No abstract

The role of density in the spread of the coronavirus pandemic is among the most critical concerns of urban designers and planners. To clarify this role, this systematic literature review is conducted on urban density and the COVID-19 infection and mortality rates in the context of urban design and planning. The studies were searched through three databases including Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science in March 2022 and were screened and reviewed based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Totally, 58 of the 3344 studies had pre-defined criteria. The results were categorized into four sections: population density, building density, built environment factors, and sociodemographic factors. Finally, directions are provided for future studies due to research gaps.

Urban façades have been one of the most crucial issues in Iranian urban development and the disorder that has been around in this field reflects the unstable situation of the society. In spite of the clarity of the concept of façade in scientific circles as well as the fact that it has turned into a major concern among urban managers over the last decade, urban façades are still suffering from a severe lack of organization. The reason may be our narrow view of façade which confines it to its physical aspects. To this end, the present study seeks to analyze the architectural heritage of the city of Tehran over the recent century in terms of urban façades in order to develop a map of the way for the future. Thus, by drawing upon grounded theory and in-depth interview with experts, the factors affecting the evolution of urban façades in Tehran during the late Qajar period, Pahlavi dynasty, and the Islamic Republic of Iran were identified and the dominant styles of each period based on the identified factors were publicly evaluated in terms of identity, beauty and showy by means of a questionnaire.