صفورا مختارزاده

Since the emergence of the concept of urban resilience, this concept has mostly been concerned with urban planning, and resilient urban design approaches have been a less developed field. The current research is of applied type and uses descriptive-analytical methods. This research deals with urban resilience in urban design and focuses on how urban forms affect urban resilience against floods and inundation. In this regard, indicators for evaluating the resilience of urban forms against floods and urban runoff have been explained and these indicators have been measured and evaluated within the scope of the study area of Noor City at the level of neighborhoods and urban blocks to determine the level of resilience of each of them, that should be determined from the research indicators at the level of urban cells. The TOPSIS technique was used for data analysis. The results show that the study area of Noor City is in an unfavorable situation regarding resilience. Based on the evaluation done at the block level, the results indicated that 27.7 hectares of the study area have very low resilience, 62.6 hectares have low resilience, 48.4 hectares have medium resilience, 53 hectares have high resilience, and 16.8 hectares have very resilience. The largest area is related to the low resilience level with 62.6 hectares. In total, 90.3 hectares of the study area have low and very low resilience, which is about 43% of the total studied area.

 The Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect, characterized by a temperature increase in urban areas compared to their rural counterparts, presents considerable environmental challenges, impacting public health, urban energy systems, and city sustainability. This phenomenon, fueled by rapid urbanization and industrialization, exacerbates heatwaves, posing risks to public health. Understanding the UHI effect is essential for developing responsive urban planning strategies both spatially and institutionally. This study, centered on Isfahan, Iran, explores the correlation between UHI intensity and environmental factors, encompassing both built and natural attributes across five scenarios, including four seasons and one analyzing the ambient effect of the ZayandehRud river.

Theoretical Framework:

The UHI phenomenon involves complex interactions among various urban and environmental factors. The density of the built environment contributes to UHI exacerbation through heat storage and anthropogenic heat discharge. Air pollution, especially with greenhouse effects, directly influences heat-trapping and UHI formation. Conversely, green infrastructure and water bodies offer UHI mitigation through cooling effects. This study integrates theoretical basics from urban planning, climatology, and sustainable development for an analysis of how both natural and built elements correlate with UHI intensity in the Isfahan metropolitan area.

A mixed-method approach is adopted to address the multifaceted nature of Urban Heat Island (UHI) and its potentially correlated environmental factors. Land Surface Temperature (LST) data, crucial for delineating UHI, were extracted from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensors onboard NASA's Aqua and Terra satellites, covering a decade from 2011 to 2021. This extended timeframe facilitates the exploration of UHI patterns across various seasons, examining specific impacts during both the flow and dry periods of the ZayandehRud river, as well as distinguishing LST differences between daytime and nighttime periods—unlike Landsat Satellite Images.Additionally, Landsat 8 images are utilized to process the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) for mapping green infrastructures and water bodies. Air Quality Index (AQI) data from the year 2020 supplements the study, allowing for an investigation into the relationship between air pollution and UHI. The analysis of all datasets employs the Pearson correlation coefficient to ascertain the nature and extent of correlation among UHI and the identified environmental variables.

The findings reveal the persistent prevalence of Urban Heat Island (UHI) during nighttime across all scenarios in Isfahan. However, during daytime hours, the trend shifts, giving rise to cooler zones within the city borders, indicating the emergence of urban cold islands. A noteworthy revelation from the study is the significant exacerbation of UHI attributed to the density of the urban built environment. Intriguingly, air pollution, though exerting a lesser impact on Land Surface Temperature (LST) compared to built density, still plays a role in elevating LST during daylight.The study underscores the pivotal role of urban green infrastructure and water bodies in mitigating heat islands. Among these elements, green spaces, particularly vegetation, emerge as highly influential, surpassing the cooling effects of both water bodies and polluted air. The seasonal variation in vegetation cover also influences UHI intensity, with reduced vegetative cover in colder, drier seasons contributing to heightened UHI effects. These spatial and temporal dynamics emphasize the intricate balance between UHI and environmental factors, offering valuable insights for decision-makers. Such insights can guide targeted strategies in urban planning and design to address the challenges posed by UHI.

