Comparative study of social sustainability between Western cities and Iranian historical cities
Abstract
This study compares the social sustainability models of Western cities with those of historical Islamic cities in Iran, exploring their theoretical foundations and practical implementations. The research investigates whether the principles underlying Iranian Islamic cities align with Western standards of social sustainability, identifying similarities and differences between these models. Using a comparative analysis and an interpretative-historical approach, the study reviews the evolution of sustainable practices in both contexts. Concrete examples from Western urban models and Iranian cities are examined to assess their effectiveness in fostering sustainable communities and promoting sustainable behaviors. The findings highlight significant parallels between Western and Iranian Islamic models, with an 83% overlap, particularly with the new urbanism models of Europe and America, despite distinct approaches rooted in cultural and historical contexts. The study concludes that modern urbanism in the West and the Safavid era cities in Iran represent the most sustainable models within their respective regions.
Keyword : sustainable community model, historical Islamic cities of Iran, Western cities, similarities and differences, comparative study
How to Cite
Salkhi Khasraghi, S., Mehan, A., & Hakimi Oskui, A. (2024). Comparative study of social sustainability between Western cities and Iranian historical cities. Journal of Architecture and Urbanism, 48(2), 141–150. https://doi.org/10.3846/jau.2024.20757
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
References
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Boodaghi, O., Fanni, Z., & Mehan, A. (2022). Regulation and policy-making for urban cultural heritage preservation: A comparison between Iran and Italy. Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCHMSD-08-2021-0138
Fatourehchi, D., & Zarghami, E. (2020). Social sustainability assessment framework for managing sustainable construction in residential buildings. Journal of Building Engineering, 32, Article 101761. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2020.101761
Gholabchi, M., & Taeri, B. (2023). Sustainable architecture (strategy towards low carbon architecture). Pars University of Architecture.
Habibi, S. M. (2008). From flux to the city: Historical analysis of the concept of the city and its physical appearance/thinking and influence. Publishing and Printing Institute of Tehran University.
Hart, M. (2010). Introduction to sustainable development. Earthscan.
Hossien Zadeh Dalir, D., & Ashena, L. (2011). Visual order in traditional Iranian urban planning (case study: Tabriz bazaar). Geography and Planning Quarterly, 16(37).
Khasraghi, G. S., Volchenkov, D., Nejat, A., & Hernandez, R. (2023). University campus as a complex pedestrian dynamic network: A case study of walkability patterns at Texas Tech University. Mathematics, 12(1), Article 140. https://doi.org/10.3390/math12010140
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Kiyani, M. Y. (1989). Cities of Iran. In Islamic culture and guidance publication (Vol. 2). Tehran.
Mahdavi, S. (1996). Establishment and planning of Islamic cities. Abadi Magazine, 22, 54–63.
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Mecca, B. (2023). Assessing the sustainable development: A review of multi-criteria decision analysis for urban and architectural sustainability. Journal of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis, 30(2), 1818–1841. https://doi.org/10.1002/mcda.1818
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Mehan, A. (2019a). The challenges of “comparative urbanism” in post-Fordist cities: The cases of Turin and Detroit. Outline Journal, 4(Comparing Habitats), 1–14.
Mehan, A. (2019b). Emerging spatialities of discontent in modern Tehran. QU3: iQuaderni di U3: 19, 1, 2019, 63–71.
