The Physical Factors Influencing Social Sustainability through the Preservation of Historical and Cultural Values in the Mehdi-al-Gadam Neighborhood of Urmia

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Ghasem Motalebi 1
Morteza Mirgholami 2
Parisa Hashempour 3
Ahad Nejhad Ebrahimi 3
Elnaz ZarghamiSoltanAhmadi 4
1 Professor, Department of Architecture, School of Architecture, University College of Fine Arts, Architecture, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
2 Professor, Department of Urban Planning, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tabriz Islamic Art University, Tabriz, Iran.
3 Professor, Department of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tabriz Islamic Art University, Tabriz, Iran.
4 Ph.D. Candidate in Islamic Urban Planning, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tabriz Islamic Art University, Tabriz, Iran.
10.22034/usd.2025.2026409.1256
Abstract
The historic urban fabric, which is the product of the interaction between numerous human and citizen factors with the physical structure of the city, has significant values, including social, cultural, historical, and economic values, as well as those inherent in its physical form. Today, the boom in urbanization and population growth, and consequently the increase in various types of demand, have caused to increase the number of existing problems and the diversity of decision-making centers and making the problem appear as an unsolvable impasse in most Iranian cities. Uneven and disproportionate distribution of services across the city, particularly in historical centers, uncoordinated growth of residential areas, lack of hierarchical systems aligned with modern urban life, neglect of social and cultural issues in urban fabrics, and the emergence of inefficient and unsustainable urban fabrics are some of the key issues. Each of these factors has had a significant impact on the shaping of today's cities in Iran, within their respective scope and scale. One of the issues that has not been extensively addressed in historical urban contexts is the concept of social sustainability. Due to the inappropriate activities and behaviors of human communities, there are consequences that grip society, and if these continue, all social and cultural structures of communities can disintegrate, leading to chaos and disorder. Therefore, changing behaviors and human actions appears essential for achieving social sustainability. This research seeks to examine the physical factors that influence the social sustainability of the historical fabric through the preservation of cultural-historical values, using various sources in the Mehdi Al-Qadam neighborhood of Urmia. Mehdi-al-Gadam neighborhood is one of the historic neighborhoods of it and different ethnic groups and religions, including Muslims (Sunni and Shia) and Christians (Assyrians and Armenians) live in the neighborhood.So the research aims to answer this research questions: What did the physical factors that impact the social sustainability of historic urban fabrics, and how the physical structure of the Mehdi Al-Qadam neighborhood has preserved its historic and cultural values. This research is an applied study that has been conducted using a mixed research method. Specifically, physical indicators related to social sustainability were identified and extracted through a review of existing literature. Subsequently, a conceptual framework for the study was developed. The Mehdi Al-Qadam neighborhood, situated within the historical urban fabric of Urmia, was selected as the case study for examining these physical indicators using a descriptive-survey methodology. Within this context, the analysis of indicators such as land use diversity, equitable access to services, and the quality of the built form relied on data gathered from resident interviews and the examination of land use maps, building quality assessments, and building height (number of stories) using ArcGIS software. Furthermore, space syntax analysis, conducted using DepthmapX v10 software, was employed to analyze the degree of spatial connectivity and integration within the neighborhood. The research findings showed that the selection criteria are only valid for a portion of the streets within the Mehdi al-Qadim neighborhood. The remaining area lacks suitable land use systems, accessibility, connectivity, and integration. The factors mentioned have led to a decline in the level of presence and social interaction of individuals within the neighborhood. Therefore, solutions like to design community center for fostering social interactions, to dedicate pedestrian paths and urban Spaces for hosting artistic ceremonies and exhibitions, can be proposed to improve social sustainability.
Keywords
Historical Fabric
Social Sustainability
Historical-Cultural Values
Mehdi-Al-Qadam Neighborhood
Urmia
Subjects

  • ·      بمانیان، محمدرضا، جلوانی، متین، و ارجمندی، سمیرا. (1395). بررسی ارتباط میان پیکره‌بندی فضایی و حکمت در معماری اسلامی مساجد مکتب اصفهان نمونه‌های موردی: مسجد آقانور، مسجد امام اصفهان و مسجد شیخ لطف‌الله. فصلنامه مطالعات معماری ایرانی. 5 (9)، 157-141.

    https://jias.kashanu.ac.ir/article_111763.html?lang=fa

    ·      جهاندار، محسن، و شیعه، اسماعیل. (1395). برنامه‌ریزی محله محور با تأکید بر پایداری اجتماعی، نمونه موردمطالعه محله خواجه ربیع مشهد، (پایان‌نامه کارشناسی ارشد)، دانشگاه علم و صنعت، ایران.

    ·      حبیبی، کیومرث، مشکینی، ابوالفضل، و پوراحمد، احمد.(1389). بهسازی و نوسازی بافت‏های کهن شهری، تهران: انتشارات انتخاب.

    ·      حجت، مهدی. (1380). میــراث فرهنگی در ایران؛ سیاست‌ها برای یک کشور اسلامی، تهران: سازمان میراث فرهنگی کشور.

