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M. Reza Shirazi
School of the Built Environment, Headington Campus, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK

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Journal article
Published: 22 February 2021 in Sustainability
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This article revisits social sustainability of compact urban neighbourhoods based on first-hand evidence from four case studies in London and Berlin. It suggests a working definition for socially sustainable neighbourhoods, develops a tripartite integrative evaluation framework for measuring social sustainability of urban neighbourhoods, and applies it to four case studies in London and Berlin. Findings of this research are in line with some dominant arguments made in favour of social sustainability of compact urban form, but challenges some others. Research findings suggest that compact urban form is not an urban orthodoxy, but has multiple and contrasting social meanings and perceptions in different contexts and places.

ACS Style

M. Shirazi; Ramin Keivani. Social Sustainability of Compact Neighbourhoods Evidence from London and Berlin. Sustainability 2021, 13, 2340 .

AMA Style

M. Shirazi, Ramin Keivani. Social Sustainability of Compact Neighbourhoods Evidence from London and Berlin. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (4):2340.

Chicago/Turabian Style

M. Shirazi; Ramin Keivani. 2021. "Social Sustainability of Compact Neighbourhoods Evidence from London and Berlin." Sustainability 13, no. 4: 2340.

Article
Published: 07 October 2020 in International Journal of Urban and Regional Research
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The growing significance of neighbourhoods in the urban planning discipline, alongside increasing attention to the social dimension of sustainable communities and societies, has brought to the fore the need to conceptualize socially sustainable neighbourhoods. In this article we reflect critically on the concept of socially sustainable neighbourhoods in two areas, namely definition and operationalization. We then propose a tripartite framework for measuring social sustainability of urban neighbourhoods, which combines the three elements of neighbourhood, neighbouring and neighbours. This framework is tested, examined and discussed for the case of Bethnal Green, London. We then integrate our findings into a social sustainability enhancement index, which encompasses practical recommendations to promote the social sustainability of Bethnal Green. We conclude this article by highlighting the research and policy implications of the proposed framework, and making suggestions for improving the methodology of future research.

ACS Style

M. Reza Shirazi; Ramin Keivani; Sue Brownill; Georgia Butina Watson. Promoting Social Sustainability of Urban Neighbourhoods : The Case of Bethnal Green, London. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research 2020, 1 .

AMA Style

M. Reza Shirazi, Ramin Keivani, Sue Brownill, Georgia Butina Watson. Promoting Social Sustainability of Urban Neighbourhoods : The Case of Bethnal Green, London. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research. 2020; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

M. Reza Shirazi; Ramin Keivani; Sue Brownill; Georgia Butina Watson. 2020. "Promoting Social Sustainability of Urban Neighbourhoods : The Case of Bethnal Green, London." International Journal of Urban and Regional Research , no. : 1.

Journal article
Published: 05 March 2020 in Sustainability
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Compact urban form has been widely suggested as a more sustainable development pattern that enhances different aspects of social liveability such as social exchange, collective interaction, and outdoor activity. Empirical research, however, challenges proposing a generic and universal understanding of compactness and its social advantages: compactness is perceived and lived differently in different socio-cultural contexts. This paper contributes to the call for gaining a more place-specific understanding from the compact urban form. To do so, it examines the social life of compact neighbourhoods in two study sites in Berlin. Social life is investigated by measuring the two dimensions of “neighbouring” and “social activities”: while the former explores how residents of the neighbourhood perceive different aspects of social life, the latter maps how urban space accommodates different types of social activity. Questionnaires and advanced mapping techniques are the primary sources of research obtained through intensive fieldwork and on-site observation. The research findings challenge some dominant assumptions attributed to the compact urban form orthodoxy: a compact neighbourhood can be perceived as safe, offer acceptable home and neighbourhood satisfaction, and, at the same time, suffer from low social networking and community engagement.

ACS Style

M. Reza Shirazi. Compact Urban Form: Neighbouring and Social Activity. Sustainability 2020, 12, 1987 .

AMA Style

M. Reza Shirazi. Compact Urban Form: Neighbouring and Social Activity. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (5):1987.

Chicago/Turabian Style

M. Reza Shirazi. 2020. "Compact Urban Form: Neighbouring and Social Activity." Sustainability 12, no. 5: 1987.

Original articles
Published: 09 May 2018 in Journal of Urban Design
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This paper investigates spatial, temporal, age and gender patterns of outdoor social activities in urban neighbourhoods and their correlation with properties of urban form. Informed by theories and mapping techniques in urban sociology, urban design and behavioural research, the paper develops a methodology for mapping outdoor social activities and applies it to four case studies in London and Berlin. Findings demonstrate how different types of activities are spatially distributed, reflecting socio-spatial characteristics of the given neighbourhood. The paper elaborates the contribution of the research to ongoing debates such as gendered space and age-friendly communities and suggests methodological improvements for future research.

