An Analytical Investigation of the Recurrence of Neighborhood-Based Development Concept and its Place in Iran’s Experiences

Author

Department of Urban Planning, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Art University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

10.22059/jrd.2024.372506.668844

Abstract

Despite the role of neighborhoods in improving the quality of life in local communities, the new urban housing programs in Iran, including Mehr housing and social housing projects, relying on Modernist patterns have brought about undermining neighborhood identity and social sustainability. Conversely, the concept of neighborhood has been subjected to criticism from a variety of researchers. However, this concept continues to be the subject of research and decision-making, in accordance with the sustainable neighborhood development trend, despite the challenges and criticisms that have been raised. This paper investigated the reasons for the recurrence of this concept as micro-urbanism.
The paper conducts an analytical review that employs the qualitative approach, the documentary method, and secondary data analysis to investigate the reasons for the continuity of development patterns based on the neighborhood concept in the 20th century, with a focus on Iranian experiences.
According to the results of the initial segment of the paper, the neighborhood unit's dominance is primarily due to the tripartite socio-psychological, spatial-environmental, and political-managerial attributes. The study of Iran's experiences in the second part shows that despite the manifestation of this framework in the traditional neighborhoods of Iran, the new urban housing development plans missed it pervasively.
Results: Neighborhood-based development promotes the potential of forming coherent local communities with its own spatial-social-management capabilities. Nevertheless, the failure to incorporate this framework into Iran's new urban housing development plans, despite its appearance in traditional neighborhoods, has resulted in the absence of the desirable outcomes of neighborhood-based development. This is due to the pressure of population, economic, and financial considerations.

Keywords

References

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