نشریه معماری و شهرسازی ایران
پیاپی 20 (پاییز و زمستان 1399)

In recent decades, the urban population has experienced rapid growth due to migration from rural to urban areas, especially in developing countries. Thus, urbanization is considered one of the most significant phenomena of the present era. Iran is no exception, and urbanization has seen considerable changes in this growth, which has created a surplus of demand in the housing sector, the immediate result of which is a sharp increase in the costs of housing. Therefore, planning and constructing mass housing projects, including Mehr housing, as a large-scale national project to provide accommodation for low-income groups, is of paramount importance. Given the phase-by-phase nature of implementation in such projects at different times and regions, it is necessary to measure the level of satisfaction of the people residing in some of these housing complexes. This research examines the qualitative effectiveness in people’s lives and determines the positives and mainly the negatives to improve the prospective phases. As a systematic process, post-occupancy evaluation methods focus on assessing residents’ needs from perspectives of safety and security, functionality and utility, and in general physical comfort and peace of mind. Thus, this process has a strategic role in formulating and correcting the process at hand through receiving feedback from environmental users of the occupied housing complexes. It also contributes significantly to the success of the design and liveliness of the residents, who are among the more vulnerable and sensitive sections of society, and as a result, contributes to social prosperity. Accordingly, the main purpose of the research is to emphasize the role of post-occupancy evaluation in the early stages of large-scale construction projects to employ the findings in ensuing similar projects and, therefore, improve the satisfaction of residents of similar projects. Due to the significant budgets spent on such projects, such evaluations are also necessary to prevent the loss of national wealth.

In this research, the case study strategy and the hybrid (qualitative-quantitative) method were used, i.e. First, the theoretical framework was formulated descriptively-analytically, and then the field data were collected through the distribution of the researcher-made questionnaire among the research population. Finally, descriptive and inferential statistical analyses of the data and generalization of results were presented in the form of research suggestions. This research’s case study was Dolat-e-Mehr residential complex, located in Dolatabad town in Kermanshah city, and the sample size was estimated using Cochran’s formula. The respondents were randomly selected, and the data were subsequently analyzed using SPSS 22.

Contrary to most similar studies, the results of this research indicate that despite the relative satisfaction of residents with the activity-based and social criteria, the lowest level of satisfaction was witnessed in physical criteria, including meeting the needs of environmental comfort, especially in the architectural scale of buildings. Environmental quality and residential satisfaction criteria, including visual suitability, environmental variability, and readability, which are mainly of physical and architectural nature, were evaluated as low. In contrast, flexibility, adaptability, permeability, sustainability, and liveliness, which are mostly activity-based and social factors, were assessed as moderate. Thus, the overall level of satisfaction with the complex can be considered moderate and possibly on the downside, considering the particular demography of respondents. In the end, it is noteworthy that the results of the present study indicate that the lowest level of satisfaction in Dolat-e-Mehr residential complex was attributed to the quantity and quality of green space, as well as access to welfare and recreational facilities. Subsequently, the main architectural items of landscapes, the variety of materials, textures, and colors in environments, the facades of the buildings, the general and environmental arrangement of the complex, and the items mainly on the urban scale, namely access to health, hygiene and other important centers, and, of course, services such as public transportation, as well as population density, have been attributed to little satisfaction. Other subjects including the number, dimensions, and size of blocks, units, and spaces, especially in meeting existing needs, separation of zones, lighting, and ventilation in public and private spaces, and buildings’ stability, which are mainly of the architectural scale, were assessed as moderate. Moreover, the suitability of the area for accommodation, silence and acoustic comfort, access to the complex, infrastructure facilities, safety, and security status, maintenance management, and social interactions, which are usually discussed on an urban scale, were also scored moderate.

By a generalization of the results of this survey and also considering the similar design patterns of mentioned types of these minimal housing plans and the existing executive defects in them, it should be noted that in addition to concentrating the activity, social, and cultural dimensions, the physical aspects of the subject should also be focused in this field. Moreover, it is necessary to pay special attention to the architectural scale as much as the urban scale of these complexes. Accordingly, suggestions can be made for planning, designing, and constructing future buildings. Some of the most important of them are mentioned below: Preparing a checklist of design principles and standards in architectural and urban scales and observing them to improve residential satisfaction according to all environmental quality criteria, especially in terms of visual proportions, physical and activity flexibility, as well as formal and functional readability with emphasis on the low-scored items including landscapes, variety of materials, textures and colors in spaces, attractiveness of buildings exteriors, public and environmental order. Improving the quantity and quality of green spaces in residential complex areas in accordance with the population. Providing recreational facilities in complexes or at least facilitating proper access to them. Planning and preparing appropriate access to complexes and from them to important urban uses. Affecting neighborhood units by allotting housing units to specific social groups with homogeneous communities to promote participation and social interactions.

Novice designers in design workshops are constantly finding themselves on the quest for an elegant solution to design problems. Still, a large portion of educators and professors are not able to, or willing to, define a distinct course for this quest, thus leading to problems of disorientation for these novice designers. However, it is noteworthy that the paths and processes for reaching such an ideal are absolutely unique to each designer, as at least some part of this process is intuitive and exploratory. Thus no same pattern can be handed out to all designers. Yet, this does not mean that students and novice designers can obtain their design formula without any external guidance from their instructors and relying only on inner instinct.

This study seeks to provide a clear and systematic model based on the previously discussed design records to prevent plagiarism and assist novice designers in solving the design problem, especially in response to the aesthetic aspects of the design that do not have any explicit assessment criteria. Considering that the causal relationship between the independent variable and the dependent variable is examined in this research, and the independent research variable, i.e., the educational model provided for teaching architectural design, can be manipulated by the researcher, this research is a quasi-experimental study. For this purpose, firstly, 28 students from the 4th semester of architecture were divided into two groups of control and experiment. The control group members then performed the desired exercise (study desk design) without using design records and only based on previous experiences. At the same time, the experimental group members were offered the proposed model and were free to use the design records. In the next stage, students’ schemas were scored using the self-assessment method, and the opinion of experts (professors of architecture) and the data were analyzed.

The path that scientists of different fields take to solve the problem, no matter how difficult and challenging, ultimately has a very clear and well-structured nature. However, the same is not valid for the design problem. This effect is more pronounced in the early works of novice designers. It is given that the various paths and stages of this process cannot be clearly observed and explained. In fact, the designer’s mind shapes new designs within mind what is perceived from nature, geometry, and samples of previous works, among others, by analyzing and combining elements therein. It can be argued that designing would not be simply feasible without having an intellectual archive of design resources in mind. The experience of facing design problems is critically involved in achieving their solutions. As such, novice designers and students who lack sufficient experience may be easily disoriented in solving design problems. Meanwhile, examples of prior works and projects, scientifically known as design records, are the most extensively used resources by designers, especially novice ones. Without a clear pattern and framework for exploiting these design records, risks such as tumbling into the trap of plagiarism and blind adherence to the teacher’s approach threaten the design, leading to their repressed skills development.