Mehan, A. (2022). Tehran: From sacred to radical. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003140795
Mehan, A. (2023a). Re-narrating radical cities over time and through space: Imagining urban activism through critical pedagogical practices. Architecture, 3(1), 92–103. https://doi.org/10.3390/architecture3010006
Mehan, A. (2023b). Re-theorizing the collective action to address the climate change challenges: Towards resilient and inclusive agenda. Canadian Journal of Regional Science, 46(1), 8–15. https://doi.org/10.7202/1097156ar
Mehan, A. (2023c). Gio Ponti and Villa Namazee: (De)listed modern heritage. Heritage, 6(2), 789–801. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage6020043
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Mehan, A., & Mostafavi, S. (2024). Immersive art and urban heritage: An interdisciplinary study of socio-environmental justice in Houston and Amsterdam. In F. Moral-Andrés, E. Merino-Gómez, & P. Reviriego (Eds.), Decoding cultural heritage. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-57675-1_19
Mehan, A., & Stuckemeyer, J. (2023a). Urbanismo en la era de las transiciones radicales: hacia paisajes urbanos postindustriales. In Transición energética y construcción social del territorio ante el reto del cambio climático y el nuevo marco geopolítico (pp. 145–174). Aranzadi.
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Mehan, A., Lima, C., Ng’eno, F., & Nawratek, K. (2022). Questioning hegemony within white academia. Field, 8(1), 47–60.
Mehan, A., Odour, N., & Mostafavi, S. (2023). Socio-spatial micro-networks: Building community resilience in Kenya. In A. Cheshmehzangi, M. Sedrez, H. Zhao, T. Li, T. Heath, & A. Dawodu (Eds.), Resilience vs pandemics (pp. 141–159). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-7996-7_9
Naderi, K. A. (1996). The urban development commonalities of the Islamic world. Abadi Magazine, 22, 35–46.
Nikologianni, A., & Larkham, P. J. (2022). The urban future: Relating garden city ideas to the climate emergency. Land, 11(2), Article 147. https://doi.org/10.3390/land11020147
Ott, K. (2003). The case for strong sustainability. In Greifswald’s environmental ethics (pp. 59–64). Steinbecker Verlag Dr. Ulrich Rose.
Ragheb, A., Aly, R., & Ahmed, G. (2022). Toward sustainable urban development of historical cities: Case study of Fouh City, Egypt. Ain Shams Engineering Journal, 13(1), Article 101520. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asej.2021.06.006
Raisi, I. M., & Habibi, A. (2016). An essay on social sustainability in housing. Abadi Magazine, 55(1), 11–16.
Rajendran, L., Molki, F., Mahdizadeh, S., & Mehan, A. (2021). (Re)framing spatiality as a socio-cultural paradigm: Examining the Iranian housing culture and processes. Journal of Architecture and Urbanism, 45(1), 95–105. https://doi.org/10.3846/jau.2021.14032
Ruggerio, C. A. (2021). Sustainability and sustainable development: A review of principles and definitions. Science of the Total Environment, 786, Article 147481. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147481
Safar, N. S. M., Yahya, S. A., Usman, I. M. S., & Ismail, A. H. (2018). Ibn Khaldun’s theory, principles, and concepts on urban planning. Journal of Design + Built, 10(1), 1–8.
Tappert, S., Mehan, A., Tuominen, P., & Varga, Z. (2024). Citizen participation, digital agency, and urban development. Urban Planning, 9, Article 7810. https://doi.org/10.17645/up.7810
Zarghami, E., & Fatourehchi, D. (2020). Comparative analysis of rating systems in developing and developed countries: A systematic review and a future agenda towards a region-based sustainability assessment. Journal of Cleaner Production, 254, Article 120024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.120024
Ali, A. I., & Shah, A. M. W. (2021). Integration of Islamic principles in the planning and designing of urban public spaces. Bannu University Research Journal in Islamic Studies, 8(1).
