جستجوی مقالات مرتبط با کلیدواژه « مشهد » در نشریات گروه « هنر و معماری »

The lines of turquoise carving and engraving on turquoise stone is one of the traditional and ornamental arts. This art is one of the sub-branches of gem carving, which is a part of Iranian artificial arts in terms of practicality and tools.  Turquoise carving has been popular in the city of Mashhad since the distant past. The city of Mashhad has been chosen as the international city of precious and semi-precious stones by the World Industries Council. The art of carving is one of the subsets of the art of turquoise carving; turquoise carving artists have succeeded in making beautiful paintings from this blue gem by carving in the form of letters using the art of calligraphy. The presence of valuable mines, including the Turquoise Mine in "Ten Mines" from the villages of Neyshabur city, and the transfer of this mineral to the city of Mashhad from the distant past have collected engravers and turquoise carvers in this city.

The engravers engrave inscriptions, images, and lines on the seals with the most complete splendor. The purpose of the research, based on the analysis and description of the cutting shapes, is to introduce the types of lines, motifs, and images carved on the turquoise gem, based on the essence of the subject. The questions that this research aims to answer are: how are the cutting shapes, types of lines, and motifs used in contemporary Mashhad turquoise carving art classified from a qualitative perspective? What tools and methods are used in the art of engraving? How to make turquoise panels? The research method in this study is descriptive-analytical. The method of collecting data is library information and field research, including photography (observation and interviews). The statistical population includes (15) prominent engravers and turquoise engraving professors as well as knowledgeable and well-informed people. The interviews were saved as audio files and analyzed as texts. In the following, interviews were carried out with turquoise carving and engraving artists who were mostly working in the upper floor of Bazaar Reza in Mashhad, using the materials that are used to expand the art. These hardworking artists proposed turquoise carving and engraving; this art was examined in terms of the subject of the study.

In the meantime, engraving and carving on seals and gems are worth attention. Ferdowsi, a high-ranking poet of Iran, writes about the carving and engraving of lines on turquoise in the story of Bijan and Manijeh: "One victorious seal of Rostam Baroi-- written with iron by the action of hair". In this verse, Ferdowsi calls the turquoise stone with the name of “Pirouze”. Rostam's name is engraved on the turquoise stone and this ring was in the hand of Iranian warrior Rostam as a seal. In that period, they used tools like iron for carving. The art of engraving is done very delicately and Rostam's name is written as thin as a hair on the gem of the ring. Khwaja Nasir al-Din Tusi writes in his book Tensukh Namah Ilkhani about turquoise’s change of color: "Engravers consider any turquoise that turns green to be dead. They turned this green turquoise and polished it again, and it was correctable. Artists and art masters have proposed different solutions for the development and prosperity of engraving art, the most important of which include: first, the cooperation of designers with engraving artists to present new designs in the design of motifs, to create new and innovative designs, and to combine designs and lines in calligraphy and its integration into each other. They can create harmony between motifs and lines in engraving and calligraphy with the poems of great poets of Iran in the form of motifs taken from Iranian literature, the icons of famous Iranian artists and poets. Second, the government and related organizations can encourage and support artists. Third, certification of high-quality turquoise gems and exquisite carvings, specifying the name of the engraver, the type of gem, can give credibility to the gem and jewel. Fourth, the introduction of advertising of this art in mass media and virtual space. Fifth, the creation of workshops within the trade union, to increase employment and entrepreneurship, can result in the employment of graduates. At last, holding domestic and foreign exhibitions can introduce this art to the world. By making certified turquoise jewelry with new designs and proper marketing, it is possible to export this product, a type of non-oil export, by connecting to global markets.

