Sustainable Design of Sheikh Tapeh Forest partk, Urmiah

Along with the destruction of natural habitats with urban sprawl, the need for providing green spaces for the purpose of making the ecological balance becomes crucial. Environmental characteristics, as a major urban green spaces, together with recreational activities can have a significant role in improving urban structure and ecology. This research is conducted to respond the need for design of urban forest park and through analyzing the collected documents, presents a precise definition for urban forest parks and defines the principles of sustainable landscape design. It could be useful for these sorts of parks, generally. The main objective of this research is to provide a policy for design of urban forest parks. It considers the possibility of developing them in the framework of physical or functional developments. The case study is Sheikh Tappe Forest Park which is located in Urmiah city. It has a vital role in the city and is a major green space. In the sustainable design of Sheikh Tappe Forest Park, primarily, the physical, biological and cultural characteristics of the park were identified. Afterwards, along with the assessment of ecological capability, the aesthetics and public preferences were recognized through the distribution of questionnaires. Also the recreational utilities and their interrelationships are studied. In conclusion the master plan which aims to promote the quality of the park has been presented.