Design problems, unlike problems within the realm of experimental science, are mostly struck with poor structures and have ill-defined nature. There are no concrete paths and predefined frameworks for solving design problems. The main purpose of this study was to propose an approach to changing the nature of ill-structured design problems to a relatively well-structured one and thus employing the use of it in training novice designers. This goal was followed by proposing a model for framing the design problem using examples from previous design works. It should be noted that still the ultimate goal of the present study was to discover solutions for better learning and improving the skills of novice designers, rather than achieving an innovative and perfect design. The results of this study revealed that designing based on the proposed model alleviates the confusion of the novice designer especially in the early stages of working on design problems, while encourages facing the challenges of improving design skills, all of which is achieved by employing such a clear and systematic way. Nonetheless, the comparison of the works of the tested students showed better results and yielded higher scores for the group that developed their design using the proposed framework. Moreover, employing the proposed model reduced the probability of plagiarism and led to increased variety in the experimental group's schemas. The results showed that the experimental group's schemata compared with the schemata of the control group, received a higher average score. Using the proposed model reduced the probability of imitation and increased diversity in the experimental group schemas.

Flagship development projects can perform an effective role in enhancing the environmental quality of urban spaces and present the foundation for strengthening the economic, identity, and social aspects of such spaces. Evaluating infrastructure projects and discovering desirability, suitability, and considering determinants such as space exploitation practices are some of the points that should be addressed in defining a pleasing urban space. Citizens’ content with infrastructure projects related to the environmental qualities of urban space relies on understanding the level of response to the user’s demands, the assessment of which is the objective of this study. Research related to the influence of infrastructure flagship development projects and comparative comparison of urban space environmental qualities before and after the project is quite limited from the inhabitants’ point of view. Hence, this essay intends to provide answers to promote environmental quality in this area by comparing the impacts of the underpass construction project on citizens’ perception of environmental quality elements in the Zandieh complex span. Research on flagship development project has focused more on the introduction and analysis of the chief affecting variables, as well as the ones influencing the success of such projects and the satisfaction of residents with the results of their implementation. To date, however, there has been little independent research on comparative analysis of how citizens understand the environmental qualities of urban spaces affected by them in the two periods: before and after a development stimulus project. This matter is the principal goal of this study, and in fact, it is a novel aspect and innovation of this research. Another foremost objective of this investigation is the comparative analysis of citizens’ perceptions of the environmental qualities of urban spaces in the two periods before and after the development of a development project. In fact, this study seeks to answer the question, “Has the perception of citizens of the elements of environmental quality of Zandieh complex as a significant urban space in Shiraz altered after the construction of an underpass on Karim Khan Zand Street?”

In this study, the underpass construction project of Karim Khan Zand Street in Shiraz and the urban spaces carried out in the area of Zandieh Historical Monuments Complex (Bazaar-e-Vakil, Arg-e-Karim Khan, and Bagh-e-Nazar) are selected as case studies. In this study, descriptive-analytical and survey methodologies are adopted. The statistical population of this research involved all businessmen, employees, and citizens over the age of 18 who continuously used the urban spaces within the extent of the underpass project constructed. Because of the ambiguity of the exact number of the statistical population, the sample size of the sample group was 384, and the sample size was calculated using Cochran’s formula. Environmental components, namely access, security, legibility, identity, attractiveness, adaptability, social interaction, and economic efficiency are presented in the form of four dimensions: functional, perceptual, aesthetic, and environmental, to progress the study. Moreover, citizens’ perceptions of the status of each of these elements in two periods, before and after the construction of the project, are studied and analyzed using the questioning technique. The Wilcoxon nonparametric test was adopted to compare items related to each quality before and after the project.

According to the respondents, the findings of this test confirm that the most difficult problem is the environmental quality of access with an average of 1.78. At the same time, the environmental qualities of legibility and economic efficiency, with an average of 1.87, are next. While environmental qualities of security, interaction, and sustainability are relatively improved. The average score of each item in all nine environmental qualities is less than 30, which is the average. This matter means that the respondents are unsatisfied with the current situation in all aspects. The repeated measurement test results and the T-test with Bonferroni generalization reveal that the access situation is not significantly different from the environmental qualities of legibility, adaptability, and economic efficiency. But it differs significantly from other dimensions and is less than all of them. The environmental quality of legibility with an average score of 1.87 does not significantly differ from the dimensions of access, identity, adaptability, attractiveness, and economic status. But it significantly differs with environmental quality, sustainability, security, and interaction, and has a worse situation than all of them. Environmental quality of security with an average score of 2.33, which has the best situation among the studied environmental qualities, significantly differs from the environmental qualities of access, adaptability, and economy. The environmental quality of identity with an average score of 0.27 is significantly different only from the environmental quality of access and has a better position. The environmental quality of the interaction with an average score of 2.26 is significantly different from the environmental, accessibility, and economic environmental qualities and has a better position than these three environmental qualities. The environmental quality of sustainability with an average score of 2.24 differs significantly from access, legibility, and economic environmental qualities and has a better position than them. The environmental quality of compliance with an average score of 2.02 is not significantly different from any other environmental quality. The environmental quality of attractiveness, with an average of 2.18 differs significantly only from the environmental quality of access and is better positioned. Eventually, the environmental quality of economic efficiency with an average score of 1.87 differs significantly from the environmental qualities of security, interaction, and sustainability.

According to the respondents, the findings of this test confirm that the most affected component is the environmental quality of access, with an average of 1.78. The environmental qualities of legibility and economic efficiency, with an average of 1.87, are next. Furthermore, in this study, solutions have been suggested to increase the environmental qualities of urban spaces that are related to flagship development projects.

The advent of the Industrial Revolution in Iran has led to extensive changes in residential architecture, such as the unprecedented growth of apartment life, the mass construction of pre-designed complexes, and the vertical expansion of housing. Significant parts of architectural spaces formed to supply human beings' individual and social needs and improve the quality of their residential environment throughout history have changed during these developments. At this time, semi-open private spaces were among the most significant spaces that lost many of their features due to this attitude. Semi-open space is an Iranian architecture feature and has played a specific role in the architecture and urbanism in warm and humid areas. Although using a variety of semi-open spaces has a rich history in the architecture of Bushehr city, its role in the new construction of this city has diminished. It has lost many of its physical and functional aspects. The present study aims to investigate the effect of outdoor semi-open spaces on the quality of the residential environment in contemporary apartments in Bushehr city by using mixed research methods. Research literature includes the contents on semi-open spaces as the independent variable and the quality of the residential environment as the dependent variable.

Therefore, four aspects and their components are extracted and evaluated to assess semi-open residential space quality using the content analysis method in the following aspects: 1. Environmental aspects (thermal conditions and air quality, and visual and sound features); 2. Physical aspects (design and architecture type, aesthetic issues, accesses, and contact with the natural environment and green space); 3. Human aspect (individual and psychological characteristics, desires and needs, cultural characteristics and lifestyle, and social relations); and 4. Functional aspects (facilities and capabilities, activities, and services). In order to survey the residents' opinion about these aspects and their components, a questionnaire was designed based on a Likert scale using two different experimental methods, including the purposive approach (i.e. to express people's expectations and needs in the current living conditions), and the ideal and dream approach (i.e. to have a quantitative or qualitative ideal standard based on people's experiences and aspirations. The validity of the questionnaire is evaluated and confirmed based on the Delphi method, by seven experts in the three areas of residential environment quality, semi-open space, and architecture of Bushehr city. The research reliability is investigated using Cronbach's alpha (=0.93). The data are analyzed using a quantitative research method, R software, the Fisher's exact tests (to investigate the independence of two nominal variables), Mann-Whitney U test (a non-parametric test, which is used to investigate two independent subgroups such as gender), and Kruskal Wallis sum-rank test (to investigate variables with more than two subgroups). In the Kruskal Wallis test, wherever the test result is significant (P value less than 0.05), it is concluded that different categories of auxiliary variables have different results. The Dunn's test is used to determine which categories are statistically significantly different in answering the question. Then, those categories that are significantly different from each other are extracted.

