The New Ranking of Urban Mixed-Use Centers with A Focus on The Concept of Happiness

Happiness has broad definitions that are constantly changing. From antiquity to the Enlightenment era, happiness is defined in terms of eudemonistic, hedonistic, and ideological. Until the end of the twentieth century, with the growth of industry in societies, numerical-economic criteria played a pivotal role in its definition. In recent decades, due to the importance of social interactions, happiness has been redefined with social relationships. In the present study, by identifying the criteria affecting the formation of social interactions in the mixed-use space, this link has been classified in the form of measuring adapting of objective samples with the extracted criteria. Firstly, by presenting a theoretical framework from previous studies, the three criteria diversity, density and design of detached space have been considered. Secondly, Mixed-use urban centers, which have been considered as a functional solution for more interaction in communities by urban architects and planners, due to the existence of mixed commercial, cultural and recreational uses in the form of six options (mixed-used centers: Galleriya, Arg, Kourosh, Samarghand, Heravi and Kiyan) were identified and classified in Tehran. Then, with the three-level Hierarchical Analysis Method, three main criteria (diversity, density and design of detached space) in the form of nine common sub-criteria including cinema, restaurant and food court, play space, shops, elevators and escalators, open space, voids, shared space and security were evaluated for each of the six selected options. The results indicate the importance of the role of design in the form of detached space as the most effective criterion in prioritizing mixed-use urban space with a focus on happiness. In addition, based on the weights obtained from the identified criteria and sub-criteria, the Kourosh Mixed-use Center with the highest ranking in competition with other options has provided a happier space.