Codifying architecture, urban planning and design strategies in the post-corona era with a grounded theory method

The crisis caused by the outbreak of a new infectious virus called corona in cities has caused the previously accepted principles in architecture and urban planning to be questioned. The adoption of new strategies in various fields of architecture and urban planning has faced immediate problems for decision-makers. The question addressed in this article is the discovery of the most important strategies as a simple model for Iranian society in the face of the challenges and consequences of this phenomenon. The article seeks to categorize the strategic themes grounded on Coronavirus pandemic challenges in architecture, urban planning and design in Iran. The research aims to build relevant knowledge in the shape of the conceptual model. As the virus has spread quickly among societies and vaccination discovery takes time, it is vital to find theoretical dimensions as well as practical aspects of architecture, urban planning and design to respond to the challenge. Thus based on a grounded theory methodology and applying content analysis and focus group techniques, the primary sources gathered from an expert panel including countrywide faculty members of IAU with architecture and urban planning and design expertise. To consider the data collection saturated, the graduate students' sketches during a semester as well as the extensive literature have been analyzed. Challenges, consequences, and strategies are codified in three phases: Open, axial, and selective codes have been sorted out. The article concludes that the themes might be classified based on five challenges from less physical (including socio-economic, cultural-educational) to more physical (consisting of planning-design, urban infrastructure, and traffic). The themes include housing, education-research, participation, planning, design, Information and Communication Technology, and public transportation. There is no discrepancy between the extracted strategies for either post or pre Corona eras. The most common concept among themes and strategies is their dichotomy qualities (such as place and non-place). The good governor based on healthy city approaches, however, is the crucial theme that may bind the whole theme.