ACS Style

M. Reza Shirazi. Mapping neighbourhood outdoor activities: space, time, gender and age. Journal of Urban Design 2018, 24, 715 -737.

AMA Style

M. Reza Shirazi. Mapping neighbourhood outdoor activities: space, time, gender and age. Journal of Urban Design. 2018; 24 (5):715-737.

Chicago/Turabian Style

M. Reza Shirazi. 2018. "Mapping neighbourhood outdoor activities: space, time, gender and age." Journal of Urban Design 24, no. 5: 715-737.

Original articles
Published: 08 May 2018 in Urban Research & Practice
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Despite recent advances in social sustainability discourse, there is a dearth of working definitions and evaluation frameworks regarding measuring social sustainability of neighbourhoods for research, practice, and policy purposes. Building on the qualitative meta-analysis of relevant resources, this article proposes the triad of social sustainability consisting of three pillars of neighbourhood, neighbouring, and neighbours, as a conceptual framework for understanding and measuring social sustainability of neighbourhoods. It introduces relevant indicators for each pillar, suggests advanced techniques for measuring them, and incorporates them into an integrated framework. At the end, significant research and policy implications of the proposed framework are discussed.

ACS Style

M. Reza Shirazi; Ramin Keivani. The triad of social sustainability: Defining and measuring social sustainability of urban neighbourhoods. Urban Research & Practice 2018, 12, 448 -471.

AMA Style

M. Reza Shirazi, Ramin Keivani. The triad of social sustainability: Defining and measuring social sustainability of urban neighbourhoods. Urban Research & Practice. 2018; 12 (4):448-471.

Chicago/Turabian Style

M. Reza Shirazi; Ramin Keivani. 2018. "The triad of social sustainability: Defining and measuring social sustainability of urban neighbourhoods." Urban Research & Practice 12, no. 4: 448-471.

Chapter
Published: 03 January 2018 in The Life and Afterlife of Gay Neighborhoods
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The aim of this chapter is to provide a thematic overview of the theory of Critical Regionalism as a theory of ‘In-Between’. I explain how Kenneth Frampton’s project of Critical Regionalism combines the two traditions of phenomenology and critical thinking to establish a constructive dialogue between Habermas’s unfinished project of Modernity and Heidegger’s insistence on being as becoming.

ACS Style

M. Reza Shirazi. The Theory of ‘In-Between’. The Life and Afterlife of Gay Neighborhoods 2018, 27 -43.

AMA Style

M. Reza Shirazi. The Theory of ‘In-Between’. The Life and Afterlife of Gay Neighborhoods. 2018; ():27-43.

Chicago/Turabian Style

M. Reza Shirazi. 2018. "The Theory of ‘In-Between’." The Life and Afterlife of Gay Neighborhoods , no. : 27-43.

Chapter
Published: 03 January 2018 in The Life and Afterlife of Gay Neighborhoods
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In this chapter, I focus on the case of Iran as a place where the quest for Critical Regionalist architecture and urban design has acquired a singular character, thanks to the work of leading architects such as Houshang Seyhoun, Kamran Diba, Nader Ardalan and Hossein Amanat. I then go on to discuss how in an era dominated by modernization and universalization, a sense of resistance emerged that attempted to reconcile Iranian-Islamic culture and Modernity, to present a critical reading of both Western and Islamic interpretations, and to find a middle way that neither rejected the West and its advantages nor neglected the history and culture of the nation. In this way, an intermediate approach appeared in which two extremes coexist in a continuous but generative tension, a situation which helped to bridge the gap between West and East, Modernity and Tradition, the universal and the particular, civilization and culture and thus introduced a Critical Regionalist architecture and urban design that garnered worldwide recognition. This approach to place-making, which I refer to as the ‘space-in-between’ approach, is mainly observable in the works of a number of leading architects and urban designers such as Kamran Diba, Nader Ardalan, and Hossein Amanat and will be studied under different themes such as the public sphere, the poetics of construction, bodily experience, architectural archetypes and the dialectic of presence in detail, supported by different illustrations. Introducing the term ‘urban oasis’, I conclude that this Critical Regionalist approach created a perfect ‘urban oasis’ as a ‘space-in-between’ where, to use Norberg-Schulz’s terminology, setting-into-work of place takes place.