Ali, M. A., Kahachi, H. A., Al-Hinkawi, W. S., & Shok, M. I. (2023, June). The impact of Islamic thought on sustainable development of the Arab Islamic city: Baghdad city as a case study. In AIP Conference Proceedings (Vol. 2820, No. 1). AIP Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0150741
Alihodzic Jasarovic, E., Komatina, D., Paunovic Zaric, S., Murgul, V., & Vatin, N. (2015). Decentralization as a cause of spatial segregation. Applied Mechanics and Materials, 725, 1134–1140. https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.725-726.1134
Al-Jayyousi, O., Tok, E., Saniff, S. M., Wan Hasan, W. N., Janahi, N. A., & Yesuf, A. J. (2022). Re-thinking sustainable development within Islamic worldviews: A systematic literature review. Sustainability, 14(12), Article 7300. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14127300
Asefi, M., Khasraghi, S. S., & Roders, A. P. (2019). Art and technology interactions in Islamic and Christian context: Historical approach to architectural globalization. Frontiers of Architectural Research, 8(1), 66–79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2018.12.003
Beheshti, S. M., & Najar Najafi, E. (2020). Where is the Islamic City? Conservation of Historical Area, 1(1), 1–25.
Boodaghi, O., Fanni, Z., & Mehan, A. (2022). Regulation and policy-making for urban cultural heritage preservation: A comparison between Iran and Italy. Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCHMSD-08-2021-0138
Fatourehchi, D., & Zarghami, E. (2020). Social sustainability assessment framework for managing sustainable construction in residential buildings. Journal of Building Engineering, 32, Article 101761. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2020.101761
Gholabchi, M., & Taeri, B. (2023). Sustainable architecture (strategy towards low carbon architecture). Pars University of Architecture.
Habibi, S. M. (2008). From flux to the city: Historical analysis of the concept of the city and its physical appearance/thinking and influence. Publishing and Printing Institute of Tehran University.
Hart, M. (2010). Introduction to sustainable development. Earthscan.
Hossien Zadeh Dalir, D., & Ashena, L. (2011). Visual order in traditional Iranian urban planning (case study: Tabriz bazaar). Geography and Planning Quarterly, 16(37).
Khasraghi, G. S., Volchenkov, D., Nejat, A., & Hernandez, R. (2023). University campus as a complex pedestrian dynamic network: A case study of walkability patterns at Texas Tech University. Mathematics, 12(1), Article 140. https://doi.org/10.3390/math12010140
Khasraghi, S. S., & Mehan, A. (2023). Glocalization challenges and the contemporary architecture: Systematic review of common global indicators in Aga Khan Award’s winners. Journal of Architecture and Urbanism, 47(2), 135–145. https://doi.org/10.3846/jau.2023.17176
Khasragi, S. S. (2008). Sustainable housing (looking at social relations). University of Tehran, Tehran.
Kiyani, M. Y. (1986). A brief overview of urbanization and urban development in Iran. Islamic Guidance Publication.
Kiyani, M. Y. (1989). Cities of Iran. In Islamic culture and guidance publication (Vol. 2). Tehran.
Mahdavi, S. (1996). Establishment and planning of Islamic cities. Abadi Magazine, 22, 54–63.
Malaysia, A.M.U.T. (n.d.). Application of the concept of the Islamic city and its influence on the social culture of the community.
Mecca, B. (2023). Assessing the sustainable development: A review of multi-criteria decision analysis for urban and architectural sustainability. Journal of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis, 30(2), 1818–1841. https://doi.org/10.1002/mcda.1818
Mehan, A. (2016). Squares as tools for urban transformation: Foundations for designing the Iranian public squares. Revista Brasileira de Planejamento e Desenvolvimento, 5(2), 246–254. https://doi.org/10.3895/rbpd.v5n2.4479
Mehan, A. (2017). In razing its modernist buildings, Iran is erasing its past Western influence. The Conversation, 26, 1–7.
Mehan, A. (2019a). The challenges of “comparative urbanism” in post-Fordist cities: The cases of Turin and Detroit. Outline Journal, 4(Comparing Habitats), 1–14.
Mehan, A. (2019b). Emerging spatialities of discontent in modern Tehran. QU3: iQuaderni di U3: 19, 1, 2019, 63–71.
