their activities. Urban spaces have a long history in the history of urban planning. They have appeared in cities in different forms in different periods and caused the formation of urban fabric around or around their axis. The degree of success of urban spaces is proportional to the amount of use of that space and the presence of people in it. Architecture and urban planning should seek to increase social interactions and solidarity of people instead of differentiation and separation. However, what we face today in most urban spaces is the reduction of relations and social participation of the residents in these spaces. The disconnection of the human relationship as a meaningful whole with the living world has caused humans' unknowing interference and occupation. On the other hand, the resulting crises have created homeless people. This placelessness has caused feelings like belonging and identity to fade. A good location with suitable characteristics of communal and native places of the city will make these faded feelings change the color and smell of the contemporary cities of Iran. This research seeks to provide a suitable assessment of an excellent location of a third place in the contemporary world of Iran. At first, the third-place concept was defined as the project's main topic. This research aimed to organize third places in urban spaces (Valiasr Square to Valiasr Crossroads in Tehran) to increase the sense of belonging. Hence, Indicators such as sense of belonging, presence, interactivity, evaluation of festivals and cultural events, and satisfaction with environmental quality were evaluated within the range. The research method and collection of documentary and analytical information were based on the distribution of 100 questionnaires among the single-sample statistical population. The inferential findings section used the Pearson t correlation coefficient to analyze the research data. The results show that the condition of Valiasr Square to the intersection of Valiasr Street in Tehran is relatively suitable based on indicators (in terms of sense of belonging, presence, interactivity, and satisfaction with environmental quality). However, the attitude and evaluation of cultural projects and events according to the degree of desired Participation and holding of festivals is relatively low and requires more serious planning and attention. The correlation coefficient results also indicate positive and significant statistical relationships between all indicators. Citizens have expressed dissatisfaction with the topic and manner of holding events and festivals, active participation in the environment, and interactivity, because their needs, wishes, and desires have not been paid attention. Moreover, these things hinder the promotion of the sense of place. The third places are attractive public areas, and the creation of sidewalks with an attractive visual environment and suitable opportunities for leisure is one of the effective strategies for developing and strengthening the third place and promoting the sense of place. Therefore, sidewalk construction projects are the initial response to this repressed need of the citizens after decades. The weaknesses in these projects do not prevent the attention and positive reaction of the citizens towards them. Therefore, city managers must pass this initial level of satisfaction, continuously monitor and evaluate the performance of these sidewalks and try to improve their quality level. In this regard, the realization of third urban places and their qualities can be the next level of targeting for urban planners and managers.

The place has lost its meaning in both aspects of spatial communication and the evocativeness of space and, accordingly, in contemporary architecture. The current research tries to provide the possibility of evaluating our cultural heritage for today's architecture in completely scientific and defensible ways. The proposed method is to read a qualified place architecture from the past with new geometry. Fractal geometry, one of the branches of new mathematics, has been introduced as a measurement tool in this research. This geometry, introduced by Benoit Mandelbrot in 1975, is extension of the principle of parallelism in Euclidean geometry. In fact, by introducing a random seed, a fractal dimension, and a Longitudinal parameter, fractal geometry makes it possible to identify natural phenomena that could not be recognized and analyzed by Euclidean geometry before that. The relationship between fractal geometry and architecture can be examined from three perspectives. The first look is conceptual. In this view, fractal geometry has been a tool for understanding flat and spatial decorations in architecture. If we can prove the fractal pattern in this view, the result is not generalizable to the entire architectural space. The second look is formal. In this view, fractal geometry has led to the creation of parametric architecture by influencing construction technology. Of course, most of these buildings are reduced to minimalist sculptural buildings, and the space and architecture lack an architectural language. The third view is linguistic and methodological. In this view, it is possible to read the fractal pattern in the architectural facade using the fractal dimension with the square grid method. As the meshing accuracy increases, the fractal dimension also increases. In this view, we can read the existence of a fractal pattern on the facade's surface, but we cannot generalize it to the entire architectural space. None of these three views have considered the fractal pattern in the architectural space and its extension in the user's mind. The proposed strategy of this research, which can be considered the fourth look, is based on examining the possibility of people's life inside a fractal. Reinterpreting old architecture with a new method may restore the lost meaning of place to contemporary architecture. The research strategy is to use logical reasoning. This strategy used the architectural space's volume simulation with a spatial fractal called the Menger sponge. The full and empty volumes in the architectural space have been calculated in two iterations. The fractal dimension of the Menger sponge can be generalized to architecture due to the similarity of the subtracted and remaining architectural modules. The entrance space of the Mosque of Sheikh Lotfollah Isfahan was selected as a case study, and the fractal dimension was calculated for it. The space of the entrance arch was considered the first iteration, and the space after the wooden entrance door, plus the spaces on both sides of the facade on both floors, was considered the second one. The fractal dimension is approximately 2.8 in both iterations. The presence of a single decimal number in both iterations indicates the existence of a dimension of the fractal pattern in space. Therefore, there is no problem in proving the existence of a fractal pattern in this space. This pattern is maintained in the depth range of 6.13-6.21cm from the facade. The results show that the meaning of the place changes, accepting the presence of a fractal pattern in this space. The meaning of place no longer ends with the observer's presence in the center of space but begins with his movement from the center of space. The observer moves from in front of the big entrance arch (first iteration), and with his presence on the second floor (second iteration) and turning his gaze to the field, the renewal of memory does not end but begins again. His perception of the meaning of place continues through repeating spaces to infinity. Repetitive and self-similar spaces in the fractal pattern cause the perception of diverse information from the space. The observer's mind crosses the realm of visible spaces and enters the visualization of the invisible space and the immeasurable and unpredictable realm. Reading the spaces with this method shows that there is no need to break the structure and remove the architectural language from the space in order to understand the fractal pattern in the space. Instead, fractal patterns can be identified everywhere by changing the viewing point, provided that the matter is looked at from the correct insight. The present research results can be used to create a new design language called "Zaya" for creating design algorithms.