This study results show that the spatial aspect has the greatest impact on women's satisfaction, and the functional aspect has the most significant impact on men's satisfaction. The human aspect had the least impact on both genders. Then, the role of components and their related indicators were questioned by genders. In the physical aspect, according to men and women, the index of visual harmony has the greatest impact on the aesthetic components, and the indices of dimensions and type of architecture have the least impact. This result reveals that despite the importance of physical features of terraces, they have been neglected in the design of Bushehr apartments. In the case of the functional aspect, the indices of contact with nature and privacy have provided the highest and lowest level of satisfaction with the component of facilities, respectively. This result emphasizes the need to consider the proper design of terraces to maintain residents' privacy. Concerning the environmental aspect for both genders, the residents' culture plays the most significant role. For this component, the highest and lowest scores are attributed to lifestyle and air quality indices, respectively. Regarding the human aspect, according to both genders, the psychological aspect component plays the most significant role. The highest and lowest priorities are attributed to the indices of attachment to place and family interactions, respectively.

The results of this study reveal that, among the components, women have more tendency to the spatial component, and men pay more attention to the functional component. The impact of human and environmental components was also the next priority for the residents, respectively. Among the subcomponents of the terrace, from the women's perspective, the residents' culture, and from the men's perspective, the aesthetics had the greatest impact on the satisfaction of the residents of Bushehr apartments. The effect of the terrace on improving social interactions has received the lowest score from the perspective of both groups. Also, the visual harmony index had the highest, and family interactions had the least impact on the residential environment quality among both genders. According to the results of this study on the importance of terrace spatial features in improving the quality of Bushehr contemporary apartment housing, providing physical criteria to achieve the appropriate design pattern for this type of space, and also recognizing related problems in the form of competent authorities such as municipalities, can be a suitable topic for future research.

Urban space can be of great benefit to humans when it meets their expectations, making sense in the form of various environmental, social, physical, economic, and other dimensions. Evaluative images reflect the city’s effective public mental image and provide a useful picture of the perceived quality of the dominant elements of the city. The urban landscape is important because it can act as a source of satisfaction for the people or a remedy for the daily concerns of life. The reshaping of the city must be guided by a visual program, the development of which requires an awareness of how people value urban landscape and its meaning.

This study was conducted to examine Ahvaz citizens’ mental image of the elements along the banks of Karun River using evaluative criteria, such as a sense of relaxation, security, satisfaction, motivation, excitement, and popularity. This paper is an applied research project that has used quantitative and descriptive methods conducted by the recognition-evaluation method (evaluative images). The present study uses a random sampling method in which the female and male respondents are classified equally. The statistical population consists of Ahvaz citizens who were present in the area (residents and non-residents). Respondents were categorized by dividing the area into eight sections. The Cochran model was used to sample and estimate the sample size and to distribute the questionnaire. According to the results of this model, the statistical sample size is 186. The data were collected to evaluate the individuals’ mental image and the degree to which these images were desirable or not (degree of effectiveness) using a questionnaire. The data were analyzed using the SPSS 20 Software. The questionnaire structure consists of two parts. People with the same conditions were not questioned. Therefore, the first part of the questionnaire included questions about age, gender, the number of visits to the park, the vicinity of the living space to the park, the purpose of going to the park (e.g., recreation, exercise, work, study and meeting with friends), and the time of going to the park. The second part of the questionnaire were prepared and formulated to evaluate Ahvaz citizens’ mental images of the elements along the banks of Karun River following the theoretical research foundations using the “evaluative mental images” method.

The research findings indicated that the general public agreed on the spaces’ visual attractiveness and unattractiveness. According to the evaluative attributes, Ahvaz citizens create strong positive evaluative mental images from the spaces with different functions and high environmental qualities. In contrast, low-quality spaces create poor evaluative mental images in people’s minds. A poor mental image can be created in the viewer’s mind due to low security levels, low-quality equipment, dark sidewalks, dirt and pollution, insufficient sitting spaces on the river banks to watch the river landscape, placement of the settings in solitude and existence of unknown places (i.e., inappropriate location), and finally insufficient green space in the surroundings. This leads to an unpleasant feeling of space for the citizens. However, among the elements and spaces along the banks of Karun River, the bridges, the beach restaurants, the special scenery (e.g., the botanical garden, the sculpture, and the elements), the children’s playground (due to its symbolic nature), the positive nostalgia in the viewer’s mind, the novelty of spaces and functions, and the contrast with the surrounding environment, have formed a positive mental image in the viewer’s mind.

According to studies, Ahvaz citizens’ mental image is lower than the theoretical average due to the low evaluative attributes of walking and sports paths, riverside, youth hangouts, and green spaces. In other words, these spaces have created a poor mental image in the viewer’s mind. Also, an unpleasant feeling has been created in the citizens due to low level of security and quality of facilities, lack of lighting in the walking paths, pollution, lack of sitting space in the riverside to watch the river landscape, placement of the settings in solitude and existence unknown places (inappropriate location) and finally lack of different green space structure in the surrounding. However, among the existing spaces and elements in Karun riverside, bridges, beach restaurants, spectacular landscapes (botanical gardens, statue, and element), and children playground have created a positive mental image in the viewer’s mind due to being a symbol and sign of positive memory in the viewer’s mind, and due to the novelty of the spaces and function and contradiction with the surrounding environment. According to the research findings, the attributes of each section have been lower than the average and have had poor environmental quality. Therefore, it can be said that the following measures can be useful in improving the citizens’ mental image in Karun Riverside. It can be improved by increasing the quality of the environment, enhancing the quality of sidewalks, creating navigation, increasing the social security in Karun Riverside using proper lighting. Provision of required facilities in various spaces along Karun Riverside, providing adequate sitting places, toilets, pavilions, buffet, and restaurants, and beautifying the area by eliminating the corners and blind spots is also helpful. Increasing the lighting in spaces and paths, improving the quality of green space, and applying green space in different parts and increasing the number of symbolic elements are other effective solutions.

Human requires meaning understanding for perception of the environment. Perception is the process by which we select and interpret environmental stimuli to achieve meaningful experiences. In this process, the mind, as an audience, looks for certain dimensions of the subject to find meaning and concept. Every phenomenon, transfers its message through meaning, when it is in the scope of human perception. The first deliberate or unconscious attempt by human beings is based on the creation of a kind of alignment between their mental states and environmental forces arising from the phenomenon. Only in this case effective communication with the environment and a meaningful experience are possible. In other words, human tries to create a personal identity of architectural space in his mind. Therefore, the audience's atmosphere affects our sense of environment by the organization of elements. Therefore, cognition of latent signs in the environment, contributes to meaning perception by the audience. Hence, in environment psychology, the process of perception, finding meaning determinants will help architects to design. Previous studies in the field of humanities and psychology related to meaning have been carried out rarely; with regard to the extent of the factors influencing the formation of meaning, so far, no research in the field of architecture and environmental sciences has examined the these variables. In addition, the influence of these factors and their interactions, prioritization and measurement of their importance are not observed. The purpose of this study is to investigate factors affecting the creation of meaning in the minds of individuals, to rank these factors to find the most effective priorities, to find the means of communication, and interaction of these factors on each other, and to show how they optimally function.

