The Journal of Community Development (Rural-Urban)

The Journal of Community Development (Rural-Urban)

Neighborhood-Oriented Tourism with a Participatory Development Approach (Case Study: Ekbatan Neighborhood of Tehran)

Authors
Ali Shakoori
Zahra Raji
Social Planning Department of, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
10.22059/jrd.2024.375380.668855
Abstract
In recent decades, with the paradigm shift in the literature of urban development toward a rational and populist theoretical orientation, the emphasis on local development through appropriate strategies has been recognized as one of the effective alternative​s for urban development. Tourism has been regarded as one of the most critical urban development strategies at the neighborhood and local community levels in recent years. Evaluation of the feasibility of this methodology in Ekbatan is the objective of this investigation.
According to the purpose and nature of this research, a qualitative method has been used to collect data. For this purpose, interviews were conducted with 17 experts in the fields of tourism and urban planning.
The results indicate that the neighborhood in question has the potential to develop into a contemporary tourism destination that is primarily populated by educated visitors with cultural and social preferences, as well as those who are interested in architecture and urban revitalization. This is subject to taking into account the prerequisites, drivers and capacities and removing the limitations at the local, meso and macro level.
In conclusion, the participatory development paradigm in the context of neighborhood tourism is substantiated by this research. It also validates the potential to convert local modern potential into a marketable product within the tourism system, surpassing public/government intervention models, which frequently impose themselves on the reality of the neighborhood or are stereotyped
Keywords
Neighborhood development
cooperative development
Tehran
Ekbatan
neighborhood
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