ACS Style

M. Reza Shirazi. Space-in-Between. The Life and Afterlife of Gay Neighborhoods 2018, 45 -102.

AMA Style

M. Reza Shirazi. Space-in-Between. The Life and Afterlife of Gay Neighborhoods. 2018; ():45-102.

Chicago/Turabian Style

M. Reza Shirazi. 2018. "Space-in-Between." The Life and Afterlife of Gay Neighborhoods , no. : 45-102.

Chapter
Published: 03 January 2018 in The Life and Afterlife of Gay Neighborhoods
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This chapter provides space for the three architects, Kamran Diba, Nader Ardalan and Hossein Amanat, to express their obsessions and intentions in listening to the voice of place, discovering the demands of land, responding to them, and hence creating their narrative of ‘space-in-between’. In this regard, I asked the above-mentioned figures to describe how they realized the necessity of resisting dominant trends and managed to find their own unique approach. Based on a challenging but informative written exchange and dialogue (designed to be tailor-made for each individual), these three prominent figures, who are now active in their profession, and in research and teaching, provide us with first-hand explanations of their original endeavours regarding the creation and narration of ‘space-in-between’ in their work. All interviews were conducted over the last 2 years; the final versions were received in April 2017.

ACS Style

M. Reza Shirazi. The Narratives of ‘In-Between’. The Life and Afterlife of Gay Neighborhoods 2018, 103 -164.

AMA Style

M. Reza Shirazi. The Narratives of ‘In-Between’. The Life and Afterlife of Gay Neighborhoods. 2018; ():103-164.

Chicago/Turabian Style

M. Reza Shirazi. 2018. "The Narratives of ‘In-Between’." The Life and Afterlife of Gay Neighborhoods , no. : 103-164.

Chapter
Published: 03 January 2018 in The Life and Afterlife of Gay Neighborhoods
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In this chapter, I make some observations about the post-revolutionary architecture and urbanism in Iran from two perspectives. First, I present an overview of the main trends in the field of architecture and urban planning to show how the challenge of ‘Tradition’ and ‘Modernity’ has been a determining factor in the production of space, and how this oscillates between two poles: the official call for ‘Islamic architecture and urbanism’, and the intensive application of styles that do not fit this description by professionals and academics.

ACS Style

M. Reza Shirazi. The Post-revolutionary ‘In-Between’. The Life and Afterlife of Gay Neighborhoods 2018, 165 -187.

AMA Style

M. Reza Shirazi. The Post-revolutionary ‘In-Between’. The Life and Afterlife of Gay Neighborhoods. 2018; ():165-187.

Chicago/Turabian Style

M. Reza Shirazi. 2018. "The Post-revolutionary ‘In-Between’." The Life and Afterlife of Gay Neighborhoods , no. : 165-187.

Chapter
Published: 03 January 2018 in The Life and Afterlife of Gay Neighborhoods
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In the opening chapter of the book, I use Paul Ricoeur’s classic text, Universal Civilization and Natural Culture (1965) as a point of departure. The text intends to show how developing countries, including Iran, confront a twofold problem: the necessity of understanding the country’s profound personality and rootedness in the soil of the past, at one extreme, and at the other, the scientific, technical and cultural rationality of modern civilization. In other words, these countries face the crucial challenge of becoming modern and yet returning to their original sources, or of simultaneously reviving an old, dormant civilization while also taking part in universal civilization. In the first chapter, I argue that the general history of Iran over the last 150 years, and particularly its architectural and urban transformation, has oscillated between the two extremes of the West, Modernization and Modernity (Tajaddod) on the one hand, and the East, Nationalism and Tradition (Sonnat) on the other.

ACS Style

M. Reza Shirazi. Mapping the ‘In-Between’. The Life and Afterlife of Gay Neighborhoods 2018, 1 -25.

AMA Style

M. Reza Shirazi. Mapping the ‘In-Between’. The Life and Afterlife of Gay Neighborhoods. 2018; ():1-25.

Chicago/Turabian Style

M. Reza Shirazi. 2018. "Mapping the ‘In-Between’." The Life and Afterlife of Gay Neighborhoods , no. : 1-25.

Chapter
Published: 03 January 2018 in The Life and Afterlife of Gay Neighborhoods
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The concluding chapter suggests that taking into account the current conditions in Iran in terms of ongoing architectural and urban practices and the reproduction of urban ‘placelessness,’ the creation of a new ‘space-in-between’ is an absolutely critical and vital task. I argue that the central arguments for the concept of Critical Regionalism presented in Chap. 2 and the lessons learnt from the leading architects who created a ‘space-in-between’ as the manifestation of the theory of Critical Regionalism (Chaps. 3 and 4) can contribute to our understanding of ‘Modernity’ and ‘Tradition’ in Iran as laid out in Chap. 1, and pave the way for innovative Khalq-I Jadids which reflect and meet needs and requirements of the ever-globalizing urban landscape.