The art of engraving on turquoise stone is an ancient art, so that in the Metropolitan Museum there are rings belonging to the 11th century AD. It was made from Neyshabur turquoise gem with a "dome" (dome) cut with a circular and oval shapes. Today, the shapes of thrash include circles, ovals, cylinders, hearts, hexagons, and polygonals with angled cutting, known as "Trush Fest". Of course, sometimes it is used by young people in its natural form, after polishing. Today, tools and working methods have developed, and artists in this profession try to create original works using new tools and methods while using past experiences. These engraved images include those of Imams, the inscriptions of names, supplications, famous surahs of the Quran with naskh, thulh, nastaliq and broken nastaliq script in the form of a raised edge and togud along with the engraving of the golden dome of Imam Reza and motifs of daffodils, eight leaves. The chrysanthemum is done inside the bergamot frame on the turquoise gem. One of the innovations of the art of turquoise carving is to make a tableau by carving letters from turquoise stone. Due to new methods and new tools, the quality of lathe has increased. The art of engraving has declined in terms of quantity due to the limitation in the number of artists and the lack of coherence of the carving workshops in Mashhad.

Children's physical activity and mobility are pivotal for their overall health. This study, conducted in Mashhad City, Iran, explores children's perspectives on environmental characteristics that impact physical mobility and activity.

Theoretical Framework:

Utilizing a theoretical framework comprising 28 measures, this research aims to unveil the environmental features within neighborhoods contributing to the improvement of children's physical mobility and activity.

To accomplish this, the present study collected the perspectives of 450 children aged 9 to 13 (43.8% girls and 56.2% boys) regarding a specific set of these attributes within Mashhad City, Iran. Utilizing exploratory factor analysis, a model was constructed based on the children's responses to the survey measures.

This model identifies seven factors and 24 measures influencing the mobility and physical activity of children in their neighborhoods: 

Parents' Approval: 

Encompasses measures associated with "parents' permission and concern" and reflects "children's desire for independence and agency." Results suggest that parental concern about the autonomous presence of their children in neighborhood spaces significantly inhibits the children's mobility and independent activities.

Walking Path: 

Associated with measures conveying the concepts of "optimal and joyful mobility on paths," this factor emphasizes features like adequate width and appropriate flooring. The potential for 'playing along the route from home to school' is crucial for children's mobility. According to children, this pathway serves not only as a route for the essential journey to school but also should provide opportunities for social and optional activities, including play and enjoyment.

Social Security:

Linked to measures reflecting 'the sense of security regarding strangers and bullies' in neighborhoods. An interesting result is the association of "creating a pleasant atmosphere such as colored sidewalks" with social security. Children believe that the use of specific colors on sidewalks not only provides a fun atmosphere but also establishes spaces for local socialization, consequently reducing the threat of bullying and outsiders.

Environmental Affordance: 

Associated with activities reflecting children’s physical abilities, such as climbing trees and running in open spaces without obstacles. The results indicate that children test these capabilities through movement and exploration of their surroundings. Additionally, the inclusion of "night lighting" as a measure in this factor suggests a preference among children for exploratory play during the night.

Legibility: 

Aligned with Lynch's theory of legibility, this factor involves measures related to way-finding by architectural elements. The findings indicate that children use 'buildings' and 'stores on the ground floor' as landmarks for navigation in their neighborhoods.

Diverse Environment for Exploration: 

Associated with measures representing attractive routes, various play equipment, and nature connectedness. Children's positive assessment of the existence of winding paths in the neighborhood indicates that engaging in exploratory activities along these paths can increase their mobility in their community. Furthermore, integrating a variety of natural elements and play equipment in their neighborhood can enhance children's movement and exploration, making the experience deeper and more enjoyable.

Mobility Safety: 

The final factor is associated with measures indicating safe mobility in neighborhoods. In addition to the fear of a car accident, children's desire for age/gender-appropriate play equipment highlights their concern for their physical safety. The results indicate that inappropriate play equipment and car traffic have the least impact on children's mobility in their neighborhoods.

Interventions targeting these factors can significantly enhance children's mobility experiences, promoting not only physical activity but also social interaction and a deeper connection with their surroundings. The recurring theme of children's desire for playful activities emphasizes a fundamental need for quality movement and physical activities.

