Mehr Housing and New Communitie's Right to the City: A Case Study of the Parand Project

In this article, we assess the Mehr Housing Project carried out in the new city of Parand near Tehran in terms of the right to the city. The required information was collected in two periods—once in 2012 at the time of the first settlements in the project’s housing units and another time in 2015 when most units were occupied. Field work for the study benefited from a qualitative approach—including observation, interviews with the project authorities, and interviews with residents, and a desk review of available documents. Findings indicate that provision of inexpensive shelter may not necessarily ensure equity, as housing ownership in this way may negatively impact residents’ right to the city. Among other things, employment opportunities may become scarce for the new communities. Iran’s new Comprehensive Housing Plan calls for the replacement of Mehr Housing Project with new low-income housing initiatives. Yet, this change of path requires better insights into earlier experiences with the Mehr Housing Plan. Indeed, it is necessary that policy-makers take into consideration the need for side services and opportunities— including employment, education, healthcare, and urban services.