Volume & Issue: Volume 4, Issue 1, April 2023 
Urban Scape

Compilation of Indicators for Redesigning the Facade of Historical Axes from the Perspective of the Occurrence of Meaning and Recreating the Mental Image of Citizens: a Systematic Review

Pages 1-26

Mana Vahidbafandeh; Javad Imani Shamloo

Abstract Description: The study of historical axes is considered as a necessary subject for valuing and preserving the cultural identity of people in the structure of the city and it is a kind of mental and meaningful heritage of a society. While most studies focus on the body of urban facade, there are limited studies to analyze urban facade based on subjective dimensions and meaning.

Objective: The main goal of this research is to identify the effective indicators in the redesign of the facade of historical axes based on the semantic dimensions and the mental image of the citizens. The qualitative-quantitative combination of research and research conducted in this field to validate the indicators is considered another goal of the research.

Methods: In order to achieve the goal, a systematic review method has been used, and Farsi and English scientific-research articles have formed the statistical population of the research, and examining the interaction between research conducted using the tool of the review method is considered an important tool. The statistical population of the research is about 73 articles, which are based on keywords (mental image, meaning, and historical axes). Some articles were excluded from the research process in the screening process based on the PRISMA checklist, and finally, 57 articles formed the final statistical population of the research, and in this regard, Persian databases (Irandoc, Civilica, Elmnet, and Magiran) and in the field of English-language articles, databases (Scopus, Elsevier) have been used.

Findings: The findings show that the geographical distribution and the contextual characteristics of the environment have a direct impact on the understanding of the environmental meaning in urban facade and the indicators follow this issue. The internal structures of society, culture and individual dimensions are also abundant in the literature of the world, and in the quantitative dimension of research, the lack of use of basic theories and communication between components is considered one of the weaknesses of the researches. Based on this, the components and qualities of urban facade and the relationship between them and the basic theories have been collected through analytical tools and matrices, which include indicators such as maintaining the individual and social dependencies of the environment, the involvement of the five senses, and the existence of volume based on shape.

Conclusion: The result expresses the deep connection between the mind and the semantic dimensions in the historical facade. Due to the existence of cultural and historical heritage, historical axes have independent identities and characters that can stimulate the mind to understand their inner concrete meaning.

Explaining the Changes of Public Space in the Technological Paradigm Based on the Dimensions of Carmona Urban Design

Pages 27-44

Reyhaneh Asadi; Alireza bandarabad; Atoosa Modiri

Abstract Aims: Urban spaces in the age of technology are changing in all dimensions due to the addition of connected users, and neglecting to recognize these developments has distanced us from the current content of the urban space and deprived the city planners of the possibility of efficient planning and appropriate use of technology. Therefore, the purpose of the research is to explain the changes made in public spaces based on the dimensions of the urban space of Carmona under the influence of modern communication and information technologies. Methods: This research is looking for the theories of public space in a historical process and by adopting an interpretative approach and benefiting from qualitative content analysis in the context of Atlas analytical software to analyze the changes of public space in the age of technology according to the six dimensions. Carmona urban space. Findings: findings indicate that the impact of the technology paradigm was not the same in all aspects of the urban space. Among the most important ones, we can mention the transfer of social interactions from the space of place to the space of flow, the flexibility of the functional space, the formation of an independent perceptual system, and the weakening of the concept of access. Conclusion: The results show that because of technology in urban areas, although all dimensions of urban spaces have undergone changes in some way, but the most changes have taken place in functional and social areas. Based on these changes, a redefinition of public spaces has been explained and presented in accordance with the characteristics of the technological era.

Analyzing the Role and Potential Responsibilities of Iranian Urban Designers in Their Profession

Pages 45-72

Elham Givehchian; Seyed Mehdi Khatami; Seyed Ali Safavi

Abstract Issue & Purpose: Despite the passage of about fifty years since the establishment of the urban design course at the University of Tehran and after that teaching at other universities in Iran, it still seems that the potential capacities of this course and graduates have not been used well in the profession. The purpose of this research is to identify and explain the duties, roles and potential capacities of Iranian urban designers in their profession and seeks to answer the question of what their potential duties are in their profession. Method: The current research was formed with a qualitative approach and in order to answer the above question, it used the methods of content analysis as well as qualitative survey. The techniques used in data collection include reviewing library documents and related articles, open interviews with professors, experts and experienced professionals, as well as a structured online questionnaire, and in line with the analysis The Interpretive analysis technique was used for the data. Findings: The achievement of this research is to introduce and evaluate the importance of 8 activity capacities of Iranian urban designers in their profession, which are respectively: urban management, consulting engineer's offices, NGO, education, interdisciplinary activities, supervisor (supervision of design and implementation), contractor and research. According to the findings of the research, among these eight capacities in the field of urban management, offices of consulting engineers, non-governmental organizations, and education are respectively more important from the point of view of urban design experts.