The challenges to citizens' health can be counted among the most important ones of urbanization in the 21st century. Since cities have always been one of the key and powerful determinants of people's health, investigating the relationship between the characteristics of the urban built environment and people's health has been the focus of research in recent decades. The review of the research background showed that most of these studies were conducted in the cities of developed countries and the number of studies related to the cities of developing countries is limited. Based on this, the aim of this research is to investigate the relationship between the characteristics of the urban built environment and mental health in Iran, one of the developing countries. The city of Mashhad, the second largest city in Iran, was selected as the study area. The research is cross-sectional and case study, which follows a descriptive-analytical approach. Land use characteristics, population density, and distance (walking distance) to service destinations are independent variables and mental health is the dependent variable of the research. Based on the results, no significant relationship between land use diversity and mental health was observed. The relationship between commercial land use per capita, green space per capita, net population density, gross population density, and distance (walking distance) to service destinations with mental health is significant and negative. The results showed that the six variables of distance (walking distance) to the grocery and fruit shop, commercial and green space per capita, and gross and net residential density explained 23.1% of the changes in mental health. The results of the path analysis showed that the green space per capita has the most direct effect, and the gross population density has the most indirect and total effects on people's mental health. Considering the lack of similar experimental research in Iranian cities and even other developing countries, it is necessary to conduct more empirical research, especially in the cities of Iran.

Contemporary urban planning knowledge has undergone significant changes, shifting from natural and engineering sciences to interdisciplinary fields with a focus on social and human sciences. Urban development plans now emphasize public and private participation. As the second-largest city in Iran, Mashhad plays a vital role within the country due to its regional centrality, large population, and diversity. It is essential to prioritize social sustainability and encourage public participation in the planning process.

Theoretical Framework:

Implementation is a critical component of the urban design process and can be interpreted in two ways: as the essence of the entire process or as an independent step within the process. Through a systematic study of various sources and analysis of urban design processes conducted by researchers, it is possible to categorize the urban design process involved in selecting the design group, defining initial objectives, assessing the existing conditions, clarifying goals, presenting design alternatives, evaluating options, optimizing, developing an implementation plan, implementing, and conducting post-implementation evaluations. Based on research synthesis, factors influencing the implementation of small-scale participatory projects can be categorized into five aspects: development stakeholders (including designers and implementers), management-planning system structures, economic considerations, public participation, and legal considerations.

This paper adopts a qualitative approach and data-based method through semi-structured interviews to identify obstacles, challenges, and factors influencing the implementation of small-scale participatory projects (specifically, neighborhood units) in Mashhad. The study focuses on stakeholders including individuals, urban management, and facilitators involved in the "Mahalle Ma" project. Theoretical sampling was employed until saturation was reached. Data analysis utilized qualitative content analysis with a summative approach and MAXQDA 2018. Open and axial coding techniques were applied to identify the foundational concepts related to the implementation of the targeted projects.

The results of this study highlight the importance of effective collaboration and communication between stakeholders, including the people, urban management, and the facilitator team. Building trust, improving public participation, and addressing financial constraints are essential for the successful implementation of small-scale participatory projects.The relationship between the people and the facilitator: The quality of real participation by the people, as the most important stakeholder group, has a significant impact on achieving the goals of the plan. Negative experiences and a lack of trust in city management can present challenges for the project. To enhance citizens' participation, the facilitator and designer can employ appropriate techniques to involve people in the process, clarify the project definition, and connect it with the needs assessment stage. Effective communication with the social council of the neighborhoods is also crucial, as the lack of it can hinder the quality of citizens' participation.The relationship between the people and urban management: Urban management has initiated this plan with long-term goals in mind, including fostering a culture of participation. However, the inadequate allocation of funds and a lack of effective inter-organizational synergy have resulted in intangible short-term outcomes for the people. This situation raises concerns about increasing mistrust and decreasing satisfaction with the municipality's performance.The relationship between urban management and the facilitator: Both urban management and the facilitator play crucial roles in promoting public satisfaction with the project. They should work towards achieving long-term goals by monitoring, improving, and maintaining a continuous planning process. This entails fostering a culture of participation through trust-building and capacity development. However, the frequent changes in design and planning approaches due to shifts in the urban management structure can affect the facilitator's authority to achieve project goals. The facilitator team should also ensure a constant connection between the needs assessment stage, design, and implementation steps.

