Social sustainability and the future in the Iranian historic neighbourhoods' townscape

• Main Author: Khalifehei, Hassan
• Other Authors: Prue, Chiles
• Published: University of Sheffield 2014
• Subjects: 720
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.617236

Historic urban quarters are part of the human environment. They embody all the evidence of past human activity within a specific region of a city. They are the centres of the social, economic and cultural life of the town and they are also the main constituent of a city's character. In most Iranian cities there still exist many historic neighbourhoods. Unfortunately, the only ones that are successful are commercial like the bazaars or the many ancient buildings and monuments, while the old residential quarters are mostly in decline and have few prospects of a sustainable future. With the modernization of the city and the transformation of its social life, the historic quarters were the first places to be affected by a change of lifestyle. These days, many are in a precarious position, the main problem being their physical layout, with narrow streets and many impasses. Before the advent of the car, these were perfectly adequate for the passage of humans and animals. Sadly, this is no longer the case and there is fierce competition for space between pedestrians and motor vehicles. Generally speaking, in most of the old quarters of Iranian cities, because of the profusion of run-down houses and the lack of social infrastructure, the younger generation is abandoning these areas. So, nowadays, the residents are mostly old people and low-income families who cannot afford to rent or live in better sectors with higher rents. Moreover, this low-maintenance townscape creates an unpleasant image and character for Iranian historic neighbourhoods. However, some of these neighbourhoods still possess many of the positive features that are necessary for social sustainability, such as a proper identity, a human-scale pattern, density, permeability of pedestrian movement and a hierarchy between private and public space. Unfortunately, there is a great deal of evidence of a decline in the social functions of Iranian antique quarters; thus, this study focuses on their social sustainability.