Adopting a descriptive-analytical method, this paper aims to examine the representations of London in Ben Jonson’s early seventeenth-century play The Alchemist and Samuel Johnson’s mid-eighteenth-century poem London. The texts’ treatment of London is marked by the authors’ critical view of the city. Jonson’s drama depicts life in his native London mainly to satirize it. Likewise, Samuel Johnson’s poem denounces London life for what he thinks to be its immorality, anarchy and corruption. However, both authors seem to have been fascinated with London at the same time: while Jonson’s interest is evident from his detailed listing of city sites, Samuel Johnson gradually reconciles himself to London to finally declare it to be the city that houses all that one may wish for.
Turbulence and inconsistency of urban physical system in the physical structure of Iran contemporary cities is one of the instances of identity crisis; the weakness of the educational system in the faculties of architecture and urban planning, the promotion of foreign culture in the domestic press, the weakness of the infrastructures of native culture education, the interference of experts from other scientific fields in architecture and urban planning, the weakness of urban management strategies, high expense housing and the necessity to supply housing for the needy people have created a turbulent city with eclectic culture and it made the native culture less prominent than before. The present research introduced the concept of “urban architecture”. The main presupposition of research is that the architecture of monuments in the historical texture has sufficient capabilities in the quality of physical structure of city and architects concurrently paid attention to the architectural characteristics of monuments and urban space quality. The purpose of present research is that to investigate the effective architectural factors to improve the social life of urban spaces thus the research question is that “how to architect while constructing architectural structures to shape an urban space with social quality?” The necessity of the study is the role of urban spaces to shape the social life and the significance of the study is the possibility to clarify a “bottom-up” design procedure to consider the concept of “urban architecture”, and also to institutionalize qualifications for urban spaces through architectures. The present qualitative research has been conducted with the logical argumentation and causal- interpretative strategies and through documentary- field study in the case study of Abyaneh village. Research findings, while paying attention to the qualitative components of urban spaces resulting from monuments architecture, have proposed strategies to realize the concept of “urban architecture” consistent with the components of social sustainability.
The intervention of urban design in Irans architectural structures has been for many years a challenging issue for architects and urban designers over their professional realm. The preservation of architectural structures in Iran has always resorted to extremes. This control and direction has sometimes resulted in exclusion of architecture position and has sometimes, once faced with lack of proper direction, led to confusion in urban realm and environment. This study reviews the theoretical literature including issues such as context, urban design realm as well as urban design control and then investigates a number of case studies selected from urban design measures carried out in Iran in order to identify the weaknesses and the reasons behind them. In regard to the theoretical basis achieved through literature review and the current procedures in Iran and also an analytic framework research, it seems that through modification of the executive system, implementation process for projects, application of urban design review tools for projects controlling, attention to gradual enlargement of cities and lack of certainty in design predictions in urban design process, the current challenge in Iran among architects and urban designers can be minimized. So the results of this analysis will illustrate a new vision- a native one - for alternative policies in relation between architecture structures and urban design controls.
The aim of this research paper was to determine the role of urban space design on cities competitiveness in the process of globalization. In the era of globalization and with the rush of investors to find attractive places for investment, cities are becoming the focal points for investors and the urban managers, who need to present a variety of attractions to draw financial capital and be able to compete with other cities. But, it seems these days, capital and time is wasted due to the lack of coherent theoretical foundations regarding the role of urban design professionals in making cities and urban spaces more attractive. This study explains and discusses the role of urban design in the process of making cities attractive in order to compete, by using a descriptive approach and by studying and reviewing relevant scientific resources and researches. The outcome of this study shows that today the relationship between urban design and urban economic conditions are reversed, and this phenomenon, based on the aims that have been mentioned in this article, has created a new model of urban space management in order to attract investors and develop urban growth.
Walking has always been the most natural, the oldest, and the most essential form of transportation and is still major form of moving, hence, it plays a vital rule in urban transportation. In fact, walking is the most important tool for seeing, being seen, observing city wide daily and social activities, discovering the values and hidden attractions in urban environment, and therefore, feeling of liveliness and being needed amongst citizens. Throughout the last three decades, due to increasing urban problems such as; environmental pollution, traffic and transportation issues, lower pedestrians’ safety against moving vehicles, jeopardizing the spiritual existence of valuable historical sites, lower visual quality of urban environments, and less social interactions. Which has created a worldwide momentum against the moving vehicles domination and diminishing of the pedestrianism. Consequently, pedestrianism and its necessities, which were ignored and forgotten urban issues, once again became one of the fundamental concerns in planning and development in urban design. This movement is called “Pedestrianism Movement”. In this research, after a discussion about the theory of pedestrianism and providing a literature review of the works done by the researchers, the acceptance criteria and characterizations of a walkable environment and the major contributing factors in strengthening or weakening of the pedestrian system will be discussed. Finally, results of several case studies in potential streets in Tehran are presented and recommendations will be provided to create a walkable environment and to accomplish the pedestrianism objectives.