The study emphasizes the importance of considering UHI in urban planning, design, and sustainability discussions. Strategies include reducing built density and integrating green and blue infrastructures. Addressing air quality and vegetation cover in shaping urban thermal landscapes suggests comprehensive policies. Guarding against UHI through natural space preservation and innovative design solutions tailored to Isfahan's climate can enhance urban livability. Future work should quantify contributions of different elements for comprehensive UHI mitigation models. This Isfahan case study serves as a cornerstone for wider applications across similar cities, aiding in combatting global warming and UHI effectively.

Attention to happiness and its dimensions play an essential role in the desirability of the environmental quality of neighborhoods which is one of the challenges facing cities today, especially new cities. Fuladshahr is one of the first new cities in Iran in 1968 with the comprehensive and detailed plans. This city has undergone changes in recent decades and neighborhoods with many problems and difficulties such as lack of public spaces, insecurity, lack of visual beauty, lack of neighborhood facilities, environmental pollution and … is in contradiction with the indicators of a happy city and has reduced the level of happiness and vitality of the city. The purpose of this study is to investigate the characteristics of happy city in Fuladshahr to identify the factors affecting it. In this regard, to collect information and evaluate the indicators of a happy city, a questionnaire was used and neighborhoods were ranked using TOPSIS multi-criteria decision analysis. The results of evaluation of 19 neighborhoods of Fuladshahr based on 4 dimensions of environmental, physical-functional, social and economic and its sub-criteria show that neighborhood A2 is ranked first and neighborhood C7 is ranked 19th. So that factors such as development without plan and lack of attention to urban spaces in newly established neighborhoods, identity in neighborhoods, essential land uses, beautification of neighborhoods, safety of roads, income of citizens, jobs in the city, recreational spaces and ... are effective in reducing the happiness and vitality rate of neighborhood citizens that are in low ranks. In order to improve the quality of the happy city to achieve the sustainability of Foladshahr neighborhoods, the following suggestions have been made: strengthening the infrastructure and economic potential to increase the financial capacity of households to meet basic needs, improving the quality of water spaces, creating a variety of voluntary and social activities, and preparing active street life by making happy spaces, using the identity elements of the city, let people to participate in matters related to the place of residence through neighborhood councils and public arenas.

The relationship between social processes, form and spatial structure has always been of serious interest to sociologists, geographers and urban planners. Geographers and sociologists focused more on the spatial features of poverty and deprivation, including the separation between social levels and how they were distributed in space. In finding sustainable urban forms, urban planners have often considered a compact approach to the relationship between form and sustainability. The results show that there is not necessarily a significant relationship between dense form and social stability. New studies, therefore, have emphasized the coherent connection of form elements rather than their compact form. Therefore, this question arises that which feature of the form can be most effective in social sustainability, coherence or compactness? Accordingly, the present study seeks to assess the relationship between physical form coherence and compactness and social deprivation in neighborhoods of Isfahan. In this regard, first, the coherence of some neighborhoods in Isfahan (43 neighborhoods) was measured based on the internal relationship between the elements of form and their composition, and then deprivation in these neighborhoods was ranked using TOPSIS method. Finally, the correlation method first examined the relationship between coherence and deprivation and then the relationship between compactness (net and gross density) and deprivation. The results