This research is applied and it is descriptive from research design viewpoint, which is carried out in a subgroup of the Delphi-type survey method. In the theoretical section of the research, internet resources, archives, and documentary studies have been used to for finding meaning determinant. In this regard, 28 factors affecting meaning were categorized in five sub-criteria. They included 20 “personal factors” in the three sub-criteria of “social and predestination”, “personality” and “adventitious” and 8 “environmental factors” were categorized in two sub-criteria of “physical environment” and “behavioral environment”. Then, according to TOPSIS requirements, a questionnaire has been developed including 71 pair comparisons in terms of two 9-degree spectra for determining modeling and ranking meaning determinant.

The statistical population of the study consisted of all faculty members and post-graduate students of Shiraz universities. In this research, a questionnaire was used for data collection. To eliminate the risk of sampling errors and increasing the validity of the research, a questionnaire was distributed among the 340 members of the available statistical population through a computer or face-to-face visit. Data were analyzed from 203 returned questionnaires via TOPSIS technique and Shannon entropy method. The results showed that the factors of “identity and personality” (Ci= 1.00, Di+= 0.00, Di-= 0.20) in personality sub-criteria and “the type of human relationship with the environment” (Ci= 1.00, Di+= 0.00, Di-= 0.26) in behavioral environment sub-criteria ranked first. There is no significant difference between personal and environmental criteria in the meaning formation that shows they are not given priority in terms of the meaning formation and they have the same effect. According to the information, attitudes of males and females (Sig= 0.283, H0 result=Not reject), academic rank (Sig= 0.501, H0 result=Not reject) and type of university (Sig= 0.953, H0 result=Not reject) are almost identical and they have the same viewpoint in identifying various factors. Finally, a systematic and comprehensive model of the factors influencing the creation of meaning was developed using Vensim software.

28 effective factors on the meaning, which, 20 “personal factors” in the three sub-criteria of “social and fate”, “personality” and “Acquisition” and 8 “environmental factors” were categorized in two sub-criteria of “physical environment” and “behavioral environment”. Then, the cause and effect model, by forming an interconnected structure of factors, indicates the way relationships and factors interact with each other, depending on their priority. According to the model, each factor influences several factors. The two factors of “Identity and character” and “Type of human relationship with the environment” have a centrality in the loop of influencing factors, which is evidence of their power of influence among the determinants, because they are directly and indirectly involved in the formation of meaning in the mind. On the other hand, the influence of factors such as “Depth of human presence”, “Experiences and skills”, “Family”, “Job”, “culture” and “sense of place”, which are influential in other priorities, are well known. By analyzing these relationships, we conclude that everything that human encounters during his/her life, both consciously and unconsciously, is the source of meaning for him/her. Therefore, designers can increase the quality of architectural space and more effectively communicate with audience by considering and targeting each of these factors. According to the discussion above, architecture separated from its functional aspects conveys meaning; it acts as a mediator for determining the meaning and it can affect their perceptions and behaviors as space users forming the individual's environmental behavior.

Fundamentally, the urban landscape is the level of human and “urban phenomenon” contact; consequently, it is a dynamic concept and a substantial part of citizens’ knowledge, and emotions. Environmental behavior is also formed under its influence. The importance of urban landscape as an intermediary between human and urban phenomenon is that, it has sometimes been mentioned that “urban design” is the management of the urban landscape (objective and subjective landscape).” Meanwhile, the interaction of man and the urban phenomenon has been formed through the urban landscape, and the urban landscape position is very important in the multifaceted human-environmental relationship. View corridors are passages of public spaces to view environmental qualities. View corridors are formed along linear openings and are placed in front of signs or strategic landscapes or excellent urban vital points. View corridors may be used on different scales and for various functional or formal objectives in urban design. Since urban corridors allow an optimal and enjoyable view of the urban landmarks and visual and natural values, they can create a desired mental memory and a coherent mental image of urban public arenas that strengthens citizens’ sense of orientation in the city. Urban thinkers and experts have always considered the interaction between natural and human ecosystems; however, the range of ideas and theoretical foundations of views has been different in dealing with and intervening with them. Regarding the eras and the occurrence of events, the progression of technology and the expansion of cities, different perspectives, theories, and approaches to ecological issues, the coexistence of city and nature, and their interaction have been shaped. Inspection of life quality indicators showed that mental health is one of the main components of life quality. On the other hand, the results show a meaningful relationship between the dimensions of life quality and the concept of mental health. Summarizing the studies and opinions of experts in line with the role of visual and natural urban corridors reveals that view corridors along with natural and urban green infrastructure can provide a healthy environment and deliver physical and mental health for residents. A healthy environment can also bring about socio-economic benefits to the communities in which people live.

Nowadays, many studies have revealed that the destruction of the natural gateway corridors is one of Iran’s current urban development problems. The natural view corridors were destroyed during the unorganized development of Iran cities, including Hamedan city. The literature and the subjects of natural urban corridors are less studied in this city as a way to create mental health in citizens. There seems to be a lack of theoretical and spatial-oriented rules and solutions as a knowledge gap in this regard. It can be argued that in the context of a comprehensive, local, and thematic urban plan policy, the lack of policies for view corridors can be considered a problem. Without a comprehensive and accurate understanding of the city and urban spaces as it is to its citizens, it is difficult to explain why people interact with a particular place and how it benefits them. It is almost impossible to know how to modify and change the desired location to make it a matter of personal preference without a complete understanding of the city.

Consequently, in the current research, based on some sensitive theories obtained from the study and review of theories and investigations, an attempt was made to ask people and the main users of spaces about their preference of specific places in people’s lives in a qualitative research method. Therefore, people’s level of mental health and well-being attributed to or perceived from the place must be identified to understand people’s preferences. Thus, based on the analysis and combination of the results, a conceptual framework was formed to better understand people’s interaction with the environment and the role of urban natural corridors, and the meanings of production and reception in improving citizens’ mental health. Due to the lack of research in this field, it can be said that the findings of this study have strengthened the existing knowledge by establishing a connection between reading the text of urban corridors and receiving their meaning and also interacting with the environment. Regarding this research approach, this issue is also important in the context of our society and the role of social and physical background in the formation of such a mechanism. In this regard, two natural view corridors in Hamedan, which continued towards Alvand, were selected as case studies. In the current research, the role of these two corridors in Hamedan citizens’ mental health was examined. A five-point Likert scale questionnaire and regression analysis were used in SPSS19 software to achieve this goal. The results revealed that environmental criteria, mental landscape perception, objective landscape perception, socio-cultural ecology, and adaptation to daily vital requirements had a significant impact on citizens’ mental health in the form of two urban natural view corridors in Hamedan.

In terms of practicality, it can be said that the most important finding of this research for experts of urban management, planning, and urban design, especially managers of Hamedan city is that, in changing and developing natural corridors, they should have a complete understanding of the meanings of place and its effect on the health of individuals and for the interested groups in the natural urban corridors. Given the importance of meaning, urban managers should apply the environmental changes regarding the individuals’ multifaceted interaction with space.