Mehan, A. (2022). Tehran: From sacred to radical. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003140795
Mehan, A. (2023a). Re-narrating radical cities over time and through space: Imagining urban activism through critical pedagogical practices. Architecture, 3(1), 92–103. https://doi.org/10.3390/architecture3010006
Mehan, A. (2023b). Re-theorizing the collective action to address the climate change challenges: Towards resilient and inclusive agenda. Canadian Journal of Regional Science, 46(1), 8–15. https://doi.org/10.7202/1097156ar
Mehan, A. (2023c). Gio Ponti and Villa Namazee: (De)listed modern heritage. Heritage, 6(2), 789–801. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage6020043
Mehan, A. (2024). From exported modernism to rooted cosmopolitanism: Middle East architecture between socialism and capitalism. In Rooted cosmopolitanism, heritage and the question of belonging (pp. 227–245). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003348740-12
Mehan, A., & Mostafavi, S. (2024). Immersive art and urban heritage: An interdisciplinary study of socio-environmental justice in Houston and Amsterdam. In F. Moral-Andrés, E. Merino-Gómez, & P. Reviriego (Eds.), Decoding cultural heritage. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-57675-1_19
Mehan, A., & Stuckemeyer, J. (2023a). Urbanismo en la era de las transiciones radicales: hacia paisajes urbanos postindustriales. In Transición energética y construcción social del territorio ante el reto del cambio climático y el nuevo marco geopolítico (pp. 145–174). Aranzadi.
Mehan, A., & Stuckemeyer, J. (2023b). Collaborative pedagogical practices in the era of radical urban transitions. Dimensions of Architectural Knowledge, 3(5), 125–142. https://doi.org/10.14361/dak-2023-0508
Mehan, A., Lima, C., Ng’eno, F., & Nawratek, K. (2022). Questioning hegemony within white academia. Field, 8(1), 47–60.
Mehan, A., Odour, N., & Mostafavi, S. (2023). Socio-spatial micro-networks: Building community resilience in Kenya. In A. Cheshmehzangi, M. Sedrez, H. Zhao, T. Li, T. Heath, & A. Dawodu (Eds.), Resilience vs pandemics (pp. 141–159). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-7996-7_9
Naderi, K. A. (1996). The urban development commonalities of the Islamic world. Abadi Magazine, 22, 35–46.
Nikologianni, A., & Larkham, P. J. (2022). The urban future: Relating garden city ideas to the climate emergency. Land, 11(2), Article 147. https://doi.org/10.3390/land11020147
Ott, K. (2003). The case for strong sustainability. In Greifswald’s environmental ethics (pp. 59–64). Steinbecker Verlag Dr. Ulrich Rose.
Ragheb, A., Aly, R., & Ahmed, G. (2022). Toward sustainable urban development of historical cities: Case study of Fouh City, Egypt. Ain Shams Engineering Journal, 13(1), Article 101520. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asej.2021.06.006
Raisi, I. M., & Habibi, A. (2016). An essay on social sustainability in housing. Abadi Magazine, 55(1), 11–16.
Rajendran, L., Molki, F., Mahdizadeh, S., & Mehan, A. (2021). (Re)framing spatiality as a socio-cultural paradigm: Examining the Iranian housing culture and processes. Journal of Architecture and Urbanism, 45(1), 95–105. https://doi.org/10.3846/jau.2021.14032
Ruggerio, C. A. (2021). Sustainability and sustainable development: A review of principles and definitions. Science of the Total Environment, 786, Article 147481. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147481
Safar, N. S. M., Yahya, S. A., Usman, I. M. S., & Ismail, A. H. (2018). Ibn Khaldun’s theory, principles, and concepts on urban planning. Journal of Design + Built, 10(1), 1–8.
Tappert, S., Mehan, A., Tuominen, P., & Varga, Z. (2024). Citizen participation, digital agency, and urban development. Urban Planning, 9, Article 7810. https://doi.org/10.17645/up.7810
Zarghami, E., & Fatourehchi, D. (2020). Comparative analysis of rating systems in developing and developed countries: A systematic review and a future agenda towards a region-based sustainability assessment. Journal of Cleaner Production, 254, Article 120024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.120024