This study highlights the crucial role of urban management throughout the various stages of an urban development project. In the pre-implementation stage, urban management plays a fundamental role in selecting an expert design and implementation team. They also prioritize goals based on the type of management system in place.Recognizing the current situation requires the collaboration of the facilitator and the people to establish a shared understanding of the problem. The facilitator acts as a mediator, identifying the real demands of the people and conveying them to management levels to define the project in subsequent stages. Verification of goals and adjustments are made in consultation with citizens, academic experts, and local institutions.The presentation of design alternatives by the facilitator team ensures alignment with the real needs of the people. Evaluation and optimization of alternatives involve active participation from the people, who contribute to selecting the optimal alternative based on their genuine needs. Urban management also considers economic and technical factors in choosing the optimal option.During the implementation stage, urban management plays a critical role in ensuring the design team's recommendations are executed properly by selecting the right contractors. The involvement of the social council, representing the people, is essential in monitoring the implementation process in line with the goals and needs assessment.In the post-implementation stage, continuous monitoring and modification are necessary, with direct input from the people through the facilitator team and urban management. This promotes the long-term continuity and success of the plan, fostering a culture of participation.

Extensive studies show that increasing access to natural light through windows will improve the quality of the internal environment of hospitals; While from the point of view of increasing the energy efficiency of the building, with the increase in the size of the windows, the heat transfer through the glass and the need for Summer cooling load are increased and the energy performance of the building decreases. By reducing the size of the windows, besides increasing energy consumption in another way, the environmental quality of the hospital also decreases. In climatic conditions like Mashhad, where the temperature difference between outside and inside the building is large, the design of windows is more sensitive to increase the energy efficiency of the building. This research seeks to answer the question, what physical characteristics should the windows of hospitals in Mashhad have in order to increase energy efficiency in the building through the optimal absorption of solar energy in addition to creating thermal comfort? For this purpose, conventional construction methods in the design of hospitals; The methods resulting from the guidelines of the 19th topic of the National Construction Regulations of Iran, and the proposed methods of this study based on increasing insulation were compared with each other. The research was carried out by means of algorithmic simulation of building conditions, in energy and light analysis plugins (Honeybee and Ladybug), in the Grasshopper software platform, and the data were compared, described and It was analyzed. As a result; In addition to the fact that the spaces formed based on the guidelines of topic 19 are more economical than the existing buildings, the application of the proposed methods of this study has a greater impact on reducing energy consumption. The role of considerations such as insulation in reducing energy loss is decisive but limited.

The inherent duty of urban design is managing the improvement of urban design qualities in both content and procedural dimensions.Without simultaneous attention to these two, even the purest urban design theories may remain ineffective in reality.Improving the quality of landscape, in addition to the need to formulate comprehensive, clear and more or less flexible regulations, requires the definition of a precise and efficient executive structure so that it can be a suitable lever for the implementation of these rules.facade committees are one of the types of control and implementation of these approvals, which play a significant role in achieving the goal of improving facade.The city of Mashhad has been one of the main pioneers of this issue in the country by compiling approvals and forming committees to control and guide the urban landscape.The purpose of this research is to evaluate performance of facade Committee by examining its damages, challenges and achievements and providing effective suggestions to improve this performance.This research has evaluated the performance of facade Committee in two quantitative and qualitative phases by using the mixed research method and alignment research plan.The research findings state that the most important challenges of facade committees;The quality of decisions and application of individual tastes of members is the weakness of legal position and lack of standards action and lack of executive guarantee. Its most important achievements;Drawing the attention of specialized community to the importance of the public landscape, the rights and tastes of citizens and strengthening the position of architects in the development process.Suggestions improving the performance of facade committee in the procedural section, including things such as improving the organizational administrative level of the facade committee, forming a project steering committee, preparing periodical performance reports and content, including planning for participation and polls,and culture building to promote the Iranian architectural model.