ACS Style

M. Reza Shirazi. A New ‘Space-in-Between’? The Life and Afterlife of Gay Neighborhoods 2018, 189 -193.

AMA Style

M. Reza Shirazi. A New ‘Space-in-Between’? The Life and Afterlife of Gay Neighborhoods. 2018; ():189-193.

Chicago/Turabian Style

M. Reza Shirazi. 2018. "A New ‘Space-in-Between’?" The Life and Afterlife of Gay Neighborhoods , no. : 189-193.

Review
Published: 06 August 2017 in Local Environment
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This article presents a critical reflection on the theory and practice of social sustainability in the built environment, identifies areas of agreement and disagreement, explores theoretical and conceptual gaps and challenges, and suggests practical implications for future research and urban policy. It argues that despite revisionist approaches which challenge the tripartite structure of sustainable development, social dimension of sustainability remains an essential valid pillar. Utilising a qualitative meta-analysis methodology for undertaking critical analysis of previous research and publications on the topic, key themes of theory and practice of social sustainability are identified and critically examined. Accordingly, 10 key formative characteristics of social sustainability and their research and policy implications are introduced. The article concludes with institutional observations for policy-makers to achieve greater success in addressing largely underestimated dimensions of social sustainability in urban settings.

ACS Style

M. Reza Shirazi; Ramin Keivani. Critical reflections on the theory and practice of social sustainability in the built environment – a meta-analysis. Local Environment 2017, 22, 1526 -1545.

AMA Style

M. Reza Shirazi, Ramin Keivani. Critical reflections on the theory and practice of social sustainability in the built environment – a meta-analysis. Local Environment. 2017; 22 (12):1526-1545.

Chicago/Turabian Style

M. Reza Shirazi; Ramin Keivani. 2017. "Critical reflections on the theory and practice of social sustainability in the built environment – a meta-analysis." Local Environment 22, no. 12: 1526-1545.

Book chapter
Published: 19 December 2015 in The Life and Afterlife of Gay Neighborhoods
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In the 1970s, and to meet the needs of the growing urban population, the Iranian government was able to plan for large-scale investments in the housing sector, thanks to suddenly increasing oil revenues. For a while, the western approach to housing and dwelling, crystallised in the proliferating and internationally appreciated style of modern architecture, dominated Iran’s new architecture and urban planning. However, a number of architects and urban planners resisted this dominance and tried to create a paradigmatic shift in the approach to housing and dwelling, focusing on the place-specific aspects of the context. The Shushtar-e-No project was an endeavour of this kind. This chapter addresses this paradigmatic shift, focusing on the case of Shushtar-e-No, a satellite city located 2 km from the old city of Shushtar and designed by Kamran Diba. After a short introduction to the political, social, and architectural context of the scheme, the chapter highlights how the architect’s unique approach to the built environment promised a paradigmatic shift in the question of housing and dwelling, the aim of which was to ‘synthesise’ the two modes of tradition and modernity in quest of a ‘local style’, and to promote a ‘social agenda’. Next, an investigation of the current environmental, social, and physical situation of the community will show its degeneration from the initial utopian image into a state of dystopia, which can be linked with both the initial architectural pre-suppositions and with later unexpected political incidents. Ultimately, using Foucauldian terminology, it will be concluded that Shushtar-e-No has transformed to a ‘crisis community’, a ‘forgotten land’, which represents a heterotopia par excellence.

ACS Style

M. Reza Shirazi. From Utopia to Dystopia: Shushtar-e-No, Endeavour Towards Paradigmatic Shift. The Life and Afterlife of Gay Neighborhoods 2015, 121 -136.

AMA Style

M. Reza Shirazi. From Utopia to Dystopia: Shushtar-e-No, Endeavour Towards Paradigmatic Shift. The Life and Afterlife of Gay Neighborhoods. 2015; ():121-136.

