Developing a Conceptual Model for Urban Texture Sustainability: an Integrated Revitalization Approach

The historical urban tissues are the rich sources of social culture history; so need to be revitalized because of "obsolescence" process during the ages and it is quiet natural. Rather than the characteristics of the historical tissue must be updated to meet the contemporary human needs by "integrated revitalization". This method known as a staged process which followed planned mechanism. Beside of all of this integrated revitalization based on maintaining natural capital for present and future generation which is known as "Sustainability". The main aim of this paper is to propose a model for integrating the two concept of sustainability and revitalization of historic urban quarters and to indicate an appropriate strategy for their revitalization. Based on this aim, this study use analytical-descriptive method according to documents and theoretical framework. So this study is based on several stages: first presents the theoretical review on the concept of "revitalization", and its relationship with sustainability; next, it introduces the characteristics, role, selection process and scaling method of sustainability in compare with revitalization. The paper then, as the main contribution of this paper, proposes the model for measuring the level of sustainability in historic urban quarters and determines some proposals to achieve revitalized and sustainable historic urban quarters. Therefore, when the level of sustainability is high in any one of these three structures, it means that the level of obsolescence is low in the same structures of an historic urban quarter. The result of this paper leads us to say that, the level of sustainability is a new (additional) input in the strategic planning process of revitalization and sustainable urban revitalization of historic urban quarters. Finally, the paper concludes with a brief summary on the general arguments of the paper. As aforementioned, there are three strategic approaches in the revitalization process. Accordingly, there will be three proposals according to the level and types of obsolescence, sustainability and development dynamics in order to achieve more sustainable historic urban quarters. The first strategic approach is determined by whether the area has a high resource value with physical obsolescence, high development dynamics and a high sustainability level. The possibility of high development dynamics, which are accepted as an historic urban quarter is still an attractive proposition for its current use and/or for alternative uses. In respect of these results, an historic urban quarter, where physical obsolescence and high development dynamics is present, it is necessary to implement physical revitalization as a short-term strategy and functional regeneration as a long-term strategy. In the second proposal, the strategic approach is applied when an historic urban quarter has only a partially sustainable position due to the presence of physical and functional obsolescence in the physical structures and problems in the socio-economic structure. If an historic urban quarter has physical and functional obsolescence, the development dynamics are in a static state. According to these results, the proposal should be to implement physical revitalization as a short-term strategy and functional diversification as a long-term economic revitalization strategy to increase the attractiveness and sustainability level of historic urban quarters. The third proposal is applied when an historic urban quarter is in an unsustainable condition and demonstrates a high degree of physical, functional and locational obsolescence. If an historic urban quarter has these three types of obsolescence, the development dynamics are in a declining and/or deteriorating state.