Evaluation of city entrance symbols using of physical design factors (the Case Study of Qazvin)

The city is a set of signs and symptoms that manifest various contexts. Some of these indicators with regard to the continuation of participation in various generations, acceptance by people and exhibition of citizens’ identity and culture have changed into identity symbols. On the other hand, the entrance of the city, due to the great impact on the imagination of city visitors in the first glance and in fact at the beginning of arrival is one of the most important sign placement and symbols in the structure of the city; therefore, made signs at the entrance tocities, with the passage of time, have changed to symbols that represent the integrity of the city and try to introduce it to the people. The symbol of the main eastern entrance of Qazvin city in Minudar square is an urban element recently completed. In this study, the quality of this element, as a significant urban symbol, is studied from the people’s point of view.
Based on the raised issues, the aim of this study is identifying design criteria of entrance symbols in general, as well as evaluating success of Qazvin’s monumental entrance symbol.
In order to achieve the aim of the study, this research examined the views of visitors to Qazvin’s eastern entrance square with the practical aim and descriptive- case study method. Required information on theoretical foundation was collected through literature review to identify the criteria and necessary features of the case study and the data was collected through questionnaires (half- open) as well as interviews with visitors based onquestionnaire results. In this study, two groups of people were questioned. The first group were the main ordinary observers who had been divided into two sub-groups as Qazvin dwellers and travelling passengers; the second group comprised of experts in urbanism and architecture. Gathered data was analyzed by SPSS software which not only analysed statistics related to the satisfaction of visitors regarding the entrance symbol of the city but also analysed identified characteristics in theoretical foundation about the symbol.
Beauty, readability, and the introduction of the city are three main criteria in the design of an entrance symbol in a city which included several indicators. According to the survey, by evaluating indicators by observers in this study, 55% of the people accepted this monument as an entrance symbol of Qazvin in contrast to 67% of the experts who did not.. Some factors such as lack of understanding of the symbol by the people and its relationship with observers, lack of connection with Qazvin’s history and identity and from an aesthetics perspective, they found the monument unacceptable. However, the main reason for people to accept the symbol was its beauty.