In most Iranian cities, people regard an urban space as a way to pass through, and these spaces encourage them to flee instead of inviting them to pause and socialize. However, urban spaces are basically where social interaction takes shape, and attempts to improve their quality is one of the most important goals of urban design knowledge in the contemporary era. In the past, sidewalks and squares had a particular position in the central parts of cities. With the expansion of cities and the emergence of cars travelling around them, sidewalks and squares have suffered plenty of damage through the imposed vehicle access networks. Imam Ali Square in the city of Isfahan, Iran is a space that has lost its value and significance throughout history due to the changes in its spatial structure. These changes have resulted in the destruction or reconstruction of spaces that were once considered as parts of the area of the square. Proper access is one of the most important characteristics of a good public space, and it is a main purpose of the placemaking approach to enhance access to urban spaces to improve their quality. According to the principles of placemaking, it is a priority for an urban designer and planner to provide all social classes with access to urban centers and spaces in a variety of ways in order to increase their power of choice with respect to their needs and conditions. This study aimed to evaluate the quality of access as a well-known capability of the placemaking approach. It measured the quality of access at Imam Ali Square through assessment and analysis of six indicators: physical access (connectivity), continuity, accessibility (depth), inclusiveness, easy access to public transportation, and spatial resolution. These indicators were analyzed through field research and descriptive-analytical tools such as SPSS, GIS, and space syntax. According to the findings, easy access to public transportation (scoring 9.6), continuity (scoring 7.02), inclusiveness (scoring 5.4), physical access (scoring 2.42), and resolution (scoring 1.93) exhibited the highest to lowest scores. The final score for the quality of access was 5.41 out of 10, based on the calculation of mean indicator values, which indicated a moderate quality of access to the square as it is close to the median and range of scoring (8-10 for very good, 6-8 for good, 4-6 for moderate, 2-4 for poor, and 1-2 for very poor). Finally, it was inferred that the main problem with the square in terms of quality of access was the lack of concern for resolution, connectivity, and accessibility. It could thus be concluded that the resolution and depth of spaces created following the demolition of old urban structures has dropped due to the decrease in the significance of the surrounding old spaces although they have turned out to be more powerful interconnectors than their surrounding areas. Despite the recent attention paid to Imam Ali Square, the quality of access in the area is still not optimal, and greater concern for the examined indicators is expected in order to turn the square into an urban place.

In urban projects, having a wholistic approach seems essential. So, the scope of the project cannot be a reason to ignore its interaction with its adjacent area in the urban structure. In the urban development plans, ignoring the old structure of the city by imposing the new street network leads to the serious damages to the integrity of the urban fabric. In Isfahan and especially in its historical area, projects to revitalize the Atiq Square (Kohne - Imām Ali), the creation of axes of Bagh-e-Goldaste, Martyr Moghaddam and Nizam al-Molk as the contemporary projects have been the referents of such interventions which had a direct or indirect impact on this structure.

The present study was focused on the urban network and it tried to find out how the new development projects especially the ones related to the transportation networks, could affect the structural-spatial system of Isfahan historical districts.

In this applied research, data were collected by the library and survey methods and they have been analyzed through the use of the space syntax method. After analyzing the spatial structure of the historical districts of the city in the most important periods of the physical transformation including Seljuk, Safavid, Pahlavi and the contemporary eras, the effect of the structural revival of the square and the other projects have been studied with a  focus on the land use and the transportation dimensions.
Result and

Findings showed that the cohesion of the spatial structure and organization of the city existed only during the Seljuk and Safavid periods. In Safavid era, the new structure has been formed with respect to the old fabric, but the new street network in Pahlavi era has neglected the existing context. This new development has isolated some parts of the urban fabric. Also, it has eliminated the spatial connection of the previous periods’ spatial elements by deteriorating the integrity of the urban fabric/space through the new network imposed on the existent urban form.

Due to the sprawling development of cities, the pattern of the initial spatial organization and their original structure have changed. These factors have led to the spatial segregation of various parts of the city, especially urban neighborhoods, and as a result, socioeconomic segregation. On the other hands, deprivation has always been the subject of focus by sociologists, economists and urban planners as one of the important components of urban sustainability after the industrial revolution. Recently, urban planners in morphology and structuralism have claimed that changes in the level of physical segregation play a significant role in changing levels of deprivation in urban areas. Based on the literature, this research intends to examine the relationship between physical segregation and deprivation in the urban areas of Isfahan. Thus, neighborhoods with different socioeconomic conditions, forms, and configurations in this city have led this study to examine the hypothesis that there is a significant and strong correlation between physical segregation and multiple deprivations in Isfahan's neighborhoods. In this regard, this paper tries to test this hypothesis in 155 neighborhoods of Isfahan. So, the physical segregation of neighborhoods was analyzed by space syntax method and deprivation by factor analysis and numerical taxonomy methods for Isfahan’s neighborhoods, and then the correlation between these two characteristics was investigated. In this paper, in analyzing physical segregation used from the integration index as a space syntax index, and in analyzing multiple deprivations, 15 indicators are combined in four domains (employment, education, housing and services, and living environment). The results in the relationship between segregation and deprivation show that there is a significant and positive relationship between the level of multiple deprivations of Isfahan neighborhoods and physical segregation (the value of the integration from space syntax). It is also stronger at the local level than at the global level of physical segregation. Therefore, the internal structure of the neighborhoods, especially the deteriorated neighborhoods, will be more effective in increasing the deprivation of these neighborhoods. It also shows that the segregated form and structure of the neighborhoods plays a more effective role than the location of each neighborhood in the city. In other words, in the case that neighborhoods are located on the edges of the city or the distance from the center, there is fewer roles in increasing the deprivation than the structure and internal form of the neighborhoods. Therefore, it can be claimed that the changes in the level of deprivation (especially in socioeconomic deprivation dimensions) and the physical structure segregation in Isfahan are effective on each other, and it is possible to predict the changes of each indicator by changing the other indicator. These results suggest that the neighborhoods that their network configuration or spatial structure are not integrated to the city or are more segregated, are more at risk of socioeconomic segregation and deprivation.