The philosophy of openings, including doors and windows, and their formation process is very sophisticated. These elements are considered important aspects of the history and aesthetic values of the buildings. The architecture of these areas is of remarkable interest in sentimentality, structure, geometry, design principles, scale, decoration, consistency, etc. However, further investigations are required to recognize these valuable elements for future research and the progress of the studies and efforts. In recent years, the salesmen admit that the opening areas in Amir Arsan complex have been changed tremendously. In addition, the performance of these areas has also been transformed. The high-quality wood materials used to reconstruct opening areas have been recently replaced with metal frames. There, the openings do not seem compatible with the whole environment anymore. In some cases, the openings have been projected from the building, blocking the passages and deteriorating the building legibility. Moreover, the new decorations in the openings are not related to Bazar’s architecture, and the initial architectural precise details of Bazar have been lost. Most of the opening inscriptions that were added to the stores in the form of Azari Kalil vaults have been destroyed now, and only a few have remained. The aforementioned variations indicate the loss of originality in these valuable places. The continuation of this miss-performance may cause severe damages and destroy the identity of these areas.

The present study was performed via field research, documentology of the existing literature, and the use of questionnaires analyzed on a Likert scale. This study is comprised of two questionnaires that are based on the researcher’s investigations. An evaluated statistical society has been chosen randomly. The statistical population in the first questionnaire is composed of 30 passersby and 30 salesmen. The error coefficient was measured as 5% using the Cochran equation. The second questionnaire was distributed among 20 experts. In the first questionnaire, the quality of openings has been investigated based on three parameters, including performance, appearance, and identity. The obtained data were further analyzed with SPSS software, and Kolmogorov–Smirnov test was used to measure the normal distribution of the scores for the studied parameters. In order to compare the three aforementioned parameters for two sub-groups, including the passersby and the salesmen, a one-way analysis of variance (one-way ANOVA) was utilized. The second questionnaire was based on location and compared the quality factors in two groups of design principles and architectural principles in seven locations.

A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was utilized in the first questionnaire to help the two groups of salesmen and passersby evaluate the parameter of “performance” and its sub-factors. According to the results, the salesmen liked the parameter of “performance” (in the design of openings) more than the passersby; their average score values were 33.77 and 28.48, respectively. In the “energy” sub-factor, the passersby were more in agreement (9.84 average) than the salesmen (9.53). The sub-factors of “accessibility” and “strength” were scored 12.09 and 10.92 by the salesmen, which was more than the average score scored by the passersby (8.40 and 10.59). The obtained results in the “form” parameter suggest average value scores of 30.16 and 28.79 for the salesmen and passersby. In the case of sub-factors related to “entrance openings” and “main space”, the salesmen scored higher (9.78 and 12.57) than the passersby (8.34 and 11.50). Eventually, in the case of the third parameter, “the connection of the two openings entrances and main space”, the passersby admired the openings in these spaces more than salesmen, and their average scores were 8.78 and 7.76. The parameter of “identity” was the last investigated one, which was comprised of two “history” and “ecology” sub-factors. In the case of these two sub-factors, passersby scored 27, 18.37, and 8.88, which were more than the values scored by salesmen (25, 16.25, and 8.53). In the second questionnaire, concerning the quality of openings from the experts’ viewpoints, the obtained scores in the seven investigated locations (ranged from 19 to 109) indicate three weak (19-49), medium (50-79), and good (80-109) scales. Overall, the quality of openings in Amir Yard, the north Amir Timcheh, and south Amir Timcheh, Amir Rasteh (alley), east Dalan (corridor), west Dalan, and southeast Dalan was scored 55, 57, 56, 51, 54, 53, and 45, respectively. These scores were finally evaluated as weak.

The results reveal that there are 12 kinds of openings with inscriptions and 7 kinds of openings with coloring patterns in this Arsan. The average numeric values of the opening quality are scored 65 and 71 by salesmen and passersby from a total score of 115; they are indicated as low values. The quality of openings scored from 31 to 151 in three different rates (poor: 31-71, medium: 72-111, and good: 112-151). The quality of openings was scored in three rated from 19 to 109 according to expert’s opinion (poor: 19-49, medium: 50-79, and good: 80-109). As a result, the quality of openings in Amir yard, north Timcheh, south Timcheh, Amir Rasteh (alley), east Dalan (corridor), west Dalan, and southeast Dalan was scored 55, 57, 56, 51, 54, 53, and 45 respectively, which can be evaluated as medium scores. The quality of designing principles for openings in north Timcheh had the highest score, and the other places such as east Dalan, south Timcheh, Amir yard, west and east Dalans were rated differently. The quality of architectural principles had the highest score in south Timcheh, and the lower scores were related to the Yard, north Timcheh, east and west Dalan, Amir Rasteh, and southeast Dalan, respectively. The weakness areas of the openings are related to the lack of identity in the openings, ignoring the effect of color in the reconstruction of openings, narrow openings in Amir yard, the inconsistency of the yard openings due to different opening heights (the height of window surface to yard surface), visual distortions, and various changes in southeast Dalan. Consequently, paying attention to the parameters with low scores and proposing different solutions for improving the opening quality is necessary. It is also essential to enhance the existing potentials such as traditional and historical structural forms that are compatible with the environmental aspects.

The growth and expansion of early residential nuclei have led to the formation of heterogeneous neighborhoods consisting of context with a minimum standard of construction for low-income residents and a new quality context with more affluent residents. As a result, they have residents with different socio-economic and even cultural backgrounds living together over time. The formation of these complexes in different parts of Tehran has caused social, psychological, and physical problems in the residential environment, ultimately affecting the residents’ quality of life. On the other hand, in recent decades, “diversity” has found a special place in urban planning. Some views suggest that diversity is an essential component of equitable urban development. Variety can take many forms (racial, income, physical, functional, etc.). There are at least a few heterogeneous neighborhoods in each city. Variety in residential neighborhoods, which are heterogeneous in terms of socio-economic class, can lead to different judgments between different groups. In heterogeneous neighborhoods, the external perception of the adjacent residential environment leads to misjudgments, which may lead to interaction or, conversely, to separate groups from each other. Thus, creating a healthy environment in a heterogeneous context has become a significant and serious issue. According to numerous studies in the field of heterogeneous neighborhoods, external judgments are based on objective and subjective factors of texture. So far, the identification and prioritization factors of housing and residential environment quality during the perception and judgment of outsiders in such neighborhoods have not been addressed. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the factors influencing the external judgment of an adjacent neighborhood and the effect of the socio-economic class of individuals on the prioritization of these perceived factors in a heterogeneous context. According to the mentioned issue, this research aims to identify and prioritize the physical and social factors of the heterogeneous neighborhood by the perception of the residents.

This study uses an applied research design. This article uses a survey method to measure the social and physical factors influencing the judgment of outsiders about their adjacent neighborhoods. The study area is Hassanabad-Zargandeh neighborhood, where two old and new contexts are located next to each other, providing accommodation for different classes of people. In this community, two groups of 250 people with different socio-economic class were selected in a poorly developed civilian and non-randomly affluent texture. 500 questionnaires were distributed among the study population to extract the funds and characteristics of housing quality and the residential environment from documentary and library studies and in the survey. Then, using the factor analysis method and the help of SPSS 24 software, the factors affecting external judgment in a heterogeneous context were discovered and prioritized. With this analysis, the views of different groups of residents and their evaluation methods on the objective and subjective characteristics of the neighborhood were obtained.

