A tourism-oriented conservation plan for a historic neighborhood based on urban design qualities: The case of Yazd in Iran

Abstract

After the inscription of the Historic City of Yazd on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2017, the number of tourists visiting increased. The area is formed of several neighborhoods. This study aims to propose a conservation plan for the oldest, the Shah Abul-Ghasem Neighborhood, using the urban design qualities suggested by Golkar. The study based on a field survey in the neighborhood was carried out in such a way that items related to urban design qualities were photographed and categorized into environmental, functional and aesthetic-experimental components. Proposed measures and recommendations for the development of tourism in the area are presented based on the field survey results.

Interrelations of Ancestral Textile Handicraft Weaving and Tangible Vernacular Karkhanehs (Workspaces) in the Historic Destination of Yazd, Iran

“…The traditional city of Yazd is one of the best-preserved traditional cities of substantial size to survive in Iran [14,15]. In 2005, the traditional part of the city was listed as a national monument [10].…”

“…substantial size to survive in Iran [14,15]. In 2005, the traditional part of the city was listed as a national monument [10].…”

“…The large-scale factories that began to arise in Yazd in the early part of the 20th century were contextualized and adapted to incorporate social-cultural forms and functions (Table 2). The Yazdi karkhanehs, known as large-scale factories, were able to maintain their existing vernacular architecture almost through to the 1970s [46]. Eventually, however, as state-of-the-art industrial technologies increasingly entered the city, factories lost their identity and harmony along with the existing historic urban texture.…”

“…The transformation of gender roles and weaving practices threatened the survival of this cultural heritage as it was also accompanied by the loss of traditional loom making by local artisans, as well as decline of traditional dyeing and spinning activities. Yazd (1931Yazd ( -1963 [46] (p. 5), [47].…”

“…Many other new buildings and architectures were affected by these modernizing technologies as well. Yazd (1931Yazd ( -1963 [46] (p. 5), [47]. Throughout the world, vernacular buildings were under great architectural pressure from the early 20th-century technological innovations and the steady process of globalization during the early twentieth century.…”