Problem statement: Coherence as a necessary quality in the physical, social, and economic life of cities has been less attended by urban planners in modern times, to the extent that the scattering and deterioration of the urban fabrics, and in particular the existing metropolises, can be attributed to the lack of attention to this quality in the planning and design of modern cities. One of the main reasons for this is the lack of attention to the existence of different approaches to studying the form, the structure and the absence of an integrated approach and criteria and principles that can be used to assess the degree of coherent form and structure.
Research aim and question:Therefore, this research seeks to elaborate the principles for evaluating the coherence of the physical form and developing a conceptual model. In this regard, this research aims to answer the question of what are the common principles between different approaches and theories about the physical form, and how do these approaches define the coherent relationship between the elements of the form? Research method: In this regard, this research has used a qualitative content analysis method to draw out the concepts of separated text data (by study approaches that relate to the coherence of form and structure), and Finally, this study achieved a theoretical model or framework by extracting the texts abstract levels which reflects the passive and repetitive patterns in the content. The results show that the three main elements of the form, including street, land use and building, play an important role in creating coherence, and the street is the most important element in the connection and linking of the other two elements. Also, the mix and diversity criteria in the land-use and the size criterion in the building are considered to be important criteria for measuring the coherence of the urban form. On the other hand, linking and integrating as the most important criterion for creating coherence, must be formed on the basis of two fundamental principles of scale and hierarchy, so that the elements of the form in different structural parts (center, main axis, and zone) are connected together in a coherent way

One of the fundamental problems in the historical areas of Iranian cities is related with their incompatibility with contemporary urban projects and new developments. Owning to inattention to the old city structure in the historical core of the north of Isfahan، the new developments have imposed a new one that is in discordance with the old part of the city. This problem has led to progressive deterioration and obliteration of the historical areas including all architectural and urban elements like Atiq Square and Jāmeh mosque. This research aims at identifying the effect of contemporary urban developments- particularly the Haussmanniannet work imposed on the city، that is، on the spatial structure of historical area of the city. To achieve the mentioned goal، the structure of the city has been analyzed over four critical historical periods: the first period، Seljuqs; the second period: Safavids; the third period: Pahlavi dynasty and fourth period: contemporary development and reconstruction of Atiq Square and surrounding area. In this study the Jāmeh mosque and Atiq square have been considered as integral components of the old city which have important role in the evolution of the city structure. As principal notions of this research، the relationship between “Spatial cohesion” and “integration” constitutes the main body of paper. Being a new approach، this method surveys the urban structure and spatial configuration in the old city. Considering the importance of the variations of “integration value” and its correlation with the concept of “structural cohesion”، this variable (integration value) has been taken into account as the main notion to evaluate the modification of the new development projects with old city structure. The “Space Syntax” technique has been used to measure the “integration value” in different scales. The integration value has also been calculated and compared on five principal axes surrounding Atiq Square including Jamaleh، Bazar، Joubareh، Dardash and Harounieh. Therefore، the concept of “spatial integration” of historical core of Isfahan has been analyzed through the above-mentioned approach in collaboration with Space Syntax. The results showed that contemporary development، recent urban projects and other interventions have not been successfully adapted due to neglecting the historical and socio-spatial contexts of the city. Concerning the “integration value”، the average value of integration on all axes has considerably increased. Moreover، the findings showed that (in the city scale)، the recent project of reconstruction of Atiq square has led to a better integration value of surrounding axes in comparison with Pahlavi development projects. In the local scale، the demolition of Atiq square because of haussmannian development of Pahlavi period has significant impact on deterioration of spatial cohesion. In spite of better integration on urban scale، the local integration of historical axes has decreased. The lack of integration has intensified the disintegration of local network and، thus، the urban area. The immediate consequence was the isolation of main architectural and urban elements such as Jāmeh mosque or Ali mosque which are both، for the time being، close to the rehabilitated Atiq square. Another result of this isolation was the considerable and growing social problems such as insecurity، poverty and social segregation.