According to the research findings, the residents’ priorities in their judgments are different from the housing and residential environment of the adjacent neighborhood. Accordingly, when perceiving and judging the adjacent housing and residential environment, the higher socio-economic status group pays attention to the factors of passway, open and private green space, facade, combination of uses, security, material, and details. The lower socio-economic status group pays attention to the security, façade, perceptual density, spatial quality, passway, access to facilities, and socio-cultural factor in their judgments.

In the perception of a complex, higher socio-economic status group prioritizes physical factors over non-physical ones and pays more attention to them. It can be said that objective factors are more important for this group than subjective factors. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the diversity, architecture, and physical housing of the lower socio-economic status group to reduce the negative judgment of the affluent residents. Because in heterogeneous neighborhoods, paying attention to the attitude and tendency of the upper class to coexist with the lower class is more decisive. According to the visual and social disruptions, the different social classes, the place of residence, and ignoring how housing factors and residential environment are valued can cause negative labeling between a group (especially the affluent group to the lower class group), leading to tension and disintegration of a heterogeneous society. It is necessary to pay attention to these perceptual priorities in the planning and policy-making of heterogeneous urban contexts in order to make the coexistence of groups possible.

In Isfahan, a new age in Iranian civilization began with the rise of the Safavid Dynasty. Economically strong and politically stable, this period saw a flourishing growth in many social events, engendering new viewpoints in developing social issues. Traditional architecture evolved, leaving its impact on many new realization plans. New master plans were elaborated regarding what could be understood as progressive urban planning in consideration of town expansion. With important social concerns, the appearance of new patterns based on geometrical networks in the development of cities organized the open urban spaces, taking into account all the natural elements. The social life of the society has been following these developments and has emerged at different levels of the city. During this period, a major linking avenue, known as Chahar Bagh Avenue, and a public square known as Naqsh-e Jahan, and the Bazaar created the possibility of social life in the city. Due to the particular geographical position of the Safavids’ capital, known as Isfahan, the river context has provided a situation to reflect the effects of these activities on the bridge structure. Chahar Bagh Avenue created the town’s main fusion and viewpoints towards Zayandeh Rud River and bridges such as Allahverdi Khan, Khaju; hence, creating greater social accessibility to different quarters and communities. Each bridge coincides with a straight avenue running through the city from north to south. Bridges had two functional purposes, to link the town’s two parts, to function as a dam. But mostly, due to the progressive social views, they were to create places of encounter, rest, and gathering for the people. Therefore, the bridge was conceived as an urban living space inherent to the town itself with different layers of rest, commerce, and use, as well as benefiting from the agreement of Zayandeh Rud River. The Safavid bridges of Isfahan are an important part of the urban structure in this city. This study seeks to explain the components which shaped these building as a collective space in the contemporary era. In this article, the qualitative research method has been used for data collection, and data were analyzed through qualitative content analysis. This method aims at the collection and a broad description of a phenomenon, and the achievement of this analysis is the concepts or descriptive classes of a phenomenon. The data of this research has been collected through oral interviews. The original codes were extracted from the text of the interview and then classified. The method of data analysis is content analysis with a deductive approach. The units of meaning were selected from the text in the form of paragraphs and statements, and the primary codes were extracted. Finally, the main classes (categories) were extracted.

Throughout history, rulers and designers have always paid special attention to the design and construction of bridges. The difference between the bridges in Iran is caused by the geographical conditions of the area and the need for water storage, which has caused many original bridges to be constructed in the form of a bridge and a dam simultaneously. The construction of urban bridges in Isfahan during the Safavid era is a major milestone in the history of bridge construction in Iran. The Safavid era should be considered the golden age of bridge design and construction, especially the inner-city bridges. Khaju and Allahverdi Khan Bridges are the most famous bridges that always took people’s attention because of their memorable roles in Isfahan’se structure and urban society. The special point in shaping Khaju and Allahverdi Khan Bridges is the attention to urban and recreational functions along with the function of passage. These bridges are considered urban elements in the landscape of Isfahan city due to their various functions and their essential role in the city structure.

Architecture shapes a part of the culture in each society, and the formation of culture in each community is approximately dependent on architecture. It is a need that requires paying more attention to consider and review the context of forming these bridges. Memorability is a part of the perceptual sense of architecture acceptance. Citizens consider the sense of nostalgia in these buildings as a very influential factor in their presence. This memorability impacts the formation of their individual and social identity. In a city like Isfahan, where urban spaces act as urban signs, bridges are considered a part of the city identity because of their historical character. Their identity role becomes more effective as a result of being located in the city and playing the contemporary and functional role. Obviously, the presence of Isfahan residents on these bridges significantly affects their psychological and environmental perception. It can be said that environmental psychology is an influential component for presence in these places. The components, such as the visual and perceptual sense of materials and their influence on the user, create a sense of place attachment. Natural river context influences the user, in the perspective of influencing phenomenological senses. Also, the structure of bridges in interaction with the river context leads to the creation of phenomenological senses. As in Khaju Bridge, the creation of water sound is one of the elements considered by the interviewees as an inseparable part of the bridges.

As stated, the codes extracted from interviews were classified into 12 general categories. The main categories of this study refer to the subjects influencing social acceptance of the bridges. These categories can be mentioned as: aesthetics dimension, psychology and environmental perceptions, the components affected by memorable sense, the impact of natural river context, on how to welcome the building, visual and perceptual impact of materials, interaction between different functions and bridge architecture. It can be said that the compiled components cannot be introduced separately; they influence each other or have two-sided interactions, in addition to the conducted categorization. All components extracted in the contemporary period greatly influence the creation of functional public space in the urban structure of Isfahan. The oldness and nostalgia of the bridges have created a quality that can act as architectural units with urban performance as the function is reviewed in the contemporary period. An analysis of these components also stated that functional review on the space of these bridges in terms of their architectural components in attracting society provides an efficient approach to creating contemporary public spaces.

According to statistics published in the field of energy, today, buildings are known as the largest consumers of energy. Hence, the technological advances in the field of construction increasingly focus on new solutions to reduce energy consumption in the building sector. Achieving environmentally friendly solutions in order to move towards sustainable development in the field of architecture has been considered by architects and designers. Using adaptable technologies in building shells for the use of renewable energy is an important solution. As one of the most important sources of renewable energy, the sun has a small share in producing clean energy in the building section so far. But in recent decades, scientists and designers have increasingly focused on this clean source of energy. One of the new ways to benefit from solar energy is the use of photovoltaic panels. Shells consisting of photovoltaic panels that generate electricity from sunlight are recognized as an essential solution to reduce the use of fossil fuels. The use of low-cost and effective techniques in the field of architecture has contributed significantly to the improvement of the construction process.

This study aims to investigate the effect of using folding techniques to choose the best angle of position for photovoltaic panels used on building facades to increase the solar radiation by using parametric (Grasshopper) and energy (Ladybug) simulation software. After a general analysis of different types of origami methods and the cases used in the construction industry, and the natural forms, four patterns were selected as the basic modules for further study and modeling by the Ladybug plugin in Grasshopper software. Based on the defined and conventional criteria (constructability, without shading, setting toward the sun), these samples could be used on vertical facades of buildings. The base module that can be placed on the vertical facade was modeled, and an extra module was defined based on the literature review on the optimal angle in Tehran latitude to maximize the received solar energy.

