Urban river-valleys

One of the most important natural factors and critical facilities in Tehran is presence of Alborz Slopes River-Valleys which have been considered as natural tourist places for citizens since a long time ago, especially in hot summers and play effective role in creating a balance between manmade and natural spaces. Importance of these river-valleys as ecological pathways is enhanced with the increase in population and development of river-valley cities can become a vital element of urban life cycle. However unfortunately, their inappropriate use has only reduced the quality of life in their area. Design of riparian parks, establishing dynamic edges and creating lively urban space may give a new spirit into the lifeless body of these river-valleys. This paper has been written aiming at planning and design of sustainable resorts in the area of Kan River-Valley (The largest urban watercourse of Tehran) and attempted to answer this question that has Kan River ecological context and environmental characteristics to become a green urban corridor? Land use planning process has been used and strategic planning has been performed using analytical - descriptive method of artificial, natural and visual characteristics of the subject area, relying on the table Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threat (SWOT) and using present capabilities and removing barriers. The research results show that using sustainable ecologic landscape design and compatible with the environment, is an appropriate strategy for revitalizing the urban river-valleys.