Architecture and Urban Development (IJAUD)

A country's national budget is one of its most important public documents. However, it is unclear whether they consider urban planning given that urban physical development planning should come before economic planning as it provides a spatial framework within which economic decisions are implemented. This article therefore investigated the prioritization of urban physical planning by examining the budget procedures employed by the Kenyan Government and the County Government of Kisii. It was framed on the theory of public finance and exploratory research design. Data on budget implementation by the Government of Kenya was sourced from the Budget Statements covering the 2021/2022 to 2023/2024 fiscal years, while that of the County Government of Kisii was obtained from the Integrated Development Plans for 2013-2017 to 2003-2027, and the Annual Development Plans for the 2019/2020 to 2022/2023 fiscal years. Deductive content analysis was used to determine if the two tiers of government were prioritizing urban planning within their annual budgets. The results revealed that the Government of Kenya did not incorporate urban planning when budgeting. Regarding the County Government of Kisii, the department accountable for planning received the least funding therefore making it unable to prepare new plans or finish those that were already underway, nor could it implement those already completed. The article concludes that urban physical development planning was not prioritized by both government levels. Consequently, most urban areas in Kenya are growing without the spatial frameworks required for long-term development.

The construction of biophilic residential complexes is one of the new approaches to increasing the nature of the residents of residential complexes whose benefits will lead to better people's life. In recent years, in the field of architecture, biophilic residential architecture has been paid special attention and tries to consider the link between architecture and nature further. This study aims to investigate the theoretical modeling of the components affecting the biophilic design of the intervening spaces of residential complexes and the design of the relationships of these factors. The research method is descriptive-analytical in terms of applied results. A qualitative research approach was used through systematic review and purposive sampling to identify the studied components. In the section on interpretive structural modeling, expert academic opinions in architecture and Urbanism have been used through the Delphi method. Data collection tools are interviews and a two-way questionnaire, and a face validity criterion was used to assess the validity of the questionnaire. The relationships between the components affecting the biophilic design of the spaces between residential complexes have been determined using a new analytical methodology called interpretive structural modeling (ISM) and analyzed seamlessly. The findings showed that the relationship with natural systems with nine penetration power is the most effective and the strongest motivator of the biophilic design of the spaces between residential complexes and acts as the underlying stone of the model. Also, the order and complexity component with the penetration power of 4 has the least effect.

The neighborhood is considered as the center of thinking about the City. Neighborhoods have undergone changes in different eras based on different crises. The emergence of the Corona pandemic has caused immediate changes in the way of living and the creation of new demands in the last four years. The daily concerns caused by the pandemic have put the dwellers' physical, mental, and psychological health at risk. Therefore, the research's main goal is to rethink the concept of neighborhood health as required in the post-pandemic era. This research was developed based on the correspondence of experiences and literature of "contemporary neighborhood" and "pandemic concept." Based on theme base method, studies related to the "pandemic" were investigated to base the obtained data on the content matching of two concepts of the contemporary neighborhood and pandemic and to make it possible to realize the research goals. Based on the findings, eighteen criteria related to place, ten related to biopsychology, and seven related to biomedicine have been promoted in contemporary urban planning. The summation of the criteria related to the contemporary neighborhood also confirms eighteen criteria. Examining the content of the basis of livability criteria in the pandemic era and the contemporary neighborhood shows that these two phenomena (chronological) not only do not have a fundamental conflict with each other in content, but the content coherence between the criteria is evident.

This study investigates the potential of a novel therapeutic approach to improve informal settlements, which is a highly localized healing treatment to regenerate urban spaces. The purpose is to find out how urban acupuncture can be applied to accomplish the empowerment plans of informal settlements. The process-oriented approach of urban acupuncture creates an appropriate context for the possibility of the community participation in different stages of improving public spaces. However, the social conditions and characteristics of the residents of informal settlements create challenges and require the use of special methods in dealing with the issue of participation. The first part of the research is based on formulation of an urban acupuncture framework for improving informal settlements. The theoretical finding of this part is applied in the second part of this research, which focuses on the public spaces of an informal settlement, “Kooye Manbae Ab” in Ahvaz, a city in Iran. The results showed that urban acupuncture as a small-scale, bottom-up approach, provides motivations for residents of such neglected parts of the city. Nevertheless, a combination of different participatory techniques should be applied to encourage and motivate residents to be consciously involved in the process of upgrading their environment.

