Heritage management and urban development in Iran, case study of Shiraz

Abstract

PurposeLarge-scale interventions are still the dominant approach in dealing with historic cities in Iran; however, during the last decade there has been a shift towards integrated and decentralised policies and a series of locally based projects were initiated across the country. Political and ideological forces, population growth as well as cultural and heritage consensus are influencing approaches towards urban conservation and heritage management constantly. This paper opens up the urban intervention approaches in the historic core of Shiraz and provides a deeper insight and better understanding of heritage management and regeneration plans in Shiraz as a representative of historic Iranian cities.Design/methodology/approachThe study explains and analyses major urban transformations in Shiraz. The main approaches towards historical city core are identified and the mechanism that shaped these approaches in national and local scale is discussed. This investigation primarily uses qualitative data sources. The study relies on multiple sources of evidence which result in the reliability and validity of the investigation. Therefore, primary sources include original documents, maps and photographs published in documentation for the projects, published and unpublished materials and archives about case study city and secondary sources such as interviews with consultants and authorities as well as residents have been used.FindingsThis paper provides a more detailed explanation about several interrelated factors that affected the process of decision and policy making, planning and implementation of city centre interventions during the last two decades.Originality/valueThis paper anticipates consequent trends in heritage management in Shiraz and recommends further research areas. The paper can be used to develop a more practical set of recommendations for urban heritage management in Iran.

Organizing worn-out neighborhoods with the new-urbanism approach using mixed methods in Rudsar, northern Iran

“…On the other hand, fast growth and horizontal development can disrupt city life and have many negative consequences (Zambrano et al, 2019). The sudden transformation of urban development from the slow process of modernization in the context of history to widespread development in the suburbs, and the creation of new textures led to ignoring the old texture of the city and accelerated the process of transforming the old texture into a wornout urban texture (Arjomand Kermani, 2020). The territory of erosion in some of these neighborhoods is such that the occurrence of a moderate earthquake may lead to a catastrophe (Nazmfar, 2019).…”

Preserving the Past and Shaping the Future: An Articulation of Authenticity of Heritage within Urban Development

“…However, just after the fall of a conservative Qajar regime and the rise of Pahlavi dynasty throughout the early 1920s, urban modernization and development throughout Iran has gained traction (Marefat, 1997). The industrial development of Shiraz has resulted in increased employment and urban development, and the road widening act of 1933 has authorized the municipality to widen narrow lanes in the historical town and build two new East-West roads known as the Lutf-Ali-Khan Street & Karim Khan Boulevard (Kermani, 2020). Hence, the historic center of the city has gradually lost its physical, social, and economic importance as a result of the introduction of new social patterns.…”

“…Indeed, this has had a compounding impact on the decline of the old center (Kermani, 2020). As a result of the decline of historic city, redevelopment schemes based on orthogonal street grids have been imposed here on irregular patterns of existing urban fabric.…”

“…Moreover, the Islamic revolution that has occurred in February 1979, has incorporated significant modernization components into the social and political institutions in addition to the built environment (Ansari, 2003). There, a number of massive, state-led regeneration projects have taken the place of a few locally run regeneration initiatives that had been initiated in the early years following the revolution (Kermani, 2020).…”

“…Despite all the attempts in restoring and rebuilding the historic city, in 1990, initiatives have been made using a top-down approach, ignoring the community and local government's input during the planning, decision-making, and execution stages (Kermani, 2020) rather than a bi-directional method. The introduction of a new urban policy to control the city growth in 1997, the founding of the Urban Development and Revitalization Company (UDRC), which caused the previous projects and strategies to be revised, and the establishment of UDRC's regional branch in Shiraz are the three key factors that has laid the groundwork for this transition (Nasir & Mahjoub, 2002).…”