Quality of Urban Public Spaces

Explaining and Evaluating the Quality of "Spirituality" in the Urban Spaces of Isfahan

Pages 73-98

Elham Ghasemi; Seyed Mahdi Khatami; Mahdi Motia; Mohamadreza Pourjafar

Abstract Aims: One of the challenges of today's world is the crisis of spirituality, which occurred mainly due to the focus of modernism on materialism and consumerism. In the last twenty years, the ideas of thinkers about spiritual architecture and urbanism have started. The purpose of this research is to understand the dimensions of the quality of spirituality and measure it in some urban spaces of Isfahan. Method: A simple review method was used to review the literature, a Delphi method and a semi-structured interview with elites and an in-depth interview with citizens were used to identify the characteristics of spiritual urban spaces. Interviews analysis with thematic analysis. Findings: The opinions of two groups of elites and citizens in order to rank 22 selected spaces of Isfahan city based on a Likert scale were analyzed using a questionnaire and Friedman's test to rank the perception of spirituality and variance analysis has been used to compare the perception of spirituality of different groups. Conclusion: The results show that the spiritual urban space is formed in a context based on religious or non-religious beliefs and each of these contexts lead to the formation of social and cultural identity in the city. Such spaces have different effects on people, which include a good relationship with God, himself, others, and nature. Also, based on the scores of two groups of professors and citizens, Jame Mosque has the highest score and Hassan Abad Bazaar has the lowest score for the level of spirituality in the urban spaces of Isfahan.

Urban Design Theories

Recognition & explanation of principles based on movement and rest (Case study: Quran Gate of Shiraz)

Pages 99-114

fateme barzegar; sakineh maroofi

Abstract Aims: Movement is a means for percipience the urban space and the concept of the city is expressed through movement within it. But today, the image of the city that can be seen while moving (whether on foot or on horseback), it does not induce a concept other than relocation and transfer. Methods: the research method is descriptive-analytical (content analysis), in order to objectively and qualitatively describe the content of the concept of movement and rest, using texts and documents (written, oral and visual) in a systematic and purposeful way. Findings: Positive and purposeful movement in cities and meaningful moment (a movement that during going somewhere, be positive impact on the sensibilities of the citizens), and the rest that calms the audience in urban spaces, it has not been seen in modern city. the point of this research is recognition of principle of movement and rest, and its application in organization urban movement systems. Conclusion: the case study, is the Quran Gate of Shiraz, which is a successful example in applying the principle of movement and rest in all its dimensions. according to research conducted in order to organize urban movement systems it is necessary to pay special attention to the spiritual dimension of movement (meaning to movement and rest) and change the single-movement system (in the past) to simultaneous movement systems (in today's cities).

Quality of Urban Public Spaces

Towards a Comprehensive Process of Public Spaces Quality Assessment in Iranian Cities

Pages 115-134

Ehsan Ranjbar; Zahra Sadat Ayatollahi Tabatabaei; Arsineh keshishians

Abstract Aims: The studies on measuring the quality of public space in Iran and the world literature show a kind of standardization in the use of quality measurement criteria.While the concept of the quality of public space could be perceived differently,concerning space type and the political-economic-social background of the formation and evolution of public space can provide a different understanding.It seems that in assessing the quality of public space,the focus is mostly on quantitative and statistical methods,and understanding the nature of space has not played a significant role in measuring quality.This research provides a new path to measuring the quality of public space based on a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. Methods: Haft-Hoz square has been selected as the research study to validate the proposed process. The combination of content analysis, historical-interpretative method, in-depth interviews and compilation of oral memories, behavioral analysis, and correlation analysis have been used in this research. Findings: This research presents a new methodology based on seven steps, including:identifying quality criteria based on international literature,identifying quality criteria tested Iranian literature on public spaces,combining the criteria of the first and second steps, and validating the possibility of evaluating the selected criteria based on field study,a historical-interpretative study of the transformation of the form of public space in different historical periods,conducting behavioral studies based on Jan Gol's method,conducting in-depth interviews with users who have a long history of using the space to extract oral memories and identify the most critical space quality measures over time and quantitative analysis reveals the correlations of quality measures. Conclusion: Providing a comprehensive methodology in evaluating the quality of urban public spaces is the most important result of this research.

City and Health

Assessing the social effects of tourism on quality of life with the prevalence of Covid-19 in the city of Tabriz

Pages 135-154

Parviz Taghavi Kaleibar; Nasim Khanloo; Ali Azar

Abstract Aims: With the onset of Covid-19 in the world, one of the crises that has arisen in the field of tourism industry, which in turn has affected the quality and well-being of the lives of residents in tourist areas, among which it is very necessary to pay attention to the social effects of tourism. The present research aims to measure the social effects of tourism on the quality of life in Tabriz city with the onset of Covid-19.
Methods: The current research is descriptive-analytical and survey. The statistical population of the research is the population over 18 years old in Tabriz city. Structural equations (EMS) with Amos and SPSS software were used for data analysis.
Findings: The findings show that interpersonal trust, attachment to place, understanding of social effects and Covid-19 have the greatest effects on the quality of life of residents with the effect coefficient of 0.825, 0.801, 0.735 and 0.711 respectively. The city of Tabriz has had in terms of tourism.
Conclusion: As a result, when people enter a place (tourism), they choose social behavior and environmental behavior to protect the place in order to help its practical purpose (tourism benefits) and thus They support the development of tourism. This, in turn, can play an effective role in realizing other key goals of stability, well-being and improving the quality of life of the residents of Tabriz during the time of Covid-19 and epidemics and after.