Chicago/Turabian Style

M. Reza Shirazi. 2015. "From Utopia to Dystopia: Shushtar-e-No, Endeavour Towards Paradigmatic Shift." The Life and Afterlife of Gay Neighborhoods , no. : 121-136.

Journal article
Published: 01 January 2015 in International Journal of Society Systems Science
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Drastic urban transformation of Tehran over the last two centuries generated an open spatial matrix with a state of affairs that is considered highly unsustainable. Due to the vast dimensions of the existing constructed area, which makes any radical interventions almost impossible, prototypes that provide a realistic and applicable approach are required to enhance the sense of place and ameliorate the current unsustainable situation. The aim of this article is to review the above-mentioned problems in the context of Tehran. It investigates the process of 'placelessness' and the state of 'unsustainability' in this city and formulates the concept of 'urban oasis' as an appropriate prototype for future interventions: a 'domain of resistance' against the ubiquitous placelessness of the megalopolis which integrates principles of sustainability and suggests a more sustainable urban life for the city's inhabitants. Finally, it puts forward a practical framework for implementing this concept in Tehran.

ACS Style

M. Reza Shirazi; Somaiyeh Falahat. Urban oasis, towards a prototype for sustainable urbanity: the case of Tehran. International Journal of Society Systems Science 2015, 7, 334 .

AMA Style

M. Reza Shirazi, Somaiyeh Falahat. Urban oasis, towards a prototype for sustainable urbanity: the case of Tehran. International Journal of Society Systems Science. 2015; 7 (4):334.

Chicago/Turabian Style

M. Reza Shirazi; Somaiyeh Falahat. 2015. "Urban oasis, towards a prototype for sustainable urbanity: the case of Tehran." International Journal of Society Systems Science 7, no. 4: 334.

Journal article
Published: 03 April 2014 in Urban History
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It is widely claimed that there was a clear spatial continuity in the evolution of the traditional Middle Eastern city, with every new development the result of an intelligent, albeit unplanned, evolution of pre-existing doctrines of construction. However, as far as the new Safavid urban development of seventeenth-century Isfahan (in Iran) is concerned, it is possible to distinguish a spatial fragmentation, in terms of urban pattern and urban structure, between the old texture and new extensions.

ACS Style

Somaiyeh Falahat; M. Reza Shirazi. Spatial fragmentation and bottom-up appropriations: the case of Safavid Isfahan. Urban History 2014, 42, 3 -21.

AMA Style

Somaiyeh Falahat, M. Reza Shirazi. Spatial fragmentation and bottom-up appropriations: the case of Safavid Isfahan. Urban History. 2014; 42 (1):3-21.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Somaiyeh Falahat; M. Reza Shirazi. 2014. "Spatial fragmentation and bottom-up appropriations: the case of Safavid Isfahan." Urban History 42, no. 1: 3-21.

Original articles
Published: 07 December 2013 in International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development
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This paper intends to investigate the process through which the Tehran–Karaj urban region has come into being, tracing its development from a small-town status 200 years ago, to its current status as an urban agglomeration of about 13 million inhabitants. Having introduced the genesis and structure of this urban region, a short review of the main challenges raised by it will reveal the nature and character of interconnectivity between its different components. It will then be argued that unlike some leading examples such as the Randstad, this interconnectivity has never been taken seriously by policy-makers, and suffers from an inefficient sectoral governance system, although it calls for the introduction of an integrated management system in the region. Finally, it will be concluded that despite the urgency of establishing an Integrated Management and Monitoring Administration, there is a growing will to fragmentation which neglects any regional planning strategy.

ACS Style

M. Reza Shirazi. Growth of polynucleated metropolis and fragmentation of territorial management in the Tehran–Karaj urban region. International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development 2013, 6, 107 -122.

AMA Style

M. Reza Shirazi. Growth of polynucleated metropolis and fragmentation of territorial management in the Tehran–Karaj urban region. International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development. 2013; 6 (1):107-122.

Chicago/Turabian Style

M. Reza Shirazi. 2013. "Growth of polynucleated metropolis and fragmentation of territorial management in the Tehran–Karaj urban region." International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development 6, no. 1: 107-122.

Articles
Published: 15 March 2013 in Planning Perspectives
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A number of studies explore the urban structure of the city of Tehran; however, little has been done in regard to its interconnectivity with the surrounding settlements and current challenges at the regional scale. This article investigates the making and current unsustainable condition of the Tehran-Karaj Urban Region arguing that it took shape passively in the absence of any structural framework. To tackle these problems, it is essential to formulate a regional sustainable comprehensive plan, one in which the interrelatedness across the entire region is observed, and which takes appropriate account of current international understandings regarding sustainable urban development.