In this study, municipal task and duties were divided to sovereign and non-profit operational ones. Then, using analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and Topsis technique among those 25 non- commercial tasks, 8 main tasks were determined to be devolved to neighborhood social councils. To do this, 8 parameters were defined: internal resistance of Mashhad municipality body to task devolution, incoordination and ineffectiveness of neighborhood social councils, non-coherence and inefficiency of neighborhood councils, task conflicts, non-professionalism, external actors, neighborhood special features and legal impediments. Some of these parameters are internal (related to neighborhood councils) and some are external. Questionnaires distributed to head of neighborhood councils, city council’s members and municipality employees. It is found that preparing neighborhood experiments has the highest priority. Planning and suggesting urban plazas, supervision of sport activities in municipality regions, participation in maintenance and providing social symbols and places, participation in social harms reduction, supervision and suggesting urban furniture and equipment plans, supervision and suggesting plans for city entrance and walls and participating in civics are the next priorities respectively.

Every city is made up of different elements, which cohesion, uniformity and creating harmony between them helps to increase the beauty; Textures, alleys, neighborhoods, streets, natural indicators, etc. are among these elements; in addition, every city has its own history and culture, and the harmony of the city's beauty with its history and culture increases the feeling of belonging to that city; because part of the identity of the urban landscape is linked with the past body of the city. One of these elements affecting the beauty of cities is the park. this research has been done by examining the concept of the city and then with the aim of reinterpreting and designing the landscape of Kooh Sangi Park in Mashhad in the direction of renewing its identity and its impact on the street landscape. Mashhad is the second largest and most populous city in Iran, which has unique historical, cultural and ethnic, pilgrimage and tourism characteristics, and has an important function of unifying and national and religious identity and diverse potential economic capabilities. Kooh Sangi Park is one of the most famous, most beautiful and oldest tourist places in Mashhad, and the Kooh Sangi axis is the main access to this entertainment complex, and this issue is a valid reason for the importance of this research.  One of the important questions is to examine the factors affecting space and place and to evaluate the criteria for recognizing the sense of belonging. While paying attention and precision in these concepts and examining them, the research method is practical in terms of the goal, and the research method is a descriptive analytical type, along with quoting the words of great people such as "Charles Butt" and "Proshensky". Among these people is "Stephen Kaplan" who in his evolutionary theory emphasizes people's information and the level of familiarity with the landscape, orientation and discovery of new study information on beauty preference. The statistical population of the research includes users of Kooh Sangi Park and residents and passers-by of Kooh Sangi Street. Due to the unlimited number of people in the statistical population, the number of 384 people was estimated as the statistical sample size using Cochran's formula. The most important research tools are questionnaires and guided interviews of random samples. SPSS software was used to analyze the data. The results showed that all the criteria of urban sector identity except education, social services, transportation and security and fighting crime are in a favorable condition in the studied area and are effective factors on urban identity. It was also founded that this index has the highest priority among the selected indices and the economic index has the least importance.

Housing has always been one of the main concerns of urban sustainable development. Although social sustainability is later than the environmental and economic sustainability it is considered as an inseparable part of the process of sustainable development and housing. The goal of current research is identifying the social indexes of sustainable housing and their evaluation in the 600-units residential complex in Mashhad. Therefore, firstly 20 open interviews were conducted with the residents, and then using the Grounded theory, the social indexes (participation, identity, security, environmental satisfaction and desirability) and sub-indexes of sustainable housing were introduced. Then 67 closed questionnaires were used and according to the resident’s opinion, social sub-indexes of sustainable housing were evaluated. The results show that all social indexes in this residential complex are relatively acceptable situation. The identity is more favorable than others and affected by favorable state of residents' pride and sense of place. It has a direct relationship with other indexes. Therefore, it is possible to increasing social sustainability in this residential complex by improving indexes and carrying out executive measures such as promoting social monitoring, increasing the comprehensiveness of public spaces, creating social interaction infrastructures, developing sociocultural activities, creating participation and social responsibility capacities.