The main objective of this paper is to analyse street network structure of the deteriorated areas in order to resolve permeability problem and spatial isolation of these areas. Previous researches that investigated the problems of deteriorated areas concern about land use per capita indicated that low permeability of these areas is not about area of streets but, it is because of inadvertence towards the urban street network in developing new areas or regeneration of deteriorated areas. In both cases, insufficient network of streets and roads have been produced. The common solution to encounter shortage of permeability was widening existing streets or creating new streets. Previous research regarding resolving lake of access and isolation on deteriorated areas, have been failed because they did not carried a methodical approach toward identifying the structure problems of deteriorated areas. Regarding the above theoretical and technical shortcomings, this paper would answer to two fundamental questions: How could weaknesses of urban street structure on deteriorated areas can be round and can be resolved? Are there similar structural problems about permeability on all of the urban deteriorated areas? In order to answer to these questions, at first urban street structure of Mashhad has been analyzed utilizing Space Syntax method. This method identified the weaknesses and deficiencies of Mashhad’s deteriorated structure. The results show that, there are significant differences between the structure of deteriorated areas and other parts of the city; this differentiation helps to identify weaknesses in these areas. Also, analysis of urban street structure indicated that reasons of access weakness and permeability problems in various deteriorated areas are different, especially between central and suburban deteriorated areas. So, the problems of deteriorated areas cannot be resolved similarly.

The primary spatial patterns and the main structures of cities are now changing, due to the present sprawl development patterns. These factors have deconstructed the unified structure of cities and have caused spatial segregation of different parts of these settlements, especially central and old fabrics and finally resulted in their socio- economic segregation. On the other hand, external urban expansion led to a complicated physical and spatial structure, which is impossible to perceive its morphology in its totality. One of the theories and methods for exploring urban spatial structure is space syntax. Space syntax theory and technique is able to analyze urban spatial structure in relation to all spatial characteristic of the city. Also, the main purpose of this research is to answer this question that is there a meaningful relation between changes in value of spatial integration (resulting from space syntax analysis) and changes in value of development quality (socio-economical, physical and environmental development) of neighborhoods?

Earthquake is the most destructive disaster among all nature disasters due to its unpredictability. Tehran, with a population of 7/8 million people, has high seismic potential with many active faults. Hospitals are one of the most effective land uses in decreasing damages caused by earthquake. Hospitals have so many problems with their locations. Inappropriate locations reduce the efficiency of the hospitals in critical conditions. The studies conducted in hospitals about earthquake situations were not comprehensive up to now and each of them investigates the hospitals from one point. So in this research, the indexes for assessing the hospitals were codified comprehensively and then they were integrated with each other. At the end, the results were compared with the current status of hospitals; the situations of each hospital were specified to cope with earthquake.In this descriptive and analytical study, data was collected by library and collection of archives and documents. Data was analyzed by Analysis Hierarchical Process (AHP) to weight the criteria using GIS and Spatial Analysis extension for combination of criteria.According to the results, the most adequate places for Tehran hospitals are adjacent, accessibility and spatial points in normal and crisis situations based on the mentioned zones. The results show that more than half of Tehran hospitals has placed in inappropriate zones. If hospitals don’t become resistance, they cannot play their vital role in critical conditions. So, the hospitals must be equipped regarding their problems in adjacent or accessibility or location.