ACS Style

M. Reza Shirazi. Sustainable planning for a quasi-urban region, necessities and challenges: the case of Tehran-Karaj. Planning Perspectives 2013, 28, 441 -460.

AMA Style

M. Reza Shirazi. Sustainable planning for a quasi-urban region, necessities and challenges: the case of Tehran-Karaj. Planning Perspectives. 2013; 28 (3):441-460.

Chicago/Turabian Style

M. Reza Shirazi. 2013. "Sustainable planning for a quasi-urban region, necessities and challenges: the case of Tehran-Karaj." Planning Perspectives 28, no. 3: 441-460.

Book chapter
Published: 17 January 2013 in Phenomenology 2010 vol. 5: Selected Essays From North America. Part 2
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ACS Style

M. Reza Shirazi. The Fragile Phenomenology of Juhani Pallasmaa. Phenomenology 2010 vol. 5: Selected Essays From North America. Part 2 2013, 245 -256.

AMA Style

M. Reza Shirazi. The Fragile Phenomenology of Juhani Pallasmaa. Phenomenology 2010 vol. 5: Selected Essays From North America. Part 2. 2013; ():245-256.

Chicago/Turabian Style

M. Reza Shirazi. 2013. "The Fragile Phenomenology of Juhani Pallasmaa." Phenomenology 2010 vol. 5: Selected Essays From North America. Part 2 , no. : 245-256.

Journal article
Published: 08 August 2012 in Planning Perspectives
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Some historians and critics have claimed that the generation and the evolution of traditional pre-modern urbanism and architecture were based on a deep understanding of the natural and man-made environment; they present its achievements as an integrated structure in which a clear sense of continuity and integrity exists. But the new Safavid developments of seventeenth century Isfahan, a city that has been extensively admired and referred to as an ideal Iranian-Islamic city, narrates a different story and discredits this supposition. By applying the concept of genius loci, introduced by the Norwegian architectural critic Christian Norberg-Schulz to study the major natural and man-made characteristics of settlements and their later developments, this article investigates formal and structural differences and contradictions between new Safavid developments in Isfahan and the old pre-Safavid city. It attempts to explain and clarify whether these differences are based on a misinterpretation of the existing genius loci of the city and thus generate a sense of discontinuity or whether they are the result of its re-interpretation and thus present a sense of continuity. Ultimately, it will be argued that Safavid Isfahan expresses a sense of ‘disjuncture’, which must not be ignored at the expense of idealizing traditional urbanism.

ACS Style

Somaiyeh Falahat; M. Reza Shirazi. New urban developments in Safavid Isfahan continuity or disjuncture? Planning Perspectives 2012, 27, 611 -624.

AMA Style

Somaiyeh Falahat, M. Reza Shirazi. New urban developments in Safavid Isfahan continuity or disjuncture? Planning Perspectives. 2012; 27 (4):611-624.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Somaiyeh Falahat; M. Reza Shirazi. 2012. "New urban developments in Safavid Isfahan continuity or disjuncture?" Planning Perspectives 27, no. 4: 611-624.

Debate papers
Published: 27 June 2012 in International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development
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The idea of ‘compact urban form’ has been examined mainly in the context of developed countries, but rarely has it been studied in the case of Middle Eastern cities. Due to the distinctive sociocultural background of the cities in this region, special consideration is urgent and necessary. This article investigates the main challenges presented by this idea, with a focus on Middle Eastern cities. It argues that because claims about the sustainability of the compact urban form in Middle Eastern cities have not been scientifically proven, its social acceptability remains questionable, the extent of its compactness is ambiguous, the tools to ensure the successful implementation of the compact pattern have not been defined and the size of the city has not been convincingly addressed.

ACS Style

Mohammadreza Shirazi; Somaiyeh Falahat. Compact urban form, question or solution? Examining the compact city in the Middle Eastern context: challenges and opportunities. International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development 2012, 4, 246 -259.

AMA Style

Mohammadreza Shirazi, Somaiyeh Falahat. Compact urban form, question or solution? Examining the compact city in the Middle Eastern context: challenges and opportunities. International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development. 2012; 4 (2):246-259.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mohammadreza Shirazi; Somaiyeh Falahat. 2012. "Compact urban form, question or solution? Examining the compact city in the Middle Eastern context: challenges and opportunities." International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development 4, no. 2: 246-259.