    ·      حسن‌زاده، مهرنوش، و سلطان‌زاده، حسین. (1396). تدوین مدل مفهومی تحقق پایداری بافت‏های تاریخی با رویکرد راهبردی برنامه‌ریزی بازآفرینی. باغ نظر، 14(56)، 70-57.

    https://www.bagh-sj.com/article_56139.html?lang=fa

    ·      حناچی، پیروز، و پورسراجیان، محمود. (1391). احیای بافت شهری تاریخی با رویکرد مشارکت، تهران: انتشارات دانشگاه تهران.

    ·      رزاقی اصل، سینا، و خوش‌قدم، فرزانه. (1396). سنجش عوامل بهبود پایداری اجتماعی در بازآفرینی از منظر ساکنان؛ مطالعه موردی: محله شیوا تهران. مطالعات شهری، 6(22)، 74-59.

    https://urbstudies.uok.ac.ir/article_47826.html?lang=fa

    ·      رحیم زاده، محمدرضا، و نجفی، مهنام. (1388). جایگاه درک ارزش‌های ماهوی اثر تاریخی در روند احیا، سازمان میراث فرهنگی، صنایع‌دستی و گردشگری؛ صندوق احیا و بهره‌برداری از بناها و محوطه‌های تاریخی و فرهنگی،272-241.

    https://share.google/Rq3aIQWCQCSyFERLx

    ·      زیته، کامیلو. (1385). ساخت شهر بر اساس مبانی هنری (ترجمه فریدون قریب). تهران: موسسه چاپ و انتشارات دانشگاه تهران

    ·      شفیع‏پور یوردشاهی، طاهر. (1390). محلات قدیم ارومیه، (پایان‌نامه کارشناسی ارشد رشته الهیات و معارف اسلامی گرایش تاریخ و تمدن اسلامی)، دانشکده ادبیات و علوم انسانی، دانشگاه ارومیه، ایران.

    ·      عالی، حسین، و تاجیک، شهرام. (1393). مرمت و احیای بناها و بافت‏های تاریخی، انتشارات جهان جام جم.

    ·      عباس زادگان، مصطفی. (1381). طراحی شهری روش چیدمان فضا در فرایند طراحی شهری با نگاهی به شهر یزد. فصلنامه علمی پژوهشی مدیریت شهری، 3(9). 75-64.

    https://www.share.sid.ir/paper/453546/fa?media=1

    ·      فلامکی، محمد منصور. (1386). ریشه‌ها و گرایش‌های نظری معماری، تهران: موسسه علمی و فرهنگی فضا.

    ·      گل، یان. (1387). زندگی در فضای میان ساختمان‌ها (ترجمه شیما شصتی). تهران: سازمان انتشارات جهاد دانشگاهی.

    ·      گلکار، کوروش. (1397). آفرینش مکان پایدار: تأملاتی در باب نظریه‌ی طراحی شهری. تهران: انتشارات دانشگاه شهید بهشتی.

    ·      گورگیز، هانیبال. (1377). روحانیون برجسته آشوری در قرن اخیر، انتشاراتی کلیسای انجیلی آشوری.

    ·      مامفورد، لوئیز.(1385). فرهنگ شهرها. (ترجمه عارف اقوامی مقدم). تهران: مرکز مطالعاتی و تحقیقاتی شهرسازی و معماری.

    • مهندسین مشاور طرح و آمایش. (1394) طرح تفصیلی ارومیه، اداره کل راه و شهرسازی استان آذربایجان غربی.
    • مهندسین مشاور طرح و آمایش. (1385). طرح جامع شهر ارومیه، اداره کل راه و شهرسازی استان آذربایجان غربی.

    ·      نسترن، مهین، قاسمی، وحید، و هادی زاده زرگر، صادق.(1392). ارزیابی شاخص‌های پایداری اجتماعی با استفاده از فرآیند تحلیل شبکه (ANP). جامعه‌شناسی کاربردی.24(3).173-155.

    https://jas.ui.ac.ir/article_18320.html?lang=fa

    • هومرنازلو، کوروش. (1380). کلیساهای آذربایجان غربی (ترجمه داوود علیایی). اداره کل آموزش تولیدات فرهنگی.

    ·      Abed, A. R. (2017). Assessment of social sustainability: A comparative analysis Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers-Urban Design and Planning, 170(2), 72-82.

    https://doi.org/10.1680/jurdp.16.00020

    ·      Ashworth, G. J., & Goodall, B. (Eds.). (1990). Marketing tourism places (p. 140). London: Routledge.

    ·      Barron, L., & Gauntlett, E. (2002). “Housing and sustainable communities indicators project. Stage 1 report – Model of social sustainability”. Retrieved on May 15, 2010, from.

     http://wacoss.org.au/images/assets/SP_ Sustainability/HSCIP%20Stage%201%20Report

    ·      Bianchini, F., & Parkinson, M. (Eds.). (1993). Cultural policy and urban regeneration: the West European experience. Manchester University Press.