A total of 6 final samples were prepared to be simulated. The simulated modules were optimized based on a genetic algorithm using the Galapagos plugin to find the optimal position for receiving maximum solar radiation. This optimization was actually done based on the form parameters to find the most optimal form (a combination of angle and slope). This study seeks to answer the research questions: How can the solar radiation received in photovoltaic panels be increased by using geometric patterns based on the origami technique? In other words, how can the solar radiation be increased by changing the geometric arrangement of the photovoltaic panels according to the daily and annual solar movement patterns? The present study showed that the efficiency of photovoltaic panels is not improved only by using expensive technologies and solar trackers. The factor of change in solar radiation, which is the most important factor in receiving solar radiation during short and long periods of time, can be adjusted by accessible techniques such as the origami technique. In other words, by changing the angle of photovoltaic panels using computer technologies based on the solar movement, more solar energy can be received from radiation. This study shows that changing the arrangement of different photovoltaic panels using the origami technique compared to the base module on the southern facade can increase the received solar energy. The change of forms can increase the produced electrical energy from 3.44 and 11.39%.

According to this research, V-shaped (zigzag) modules can absorb more solar radiation due to the larger photovoltaic panels area. Although the amount of solar radiation per unit area decreases, their use is logically justified when the available surface area is limited. Also, the use of modules made with the help of the Miura origami method showed that it is possible to receive more solar radiation to some extent without using solar trackers or moving views at an economical cost because the different sides of these patterns are more able to absorb radiation over a long period of time (due to the variable daily and seasonal solar movement patterns).

Knowledge-Based Urban Development (KUBD) can be considered a new form, approach, or paradigm of sustainable urban development in the knowledge age. Knowledge-based clusters (e.g., knowledge locations and technopoles) assume that the proximity of knowledge-based and innovative activities reinforces the value chain, establishes knowledge worker-innovator interaction, facilitates knowledge and experience sharing, and leads to a synergistic ability for the development of self and the city. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to test the use of the cluster approach in KBUD in Isfahan before adopting measures based on the cluster approach by analyzing the communication, trust, and participation networks of the key stakeholders of KUBD in Isfahan that provide the basis for knowledge transfer.

This study was carried out in two steps by adopting a quantitative approach with the purpose of descriptive-exploratory operations in a case study framework. In the first step, the key stakeholders are identified through theoretical and non-probability sampling (i.e., snowball), and referring to KBUD experts in Isfahan, using the fuzzy screening method and power-interest matrix model. In this step, 14 key stakeholders were identified. The second step involves analyzing the structure of stakeholder relationships network using the "social network analysis (SNA)" method. The purpose of this study is to examine correlations rather than to analyze the internal patterns of three separate networks, namely communication, trust, and participation. Therefore, the Quadratic Assignment Procedure (QAP) index was used. The sample population in this step consisted of 157 members of the main KBUD stakeholders. Network data were collected through a questionnaire and analyzed using UCINET6.

The results of the linear regression relationship between the three networks of communication, trust, and participation of Isfahan KUBD stakeholders based on the QAP index indicate a significant positive correlation between communication, trust, and participation networks. The trust-participation link has a high correlation coefficient (0.74), indicating that trust is where knowledge-based interactions start and lays the groundwork for stakeholder participation. Nevertheless, the trust-relationship link and the relationship-partnership link have a fairly low correlation coefficient (<0.5). That is, simply increasing the relationship between stakeholders does significantly increase participation or mutual trust. Consequently, despite the high correlation between trust and participation networks, simply increasing the relationship between stakeholders does not significantly increase participation or mutual trust. Hence, it defies the theory of clustering businesses and knowledge-based centers toward realizing KBUD. This is because the mere buildup of such activities and their working relationships does not build mutual trust. It also does not result in their widespread involvement in producing, sharing, and applying knowledge toward urban development.

It is vital to promote stakeholder trust and participation in moving towards KBUD. The findings of this study are consistent with those of Story and Teters (1998) on questioning the role of clusters in technology transfer, Wested and Story (1995) on considering the importance of the actual links between universities and companies situated in science parks as exaggerated, and Messi et al. (1992) on the unavailability of significant evidence confirming the effects of geographical proximity of universities and science parks on promoting technology transfer and synergistic production support. Accordingly, a consensus can be reached with critics of the cluster theory at founding KBUD that knowledge cities should act as places for intellectual development, environmental sensitivity, social inclusion and cohesion, and participatory and transparent governance. This consensus can also be on the fact that knowledge and innovation clusters can succeed by providing a range of high-quality, attractive, and diverse places to live and work. Hence, knowledge-based production does not necessarily require constructing special technological places, e.g., science parks, but it can also occur in public urban spaces and informal places. Indeed, the knowledge required for urban development should not be regarded as technologically limited to which a specific urban space is allocated. Instead, the stage must be set to produce, share, and apply local tacit knowledge all over the city. Citizens' local tacit knowledge can be exploited to facilitate their participation in the development process.

Urban housing pattern is generally categorized into two models: villa (single-family) houses and apartment buildings. Although the subject matter of each of these two patterns is different in the literature, the conventional or short-rise and high-rise buildings or towers comprise the main groups of the apartment buildings. Over the past years, hundreds of residential units have been built in the form of villa and apartment units in the studied area (Area 2 of Ardabil city), and their number is increasing every year. Therefore, the overall purpose of this study is to comparatively evaluate the satisfaction of residents of villas and towers. Among the various ways to determine satisfaction, the judgment of the people living in these types of housing is more valuable than the opinion of experts, consulting engineers, and decision-makers. With such an understanding, the issue is inherently important, and the scientific answer can reduce the ambiguities in the policy-making of planners and those involved in urban affairs.

The present study is descriptive-analytical in terms of practical purpose and terms of nature and method. Data collection is documented in two ways to provide a theoretical and field framework for a survey using a questionnaire. In this study, residents of residential towers and villa houses in District 2 Ardabil are considered the statistical population. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software, and statistical methods such as independent t-test, variance analysis, and single t-test were used in this study.

According to the findings of the single sample t-test evaluating the satisfaction level of residents from the housing pattern, the average value of the total components is 3.18, which indicates that the residents’ satisfaction is above average level. The satisfaction level for villa houses is 2.90, which is close to the average level of satisfaction for residents. Another purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of personal and individual characteristics on residential environmental satisfaction in Ardabil. In this regard, the results of a one-way variance analysis test show that gender and marital variables do not show significant differences in the results of residential towers and villa houses. Independent t-test results show that the variables of education, job, and income affect residents’ satisfaction in towers, but the results differ in villa houses.