Novel viewpoints see the façade as a multi-functional component that should simultaneously meet functional and aesthetic requirements. These requirements need to be evaluated using a state-of-the-art approach. Although façade performance assessments are seen in the literature, studies that investigate the aesthetics and performance of façades rarely can be found together. Reviewing the approaches, methodologies, and criteria utilized to assess façades can draw a vision of the background for those who intend to develop a method for façade evaluation based on a novel perspective. This study aims to investigate recent research to discover approaches to façades. An exploratory case study methodology was applied to implement this aim, while the data collection method was library-based. Content analysis was employed via logical reasoning to determine the approaches, methods, and criteria of façade evaluations. Also, open and axial coding was used to organize the criteria extracted. The found approaches were "sustainability," "buildability," "life cycle assessment," "competing objectives," "performance," and "general," while the most frequent ones were "performance" and "sustainability" after "general." Previous façade-focused research methodologies were concentrated on five methodologies: multicriteria decision-making (MCDM), simulation, optimization, library-based, and hybrid. The most popular method was MCDM. Extraction of criteria demonstrated that "Costs," "Thermal performance," “Environmental impacts,” and “Durability” are respectively the trend ones with the highest frequency of presentation. To conclude, the façade as a multi-functional element needs to be assessed with state-of-the-art methods that consider all the required functions of a façade, including aesthetics. In contrast, Conventional methods cannot provide such a service.

This article presents a case study exploring the intersection of tradition and innovation in Pahlavi II architecture, focusing on buildings from the Pahlavi II period in Sanandaj. The research investigates incorporating traditional spaces and introducing innovative design approaches during this architectural period. By analyzing the added and removed spaces compared to the traditional period, the study seeks to identify the key factors influencing the transformation of architectural features. The research methodology involves site visits, interviews with architectural experts and residents, and archival research to gather data on the architectural design choices and motivations. The findings reveal a harmonious integration of traditional and innovative spaces in Pahlavi II buildings in Sanandaj. The analysis of added and removed spaces sheds light on the dynamic nature of architectural evolution, providing insights into the influence of cultural and historical factors on design decisions. The study highlights the importance of preserving cultural heritage while embracing innovation and modernity in architectural design. It also emphasizes the need for a holistic approach to design that considers social, cultural, and environmental factors. Overall, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of the intricate relationship between tradition and innovation in Pahlavi II architecture and its impact on built environments. The research provides valuable insights for architects, designers, and policymakers seeking to create sustainable and culturally sensitive built environments.

Iranian traditional architecture has been changed by modernity during the era of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar. This led to a combination of residential context and the first modern streets of the capital. In addition, this development creates new residential spaces above commercial functions, challenges traditional values, and responds to residents' activities and interactions. The main goals of the research are, firstly, achieving residential patterns in combination with urban space and, secondly, changing the concept of traditional values in Iran in this era. Residential spaces in the streets of Lalezar, Ala-al-Dawa, and Sani-al-Dowleh and the passageways between them are studied. Four mansions with traditional residential patterns and six modern-style apartments were selected as deliberate case studies. The residential plans are based on field surveys and reports from the cultural heritage ministry. The connectivity, integration, and depth measurement components were conducted using quantitative analysis tools such as E-Graph and DepthMap software, which are space syntax analysis instruments. The comparative assessment led to some changes, such as omitting traditional elements like the courtyard and entrances and altering the nature of some spaces like the living room. The result of research via deductive reasoning explains changes in the qualities of some values in Iranian traditional architecture. These qualities are privacy and hierarchy. The main reasons for these changes are having the balconies in the first floor like the older model but facing the street and locating most spaces in similar depths.

The Urban River Valleys are not only the interface between the city and nature, but they are also essential spatial places that carry urban context, local life, and other environmental characteristics. As a result, the design of urban river Valleys is one of the most important strategies for promoting urban ecological systems, protecting socio-economic benefits, and increasing aesthetic values. This paper proposes the resilience concept to address the problem of natural hazards at the River Valleys while maintaining the environment's qualities. For this purpose, the focus is on applying the physical dimension of resiliency for presenting design qualities and indicators by studying the expected roles and qualities of urban rivers and the concept of resiliency. So at first, the Resilient Urban River Valleys Conceptual Framework has been codified, and dimensions, Components, and criteria of resilient River Valley design are proposed. In the next step, This Conceptual Framework is used to examine the quality of Tehran's Kan River Valley s Public Space using a SWOT matrix and develop design goals and strategies. Finally, this study stands on the notion that a place's resilience not only embraces formulating an immediate response to crises such as floods but also considers long-term mitigation and adaptation strategies and environmental qualities to face environmental challenges. In this perspective, reconnecting the community with the river through creating a favorable public space and using the natural potential of the rivers to confront the hazards is necessary.