    ·      Colantonio, A., Dixon, T., Ganser, R., Carpenter, J., & Ngombe, A. (2009). Measuring Socially Sustainable Urban Regeneration in Europe. Project Report. Oxford Brookes University

    ·      Conzen, M. R. G. (1966). Historical townscapes in Britain: a problem in applied geography.

    https://books.google.com/books?id=oRQESQAACAAJ

    ·      Feilden, B. (2007). Conservation of historic buildings. Routledge.

    ·      Femmam, N., & Mazouz, S. (2018). Analysis of legibility in urban public spaces. Case of El-Alia North-East neighborhood in Biskra, Algeria. Journal of Applied Engineering Science & Technology, 4(2), 203-211.

    https://doi.org/10.69717/jaest.v4.i2.92

    ·      Figueiredo, L. (2005). Mindwalk 1.0–Space Syntax Software. Brazil. Laboratório deEstudos.

    https://www.scribd.com/document/286284666/Figueiredo-2005-Space-Syntax-Software-English

    ·      Ghahramanpouri, A., Abdullah, A. S., Sedaghatnia, S., & Lamit, H. (2015). Urban social sustainability contributing factors in Kuala Lumpur streets. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 201, 368-376.

    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.08.188

    ·      Heath, T., Oc, T., & Tiesdell, S. (1996). Revitalising Historic Urban Quarters. Routledge, London.

    https://doi.org/10.4324/9780080516271

    ·      Hiller, B. (2005). The common language of space: a way of looking at the social, economic, and environmental functioning of cities on a common basis. Journal of Environmental Sciences, 11 (3), 344-349.

    https://doi.org/10.0000/1001-0742.19990316

    ·      Hillier, B., & Iida, S. (2005). Network and psychological effects in urban movement. In International conference on spatial information theory (pp. 475-490). Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg.

    https://doi.org/10.1007/11556114_30

    ·      Hillier, B. (2007). Space is the machine: a configurational theory of architecture. Space Syntax, London.

    https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/3881/1/SITM.pdf

    ·      Jokilehto, J. (2017). A history of architectural conservation. Routledge.

    https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315636931

    ·      Kearns, G. & Philo, C. (1993). Selling Places: The City as Cultural Capital, Past and Present. Oxford: Pergamon Press

    ·      Larkham, P. (1996). Conservation and the City. Routledge, London.

    https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203035238

    ·      Lichfield, N. (2009). Economics in urban conservation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    ·      Larimian, T., Freeman, C., Palaiologou, F., & Sadeghi, N. (2020). Urban social sustainability at the neighbourhood scale: Measurement and the impact of physical and personal factors. Local Environment, 25(10), 747-764.

    https://doi.org/10.1080/13549839.2020.1829575

    ·      Larimian, T., & Sadeghi, A. (2021). Measuring urban social sustainability: Scale development and validation. Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science, 48(4), 621-637.

    https://doi.org/10.1177/2399808319882950

    ·      Liu, X., & Jiang, B. (2012). Defining and generating axial lines from street center lines for better understanding of urban morphologies. International Journal of Geographical Information Science, 26(8), 1521-1532.

    https://doi.org/10.1080/13658816.2011.643800

    ·      Mason, R. (2002). Assessing values in conservation planning: methodological issues and choices. Assessing the values of cultural heritage, 1, 5-30.

    https://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=view_citation&hl=en&user=itZCVfIAAAAJ&citation_for_view=itZCVfIAAAAJ:IjCSPb-OGe4C

    ·      McKenzie, S. (2004). Social sustainability: towards some definitions. Hawke Research Institute, Australia.

    https://apo.org.au/node/565

    ·      Montgomery, J. (2004). Cultural quarters as mechanisms for urban regeneration. Part 2: A review of four cultural quarters in the UK, Ireland, and Australia. Planning, Practice & Research, 19(1), 3-31.

    https://doi.org/10.1080/0269745042000246559

    ·      Murphy, K. (2012). The social pillar of sustainable development: a literature review and framework for policy analysis. Sustainability: Science, practice, and policy, 8(1), 15-29.

    https://doi.org/10.1080/15487733.2012.11908081

    ·      Orbasli, A. (2000). Tourists in historic towns: Urban conservation and heritage management. Taylor & Francis.

    https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203479001

    ·      Pendlebury, J. (2005). The modern historic city: evolving ideas in mid-20th-century Britain. Journal of Urban Design, 10(2), 253-273.

    https://doi.org/10.1080/13574800500087152

    ·      Ratiu, D. E. (2013). Creative cities and/or sustainable cities: Discourses and practices. City, culture, and society, 4(3), 125-135.

    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccs.2013.04.002

    ·       Roberts, P.W & Sykes, H. (2000). Urban Regeneration: A Handbook. London: Sage.

Journal of Urban Sustainable Development
Volume 7, Issue 22
Spring 2026
Pages 85-107