Security is one of the most critical factors affecting the quality of urban spaces. Nowadays, most of these spaces have become merely pathways with neither social life nor sense of belonging to it. Insufficiency of public surveillance along with weak sense of control and surveillance results in spaces with high crime rate. In the late 60s and early 70s, high crime statistics in open urban spaces around America and Europe, forced many city planners to provide physical and cultural solutions for it. Sensitive environmental design can simultaneously prevent the occurrence of crime and increase the control and surveillance over the public spaces. The main purpose of this paper is to achieve the most critical factors enhancing safe urban spaces. The research method is descriptive analysis and is done by comparative study on three outstanding theorists’ point of view toward the subject. Research findings identify that crime prevention is largely achieved through applying territoriality, surveillance and social interaction factors in environmental design.
Examining the planning of cemeteries in the urbanism system of Iran does not show a good condition. In fact, cemeteries in the most Persian cities have become large-scale open spaces outside the city. This could cause irreparable damage to the cities because of the partial and/or improper use of the capacity of urban lands. Along with this, historical cemeteries within the cities have been abandoned. However, it seems that urban space with function of the cemetery has a specific sociocultural potential. Cemeteries can be very effective elements in the symbolic network of the city. As a result, it is also an essential element which must be associated with the structure and organisation of the city and the neighbourhoods, not as a waste and marginal element. In addition, exامینing this symbolic space achieve a symbolic dialogue which will result in exploring the beliefs, emotions, dreams, and imaginations of ancestors which means these urban areas need a specific attention. This paper, by using descriptive-analytical research method, attempts to explain sociocultural functions of cemeteries as an urban space, and to scrutinise its pathology through reviewing its position in the urban plans in Iran. In the following, via an emphasis on the sociocultural role of the cemetery, a series of strategies will be expressed for promoting its position within cities.
The success of urban spaces is proportional to the extent in which that space is being used and to human presence. In fact, architecture and urban planning should attempt to enhance social interactions and human soلیداrity rather than differentiation and separation. However, today what is witnessed in most of urban spaces is reduction of relationships and social participation of those residing in these spaces. On the other side, in recent decades, with the increasing progress of technology most of traditional patterns have been changed, and these changes have altered culture and life appearance in Iranian community. What is observed in today’s societies is the reduction in level of people’s social interactions. Regarding the role and function of cultural complexes as a space for improving social interactions, the physical structure of cultural environments should play a significant role in boosting people’s social interactions. The purpose of this research is to identify social interactions and effective physical components affecting promotion of social interactions among people in cultural complexes which provide an opportunity for individuals to take a relief from daily tensions, to gather together and interact. The methodology used in this research is descriptive and analytical, exploiting library studies in order to achieve the desired results. Finally, after studying various theories and effective physical components in promotion of social interaction in public urban spaces such as cultural complexes, appropriate architectural strategies have been provided. The results of this research indicate that six components of stagnation, aggregation, integrity, vitality, spatial determination and flexibility are among most important physical factors affecting the promotion of social interaction in cultural complexes.
This research seeks to answer what process should be done for a comprehensive analysis and s tudy of producing urban space. The research method of the present s tudy is influenced by the qualitative nature of the research ques tion and to explain a conceptual framework. It has been prepared based on the analytical-descriptive method and sources. Data collection was done by documentary and library methods, and a three-s tep process was performed. In the firs t s tage, document analysis and direct observation of urban spaces and review of some of the lates t research and global experiences of urban space production have been used, which makes the reliability and validity of the research guaranteed by triangulation of evidence sources. In the second s tage, an analytical framework related to producing and reproducing urban space, which includes four general layers, has been developed by summarizing and analyzing them. Then, in the third s tage, the sub-layers of this framework with emphasis on power relations (influence) of related actors have been refined, and the proposed model of space production has been developed. The production and reproduction of space in the city consis t of 4 layers. These four s tages mus t be examined to s tudy the production or reproduction of a specific area. 1-Geographical context (natural context), 2-Time, 3-Formal urban planning sys tem, 4-Social organization or networks of actors (or s takeholders). In this s tudy, a model for s tudying the production of different urban spaces has been proposed from the collection of findings and analyses.