The development of the city of Mashhad in terms of shape and geography has been northwestward for various reasons. Currently, the city has a northwest-southeast extension. In recent years, the authorities in charge of the city management of Mashhad, for known and unknown reasons, have attempted to impose the development of the city towards the east. Among the reasons mentioned for this big decision in the city’s spatial organization is relocating the shrine from the center to the margin of the city. Based on the concept of centrality, this paper attempts to critique the approach of Mashhad’s urban management in making such metropolitan decisions and explain how the lack of technical perspective adopted by the managers in understanding the concept of “center”, has reduced this concept to a simple matter such as “being in the middle” in the city. With the city’s development towards the southeast, relocating the Holy Shrine to the center (middle) of the city has been the authorities’ intention. However, the “center” has a mental and abstract concept beyond its place in the organization of the city space. The opportunity created by this urban management approach can promote justice in its various dimensions, such as spatial justice and economic justice, and bring attention to marginal areas. Nonetheless, any planning, design, or intervention on the scale of the city requires specialized investigations and a holistic view of the city. Otherwise, it will be doomed to failure, so it will have no result other than wasting resources.

Tomb making is common in many cultures. Making of these tombs in each nation are unique based on their religions, rituals and traditions. This issue comes across a term called Mashhad that is sometimes referred to as a tomb and in other cases as a memorial. This article examines the issue in two parts: Theoretical research and Case-study. The first section deals with recognizing the content of Mashhad and examining its formal paradigm and examine issue based on the description of Robert Hillenbrand who regards Mashhad has both distinct paradigm: types of domes and nine domes. The focus of this research is to study the paradigm of nine domes shabestan and its relationship with Mashhad. The second part of this paper examines Haji Piyada mosque as a case study with a similar pattern. As well as function and examine the various theories surrounding this building based on historical analysis as a narration. The purpose of this study is explanation of structural-functional concepts of Mashhad and its relation to the Nine-Domes Shabestan. The research method is Interpretive-historical method and case study review. This article schemed three questions: 1) Functionally, what concepts of Mashhad application can be read? 2) What is the relation of the Nine-domes Shabestan and the concept of Mashhad, in addition its evolution and continuity? 3) As a case study: According to the historical-interpretation of Mashhad Haji Piyada Balkh, what is the relation of its Nine-Domes Shabestan to the concept of Mashhad?The results show that Mashhad not only is not just a tomb, but also it is a symbol and monument. As in many cases the symbolism is preceded of its pilgrimage feature. As well as many cases it is associated with nine domes shabestan. In this research two analyzes had exegesis: The first analysis refers to examples that from the beginning was idea plan for creating Mashhad and the second analysis refers to examples that for a variety of reasons, such as miracles and traditions in addition to their sacred existence, which generally includes a blessed building like a mosque, have added another aspect which is generally a symbolic approach. Each of these species find meaning based on three distinct forms. 1) Mashhad, as a tomb to commemorate 2) Mashhad as a monument to promote political status 3) Mashhad, as a symbol for readout an event. Investigations on Mashhad of Balkh Haji Piyada show that this building is one of the earliest examples which it has nine domes paradigm and multiple themes. This paradigm is influenced by an Iranian theme and undoubtedly, due to its native and environmental influences and the architect's taste and experience, it has undergone its own changes. Mashhad of Balkh Haji Piyada has three periods of development that Mashhad's approach was likely in all three periods. The first period that the Barmak governor had a political-memorial idea, in the next time that tomb attaches building and eventually, as well as the people who were in this place for the sanctity performed Ihram and pilgrimage.

This research deals with "explaining the obstacles to the realization of the coordinated urban management system in the metropolis of Mashhad and measuring the weight and effectiveness of each obstacle in the realization of the above-mentioned system" which has emerged under the multiplicity and divergence of actors and in the absence of a qualified institutional framework for planning and policy making. This research is applied in terms of purpose and analytical-descriptive in terms of research framework with the Delphi method and in the form of unstructured interviews, the opinions of 38 managers and urban management experts were received and analyzed, Then the data obtained using ANOVA test in SPSS software as well as the method of cross-effects analysis as one of the forecasting techniques using MIC MAC software have been reviewed and evaluated. The results of this research show that "obstacles related to laws and programs" affected by the major issues and problems of the country's planning and executive system, as the most key factor, have played a prominent role in preventing the realization of the coordinated metropolitan management of Mashhad And it has caused the nature of the vertical and departmental planning and administrative-executive system and the lack of necessary horizontal mechanisms and relationships to become the main obstacle to the realization of the coordinated management system of this metropolis.

