Principles of Designing Urban Flexible Spaces with Disaster Management Approach (Case study: Old Contexts of Gorgan)

Vulnerability of old urban contexts against natural and man-made disasters and severe shortage of public open spaces in order to gathering and sheltering of people in times of disasters makes more critical the situation of these contexts during disasters such as earthquake, flood and fires. On the other hand, the shortage of appropriate urban spaces for creating more vitality in old and unsuitable neighborhoods of cities requires constructing appropriate spaces and places in cities (especially in old and central contexts of city that suffers from per capita poverty of services and green spaces) to improve the quality of life and help to increase resiliency of cities. What has importance among these is that these spaces with a necessary flexibility in addition creating vitality in old urban contexts and helping in reproducing these contexts, should have had the necessary efficiency and usage in order to better managing in critical situations in urban neighborhoods.
This is an analytical-descriptive study. At first the concept of old urban contexts, disaster management, definition of urban spaces and flexibility in urban spaces have been studied and then after a brief introduction of the studied sample (an area in old context of Gorgan) were provided measures in order to the suitability of urban spaces for disaster management and flexibility of these spaces.
Findings: The findings show that there are many factors that are involved in better disaster management in urban contexts. Among these from the architectural view can pointed out to spatial characteristics of existence opened and closed spaces in public urban areas such as adaptability of spaces, variability (multi-functional spaces), changeability, expandability and making changes in open and closed spaces as attributes of urban flexible spaces.
About the topic of disaster management in urban contexts, especially old urban contexts from the perspective of urban planning and locating appropriate spaces in order to temporary and emergency housing, numerous studies have been done which in most of them has been emphasized on the importance of predicting open urban spaces in different areas and widening pathways. But from the architectural perspective and that the flexible and multifunctional urban spaces what characteristics must have with the approach of disaster management, there is no research. This study addressed this topic and at the end of the research a plan is also provided for a sample in the study area.