Understanding how discourse is spatialized needs a conceptual ground for the discussion, and this study believes that the Foucauldian view is the right one. With a non-cartesian attitude, Michel Foucault considered the body as space and used archaeological and genealogical analysis to study its productive conditions. In his archaeological study, Foucault sought to analyze changes in knowledge or discourse through historical periods. In the genealogical one, he revealed discourse emergence conditions via mechanisms of power. Taking Foucault's epistemic framework, power and knowledge have a mutual relationship, and spaces represent power/knowledge. This paper explores spatial discourses in Naghsh-e-Jahan Square of Isfahan (1591-1941 A.D.) as the last public-government square from the Safavid era. Ultimately, the spatial discourses of the Naghsh-e-Jahan square can be traced by techniques of domination in different periods of history; the discourse of Islamization through sovereign power in the Safavid era, the discourse of modernization through disciplinary power in the Ghajar era, and the modernization, civilization, and nationalism through disciplinary power and biopower in the late Ghajar era and during the first Pahlavi era.
The extant s tudy aimed to analyze the acous tic comfort situation in contemporary apartments based on urban spaces in Tabriz, Iran. This s tudy was conducted using a quantitative method within the field survey at two levels of the ques tionnaire (perceptual situation) and field measurements (acous tical condition). The researcher-made ques tionnaire was used to collect data in the firs t s tep. Architecture experts approved the validity of the ques tionnaire; its reliability was examined using Cronbach's alpha (0.926). All experiments associated with airborne noise field measurements (background sound and sound pressure level) were done using 2260Inves tigator. Firs t, background noise was measured in two open and closed windows inside the considered residential units. In the next s tep, sound pressure level (SPL) Figures were plotted using level rate and sound s tandard in different plan spaces. Ultimately, the authors assessed noise criteria and their difference with sound levels. The results indicated the undeniable effect of traffic, among other variables of acous tic comfort, on dissatisfaction caused by noise in urban areas of Tabriz. This effect was not only definite but also so significant that there was no change in patterns emerging in noise level, even based on the SPL measurements.
From the geopolitics point of view, the city is considered a geographic space that a variety range of actors competes with each other for achieving power and benefits, and in this proceeding, economy and capital are in the spotlight. It can be said function of capital in urban space is much-expanded that causing the formation of contesting, so capital is studied in urban geopolitics. For this reason, capital is the major issue of this study and authors have tried to show how capital affects the spaces of urban geography with a critical approach. Ontologically, this study is descriptive-analytical research and has used library methodology to achieve the goals. Results demonstrate which, from a critical geopolitics point of view urban space is an important focus for presenting the appearance of spatial political economy, which in its framework a collection of spatial proceedings and functions of capital, is recognizable and displayable.
Urban spaces and in other words urban design and architecture have been found with close linkage with art and beauty especially the arts such as painting and sculpture. Addressing beauty at different areas such as creation of galleries to offer works of art, addressing form of urban spaces and representing works of art in urban environment have improved social life and increased identity, consensus and collective solidarity. On the other hand, it can provide an interesting and calm environment for the citizens and residents. Concurrent with the socio-political developments in the twentieth century and the progress of science and technology, all the areas of the arts were subjected to change. The metamorphosis of the art and stylistic developments took place and a large number of artists tended to innovative phenomena. Since the art at the twentieth century especially the second half of the twentieth century sought to affect the addressee, a group of the contemporary artists including sculptors have not known the tight enclosure of museums and galleries to represent their works and preferred to display their works at open space and wide and large places of cities. Representing works at open space requires largeness of dimensions of works at multiple scale and use of modern materials and techniques. Sol Lewitt (1928 - 2007) has been regarded among the artists at contemporary age at the area of Minimalism and Conceptual Art. American philosopher and theorist and contemporary art critic, Arthur Coleman Danto, has conducted articles in criticism to works by Sol Lewitt and has appeared in exhibition of his works. Lewitt made the earliest structures in 1965 and continued his activity at the 1970s by expansion of plans and planning for the larger projects which have been being made based on morphological and conceptual ideas. Ultimately his arrangements were proposed at huge scale and extended from the space of galleries and museums which tended to conceptual and minimalist art to the urban space. In the present research, works of this artist and ideas of Arthur C. Danto about minimalism and works of Sol Lewitt are analyzed. The main questions are as follow: What outcome representation of these works has in natural environment and urban space? how the border between art has removed the daily life and addressee?