The present article, intends to investigate the extent of changes in the traditions and the original features of the design, the motif and color of the handmade carpet in Mashhad region. Also, this study investigates the factors influencing the developments in handmade carpet concerning f traditionalism and untraditionalism. In this regard, the main aim of the present study to find the answer to the following questions: What is the contrast between tradition and modernity in the design, motif and color of Mashhad 's handmade carpet? What are the developments made by the modernity wave in motifs and colors of Mashhad 's handmade carpet? What are the strengths and weaknesses caused by modernity on the dominant traditions of motif and color of Mashhad 's handmade carpet? The method of research in this study is descriptive, analytical, and comparative. In order to gain better results, information and samples from Mashhad's carpet have been selected in the form of library and field methods from three periods of Qajar, Pahlavi and contemporary. Using the comparative method of design and motif of each of the three periods in relation to each other, the extent of adherence and lack of adherence to the preservation of carpet traditions in this field is determined. lso, by investigating the course of evolution and development of the design, we can determine the motif and color of Mashhad's carpet and the way the consumers’ tastes have . The results show that the urban carpet in Mashhad has undergone the slightest changes in the original features of its carpet up to now and has tried to continue almost the same style and traditional style.

The issue of social responsibility for the protection of the environment at all levels of the society is explicitly emphasized in Article 14 of the General Environmental Policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The city of Mashhad is the second most populated city in Iran after Tehran. A city like Mashhad, with a population of nearly five million people, is typically faced with environmental problems such as extremely high temperature, demanding waste management, noise and air pollution, traffic congestion, water shortage, and drought. Expression of environmental problems is a concern, and requires the cooperation of experts and the public to find solutions. Researchers have come up with a variety of solutions to environmental problems, most of which are technological, but they are interested in changing people’s lifestyles and behavioral solutions today due to the high cost of these projects, because environmental hazards result from human intervention. The present issues can be overcome only through changes in human attitudes and behaviors. Citizens with pro-environmental behaviors feel most responsible for the urban environment and the preservation of its natural, historical, and cultural values. The aim of this study was to investigate environmental literacy and its relationship with background variables and the aspects of citizens’ environmental literacy in Mashhad. 

This cross-sectional survey adopted an individual unit of analysis. The population involved the citizens of Mashhad in 2021. A sample of size 689 containing residents in the thirteen municipal districts of Mashhad was selected using the systematic random sampling method, and parameters such as citizens’ awareness, knowledge, concern, and environmental behavior were measured as dimensions of environmental literacy. The data collection tool was a questionnaire, which was completed with reference to the respondents. For assessment of its reliability, a pre-test questionnaire was completed by a sample of fifty people for elimination of probable defects and calculation of reliability. A Cronbach’s alpha coefficient between 0.70 and 0.84 indicated the proper reliability of the questionnaire. Moreover, formal validity was used in this study.  The hypotheses were tested once the data were analyzed using correlation and comparison methods in the SPSS software.FindingsThe results of this study indicated the high level of citizens’ environmental literacy in terms of awareness and knowledge, while the respondents’ score in environmental concern and behavior was only slightly above average. The respondents’ individual environmental behavior ranged between moderate and high. Their environmental behaviors in the public sphere were significantly lower than average and close to low levels. The collective environmental behaviors of men are greater than those of women, but individual environmental behaviors are greater in women than in men. None of the indicators of environmental literacy was related to age except environmental behaviors. The average environmental behavior index was 3.17 for the 18-24 age group, 3.29 for the 25-44 age group, and 3.31 for the 45-64 age group, and the average environmental behavior index for people aged sixty-five years and older was reported to be 3.32. This indicated that the environmental behavior index increased slightly as age rose. The chi-squared test results demonstrated that there was a significant relationship between citizens’ academic degrees and the environmental knowledge index in Mashhad. In other words, environmental concerns increased as academic degree rose. Finally, there was a significant direct relationship with low intensity between environmental awareness, knowledge, and concern and environmental behavior.

