The Possibility of Pedestrianization in Downtown, Hamedan City

During the past century,the combination of new technologies and socio-cultural behaviors on the one hand, and the preoccupation of planners about car-mobility access and meeting its demands on the other hand, had led to ignoring the pedestrian access and its required spaces in cities inducing multiple and longer intra-city trips. This trend has resulted in unpleasant socio-economic impacts as well as environmental ones, especially for city centers. Thus, from the late 1960s onward, new theories and practices of urban planning have been developed to constrain over-emphasize on car-accessibility and to regenerate the city centers. In this regard, the present research is carried out to trace the car dependency in Hamedan city planning and to investigate the feasibility of pedestrianization of city center in line whit urban regeneration. The findings indicate during the past four decades, the car-dependence pattern and over-concentration of commercial and service uses in city center, not only have caused more car trips and traffic jams, but it has created unsustainable social and ecological impacts. Overcoming these problems first requires setting aside the car-dependence pattern. Secondly, it needs provision of better pedestrian access and gradually pedestrianization of Hamedan city center streets. These will simultaneously reduce the traffic and enhance civil life.