With emergence of urbanism, complication of urban community system, and occurrence of urban problems, a new paradigm of urban management was introduced that adopted new methods to involve citizens in policy making, planning, and supervision and direction of urban life. Therefore, the main element in managerial methods is involving citizens in urban life. Among the ways to make urban residents into real citizens is training an informing them. What everyday life suggests is everydayness. Everyday life is the very everyday life that is spent on repeated and everydayness activities such as work, rest, commutation, shopping, which all are boring and follow a predictable procedure. Urban spaces inevitably are background of large part of citizen’s everyday life, and therefore, undoubtedly interact with it, which means they both influence and are influenced by the individuals’ everyday life. This paper aims to collect and analyze literature on such interaction. Relation between urban space and everyday life has different aspects. However, they are placed between two contrasting ends, and tend towards one of them: everydayness and daily life; the latter of which suggests creativity, vividness and efflorescence of everyday life. Such life leads to lived experienced and creative moments for an individual, contributing to his/her balanced development. Such life, in the first place, realizes in a space which has individuals actively involved in its production and protection; and formation of such space has not been formed to impose dominant system’s values and rules on individuals. It is only in such space that physical and social dimensions of space are aligned, and spontaneity and efflorescence of urban life realize. It is in such space that diversity and individual differences are maintained at the same as keeping social sustainability. In other words, it is in such space that one can attain the right of being: one can live irrespective of his/her economic status, sex, education level, etc. In such space, individuals’ human rights in terms of access to urban requirements are observed and are subject to justice; people have the right to choose between proactive involvement in collection actions, and interactions, and retirement and relaxing from burden of urban life; collective memoirs of city are formed, and in addition to “form”, the space will acquire a “structure”, which remains in the people’s mind as a common thing. Memoirs that are embodied again as they are recollected, and as Agness Heller’s said, are reviewed in quiet and peace. Such review sets human mind free of sinews of everydayness, and directs towards criticism of the surrounding world. This paper was conducted using description-analytic method. Data collection was carried out using library (documentary) and field methods. This paper tries to study challenges and consequences of training of citizenship and relationship between urban space and everyday life.
Utopian thoughts have precedence as old as human history. Islamic civilization utopian thought owes its progress to the Farabi&rsquos utopian concept and expansion and academic study of utopian term in west owes to the Thomas More Utopia book. Theoretically, Farabi&rsquos utopian thoughts influenced development of utopian system in both Islam and Western civilizations. By emphasis on Farabi&rsquos Utopia as an example of utopian ideas in Islamic civilization, and Thomas More&rsquos Utopia as an example of utopian though in the western civilization, this research tries to investigate the commonalties and differences of these utopias. The architectural and urban building spaces of these examples were studied in the conceptual viewpoint. Thomas More Utopia consists of fifty four similar cities. All of the cities have been constructed well according to the same plan as possible as. The nearest cities have approximately twenty four miles distance, and the furthest ones are not so far from each other so that the people can travel less than one day. Because of similarities in the cities, only one of them has been referred in the &ldquoUtopia&rdquo this city is Amaurot. Each city sends three wise old men to Amaurot every year to negotiate on their common affairs. Amaurot is the main city of the island and it is near the center of the island. &ldquoThe opinions of the Utopians&rdquo and &ldquoThe Policy of the City&rdquo are two books of Farabi. He expresses the political and philosophical systems of Utopia comprehensively. He divides communities qualitatively and in addition, there are cities in contrary to Utopia. He pays attention to the quality of communities from perfectionism and auspicious perspective. In other words, the goal of the city determines type of the city. Farabi likens utopia to a creature that has independent existence beyond the members of the city. The comparison of the architectural and urban building spaces of Farabi&rsquos utopia and Thomas More&rsquos utopia showed that both of the cities are placed in the defined space from urban structure perspective both of them have defined volume and level, and the difference is that Thomas More&rsquos utopia is located in an islands and Farabi&rsquos utopia is universal. The More&rsquos city has a defied localization but Farabi&rsquos city does not posse this characteristic. Farabi has referred to the market space and transaction regarding to the urban micro spaces while Thomas More has referred to passages, hospitals, market and hall and other specification, situations and services. More has not explained the social and geographical divisions, but Farabi divides his utopia into complete and incompetent city and offers subcategories of human communities. Thomas More has emphasized on the urban divisions on streets and fragmentation of the city and also has referred to details like type of material, material used and entrance of city while, in Farabi&rsquos utopia has no references to the details of the architectural spaces and he has emphasized on educational and social goals.
Security has always been one of the most basic needs of human and improves social interactions, personal and social peace, prosperity of the people and thus caused the improvement of society. Modern urban spaces admitting to crimes and aberrations resulting in lack of security in the city, Security Survey in urban areas is an important issue. This paper examined the impact of residents' sense of safety in urban areas. It uses applied research and descriptive analysis. Quantitative methods and techniques used for evaluating data from the survey (see questionnaire). It studied two areas of Arak city: Hepco (Zone 1) and Ayatollah Saeedi (zone 4) .Research findings suggest that environmental differences are effective on the level of security in the city. People who live in zone1 feel more security than residents of zone 4 at night. Also the women feel more insecurity than men at night. Also between 4 studied subjects (men and women of both areas) men and women of zone 4 use other places for shop and fun more than men and women of zone 1. Also in both areas women use other places more than men .both groups have same ideas about the safe and unsafe places. The majority of them evaluate silent streets, one-way streets and low traffic areas as insecure places. In addition, people considered the presence of police and security forces, promoting the cultural and pay more attention to city design as an important factor of creating the sense of security.