The results of the study indicated a relatively poor tendency among the citizens towards environment-friendly behaviors, especially in the public sphere. Although the examined population was mentally concerned about the environment, the concern did not provide them with enough energy and motivation to take an action, for whatever reason. Environmental awareness can change only individual environmental behaviors, which is possible in a small space such as a family and impossible or trivial beyond that. Citizens consider the responsibility of protecting the environment outside their personal spaces, such as a house, car, or workplace, as a responsibility of the relevant municipal institutions, and hardly participate in voluntary activities aimed to protect the urban environment. Therefore, efforts should be made to increase citizens’ environmental literacy, and environmental education should be different for different age, occupation, academic, and gender groups. The capacity of non-governmental institutions to attract participation and cooperation among organizations should be used to promote responsibility in environmental behavior.AcknowledgmentThis article is taken from the doctoral dissertation entitled “Designing and validating a model for attracting public participation in the development of environmental literacy of the citizens of Mashhad”, which down in Payame Noor University of Tehran.

The quality of the implementation of urban design in developing countries usually faces financial, technical, political, and cultural challenges. Despite the important role of urban design discipline and its documents in the realization of the quality Urban Development for decision-makers in Iran, implementation of urban design projects is usually evaluated by Quantitative methods. The appropriate process of reaching the product‏, context, goals, and issues for realizing an appropriate urban design project is neglected. As urban design projects in Iran share a common identifying of the methodology, this study analyzes Shohada Square project in Mashhad (the second largest Iranian city) as the case study since it is one of the most important urban design plans in the last decade.To investigate challenges pertaining to implementation of this project and proposing a model, after reviewing the literature, by applying directed content analysis, the theoretical components of implementation in urban design are extracted and assessed in case study through observation, methodical interview, and document content analysis.This study with the emphasis on the need to replace qualitative-normative criteria with the quantitative‏- physical ones, suggests a primary model for correcting the neglected areas to improve the quality of the implementation of urban design plans. Therefore, concepts associated with the quality of the implementation of urban design projects can be modeled in terms of the hierarchical dimensions of the background and context, the actors, and the design approach. Taking the quality of economic and financial mechanisms into account, political-legal contextual quality , the motivations of developers, eliminating conflicts by guiding the decision-making environment , using the process approach and the hierarchy continuum of design documents can be effective agents in improving this quality.

As the first intervention on an urban scale,  Bala Khiaban (the street above the buried Imam Reza’s corpse) and Paein Khiaban (the street below the buried Imam Reza’s corpse) were built in Mashhad and they created an east-west axis to the center of the holy site. Since it has always played an important role in the spatial structure of cities and the imaginations of inhabitants throughout history, this axis has always been the focus of all administrations. However, interventions made in recent decades, particularly since the second Pahlavi to the present, have disrupted the urban texture, structures, districts, and systems that govern it, displacing locals as the true beneficiaries of this texture and causing several social, cultural, economic, and other issues.The present paper is an inferential study that examines different resources from three historical eras to read the landscape of these two streets: Pre-Pahlavi (including historical documents and intellectual works), Pahlavi (historical and urban documents), and Post-Islamic Revolution (historical and urban documents as well as in-depth interviews). This research uses a landscape approach to investigate the significance of the streets in the spatial organization of Mashhad. According to the studies, the characteristics of the landscape in question served a single purpose in relation to each other in a harmonious manner prior to the urban interventions of the first comprehensive plan in the Pahlavi era. Despite the current period’s crisis and its repercussions on the street’s form and physical features, the public perception as the viewer is always so superior to the matter that the street landscape still exists to some extent and can be revived through some interventions in its main function. As a result of the research, it was discovered that the street in issue has typically been seen as a sublime axis associated with the concept of pilgrimage.