In general, by comparing villa houses and high-rise apartments in District 2 Ardabil, it can be acknowledged that the city’s high-rise apartment buildings, in the vast majority of criteria, are more acceptable than villas. Villas were the dominant model in the past due to their independence and historical and cultural identity, local and indigenous architectural patterns, the existence of complementary and diverse spaces, and service activities. Today residential towers are considered the most important and lively residential spaces in the city due to having security and comfort, public spaces and access, management and control, and, most importantly, proximity to important uses and access to public transport. Unlike traditional housing, they can attract a wide range of social groups, including children, adults, and the elderly

The present study analyzes the urban skyline and natural ventilation of land parcels in two urban blocks in Velenjak region of Tehran simultaneously. This study tries to assess the efficiency of the urban blocks not only from the visual aspects– what has been considered by most researchers so far- but also from an environmental perspective. For this purpose, a part of the urban texture in Velenjak region of Tehran is modeled in two patterns, and the airflow with a reference velocity of 4.5 m/s is applied to the models. The models are prepared in two patterns:1. The current status; a situation in which vacant lands have been massed according to existing data and ultimately resulted in a heterogeneous skyline; 2. A pattern in which 4 and 5 story buildings are added to the site, resulting in a homogenous skyline. The modeled area comprises 17 urban blocks and has an area of approximately 483,000 square meters. Wind simulation has been performed by Ansys Fluent Software and k-ε turbulence model, regardless of the atmospheric thermal stratification. Comparing the data obtained from the numerical solutions by Fluent Software to the reference wind tunnel results indicates acceptable accuracy of the selected method.

The information of the nearest meteorological station to Velenjak region is used to assess the data in this area. The data achieved between 2007 and 2016 show that the wind speed is less than 5 meters per second 93% of the time. Therefore, the reference wind speed in this study is considered to be 4.5 m/s at the height of 10 m. Based on the continuity and the frequency of wind in any direction during the mentioned time, an average for the coefficient of importance is defined for each wind direction (Table 1). In this study, a velocity of 1.7 m/s at the height of 10 m above the ground is considered the criterion for wind stagnation state. The reference for the assignment of this velocity is Beaufort’s table.

According to equation 1, a velocity of 1 m/s at 1.75 m balance is equal to a velocity of 1.7 m/s at 10 m balance (α= 0.33). Figures 9 to 12 show the absolute wind speed contours at 10 m balance above the ground on two samples for four wind directions. The areas marked with light blue color are areas of air stagnation. In these areas, the rotational airflow motion, also known as a vortex or a sequence, can be seen (Figure 7). The magnitude of the sequence area around the buildings is directly related to the building’s geometry and architecture and the urban fabric formation. Wind speeds in these areas are minimized, and they are prone to the accumulation of pollutants. A point grid with 100×100 points (Figure 8) is considered over the target area at the height of 10 m to compare the sample data and the velocity value at each point. Outdoor points with velocities greater than 1.7 m/s are separated from points with velocities less than 1.7 m/s, and their frequency percentages are calculated. Since the importance of wind blow in each direction varies, a coefficient of importance is applied to the frequency percentage of the points, shown in Table 1. Comparing airflow in two urban patterns with regular and irregular skylines indicates that air stagnation is seen at 29% of time/place in an area with a balanced skyline. However, in the first sample, at about 45% of time/place, the average wind speed at 10 m balance above the ground is recorded as 1.7 m/s, and thus we experience air stagnation phenomenon.

According to the results, considering buildings to cover 60% of the land parcel according to the construction regulations, and given the wind characteristics of the study area and its urban texture pattern, natural ventilation is provided better in 4 and 5 story buildings with a maximum height of 12 and 15 meters for buildings that cover 60% of the land parcel. This is while 7 story buildings are also allowed to cover 60% of the land parcel due to the relatively highly constructed urban blocks. Based on the results, it can be argued that a balanced skyline is more favorable both aesthetically and environmentally, and that creation of tall buildings in residential areas is only recommended when the building has a symbolic value and plays a special role in the region and affects the skyline.

Naqsh-e Jahan Square in Isfahan has always been recognized as a remarkable urban square of Iranian Islamic architecture in the Safavid era due to its unique buildings, proportions, and qualities that astonish the visitors. However, many believe that the dimensions and the proportions of this urban square are strongly influenced by the proportions of the polo field. Therefore, this article tries to comprehensively understand Naqsh-e Jahan Square as an architectural work and aims to scrutinize the goals and factors affecting its construction, users, and activities in space (content aspects) and its identifying elements in the Safavid era.

The present study uses a combination of research methods. In this research, both descriptive and analytical methods have been used. In this regard, the drawings and writings of Safavid and post-Safavid explorers (1907-1617) and the historical texts have been studied as the main sources of research. The main research components were identified regarding the qualitative nature of the research in analyzing th research problem and the use of interpretive-historical strategies. The research questions try to answer the following: How has the accurate knowledge of the hidden aspects of the polo gamee influenced the identifying factor of Naqgh-e Jahan Square in reviving its original values? And secondly, how have the field elements (water creek, the rows of trees, pavements, stone polo posts) organized the historical qualities and the original values of its urban space as a unique heritage?

According to the historical documents, “leveling Naqsh-e Jahan Square for using it as a polo field and horseback riding field” was the first step in constructing Naqsh-e Jahan Square. After its completion in 1602, a row of shading plane trees along a stream of running water were built that surrounded the square. The central area of the square was left bare, where various activities such as polo game, wooden javelin throw, athletics, military parades, celebrations and competitions, sales, peddling, and dozens of other activities took place. Twelve main entrances and several small entrances were built for these purposes. The porch of the Ali Qapu Palace overlooked the square, and from above, the Shah and the courtiers and foreign ambassadors could watch the polo plays and other popular games of the time. In the middle of Naqsh-e Jahan Square, the polo field was confined on the east and west by a row of trees adjacent to the water stream, and on the north and south by two stone pillars (the posts of polo field). The foreign explorers have described the field elements and expressed the prosperity and activities in the field, especially the polo game and the music plays in their narrations more or less. Deep scrutiny in the historical travelogues and descriptions of Della Valle, Figueroa, Olearius, and Chardin between 1617 and 1664 indicates the glorious game of polo and the field were at the primes of their life during their first 60 years. Since none of them have described the polo play, it can be deduced that this game was quite frequent and that the public mastered the game and knew its rules. The game of polo in Shah Square was at the peak of its glory and prosperity up until the end of Shah Abbas’s reign, concurrent to the highest level of the cavalry power. After this period, until the conquest of Isfahan, polo was prioritized, and the military forces were strengthened, based on the interest of the successors. After the conquest of Isfahan in 1722, no explorer, including Morier, Flandin, Dieulafoy, Holltzer, and D’Allemagne, have mentioned the game of polo between 1809 and 1907, until Brugsch described the field as deserted and abandoned in 1886. D’Allemagne considers the demise of polo in 1887 when the game of polo was not practiced in Shah Square anymore. Finally, between the autumn of 1935 and the spring of 1937, Schmidt recorded the initial changes in the polo field (gardens and ponds) that led to the formation of its new identity.

The explorers’ descriptions of the square from the beginning of its construction to the beginning of the nineteenth century and the study of the square elements indicate the simultaneous design and implementation process in all the square elements, including the water creek, trees, pavements, polo posts. All these components can be regarded as the elements of a uniform architectural scenario. The implementation of the surrounding water streams and trees to organize the polo field created a barrier against dust by horse ridings and provided a pleasant environmental comfort (water streams and trees) and climatic comfort (natural airflow and shading) for the spectators. Also, the wide view of the surrounding stores and the allowed presence of people in the square, the stores and their roofs around the square, and the creation of multiple entrances and exits to control the movements show that the designers of Shah Square thought comprehensively about these elements and were completely aware of the activities, including polo plays. They have designed and built the square based on the frequent urban activities. This activity is an integral part of the polo field identity and performance. Therefore, the revival of the field’s original values requires the revival of polo with narrations and the music on a scale commensurate with its original design.