Quarterly Journals of Urban and Regional Development Planning

Abstract Railways, as one of the main urban infrastructures, have played a significant role in transforming urban transportation systems. Despite their economic, environmental, and safety advantages, railway corridors in some cities have caused spatial fragmentation and physical separation within urban fabrics. The passage of railway lines through built-up areas has led to declining land values, the emergence of unsafe spaces, reduced spatial accessibility, and environmental problems. District 16 of Tehran, which hosts the Tehran–Mashhad railway corridor, represents a clear example of these challenges. Accordingly, the main research question of this study is to identify the spatial conflicts arising from the adjacency of railway corridors and urban fabrics and to explain an appropriate approach for their coexistence. The study adopts a qualitative research approach using a case study method. Data were collected through documentary and library studies, field surveys, and interviews with relevant actors. Reviewing laws and regulations, examining international experiences, and identifying challenges within the study area guided the research framework toward a city–rail coexistence approach. The findings indicate that responses to city–rail adjacency range from radical and passive approaches, such as relocating or burying railway lines, to more realistic approaches emphasizing coexistence and positive interaction. The city–rail coexistence approach, by moderating functional conflicts of railway corridors within urban fabrics, facilitates spatial integration between the city and the rail system. Finally, key requirements for organizing and reducing adjacency-related problems in the study area are presented.

Abstract Operational budgeting in municipalities is one of the key tools for improving the efficiency, transparency and accountability of the urban financial system. The present study, with the aim of designing an operational budgeting model in Tabriz Municipality, has used a mixed method of Grounded theory and systems dynamics. In the qualitative part, data collected from three sources of literature review, laws and expert reports, and semi-structured interviews with experts were analyzed in three stages of open, axial and selective coding in the Maxqda2020 software and the system components were identified. Based on the findings, three main subsystems were identified, including budget sources, budget expenditures and performance evaluation subsystem. Then, using the systems thinking approach and CLD diagram, causal relationships between the variables of each subsystem were drawn and analyzed. In order to develop a dynamic operational budgeting model, the final model was developed in the form of a stock-flow model that shows the dynamics between revenue sources, costs, and performance indicators. Then, using the causal relationship structure, a performance-based budget allocation formula was designed. This formula, by combining multi-criteria weighting (efficiency, effectiveness, transparency, and urban development priorities), allows for optimal and fair allocation of resources. The simulation results showed that changing the components of the performance indicator has a great impact on the way the budget is distributed and allocated between municipal activities and projects. Therefore, it is recommended to allocate based on performance in order to increase productivity and reduce waste of budget resources.

Abstract approach to examine the functions of these spaces in two distinct contexts: Fahadan in Yazd (an informal model) and CERES in Melbourne (a formal-institutional model). A mixed-methods approach (quantitative and qualitative) was employed, involving 101 participants (54 in Yazd, 47 in Melbourne). Data were collected using standardized questionnaires (Likert scale and WHO-5) and thematic analysis. The mean resilience scores were high in both sites (Yazd: 4/48, Melbourne: 4/46), but significant differences were observed: in Yazd, "access to traditional food" was more prominent, while in Melbourne, "participation despite barriers" and "psychological well-being" were more pronounced. Qualitative analysis revealed four main themes: economic survival (42% in Yazd), preservation of traditional identity (31% in Yazd), learning sustainability and intercultural integration (38% in Melbourne), and reduction of isolation (29% in both sites). Psychological well-being emerged as the strongest predictor of resilience (β = 0/58, p < 0/001). The findings underscore the necessity of localizing formal models of community gardens in Iran with an emphasis on climatic and cultural contexts. The results can inform the development of urban regeneration policies centered on social participation and the strengthening of local economies in Iran's historical and migrant-receiving neighborhoods.

Abstract In an era where urban development increasingly embraces human-centric approaches, the regeneration of public spaces has assumed a pivotal role in enhancing the quality of urban life. This study aims to assess the socio-cultural impacts of the Path of "Sarzendegi" project in District 2 of Tehran from the users' perspective. The theoretical framework integrates concepts from social capital and sense of place theories. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the research utilized semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and a researcher-designed questionnaire (N=200). Findings indicate the project's success in fostering a distinct identity (4.25), dynamism and vitality (4.19), spatial legibility (4.08), and strengthening intergenerational interactions (4.00). Furthermore, a sense of place attachment (4.08) and collective memory (3.79) were moderately enhanced. However, a significant perceptual gap exists among stakeholder groups concerning nighttime safety and the equitable distribution of amenities (3.25). Qualitative analysis corroborates the emergence of neighborly interactions and improved nighttime safety yet simultaneously reveals a sense of alienation among long-term residents. This experience offers a potential operational model for participatory socio-cultural impact assessments in future Iranian urban regeneration projects.

Abstract Urban happiness is one of the key indicators of quality of life. The present study aims to comparative analyze the impact of urban design components on the happiness of residents in two heterogeneous neighborhoods of Qom; Bajak II (gradually formed texture) and Pardisan (planned texture). The research method is a survey-analytical type and data were collected through a researcher-made questionnaire with a sample size of 400 people in each neighborhood and data analysis was performed using Spearman correlation test, exploratory factor analysis and multivariate regression in SPSS software. The results showed that the pattern of the impact of the components on happiness in the two neighborhoods is significantly different. In Bajak II, the regression results assigned the highest weight to environmental perception and aesthetics. Factor analysis also showed that the residents of this texture perceive the components in an integrated mental structure (6 factors) with a focus on social capital and physical function. In Pardisan, the highest explanatory weight was assigned to the components of green space quality and walkability. Factor analysis of this context revealed a disparate mental structure (10 factors) centered on security and compensation for basic physical needs. These differences are due to the fact that residents of this neighborhood seek to compensate for physical gaps, while in Bajak, the priority is to maintain visual advantages and improve the quality of existing environments. The final conclusion confirms that urban design policies should be targeted based on the neighborhood need pattern.

Abstract Women’s multiple social and family roles generate complex travel patterns, making employment accessibility within transport systems essential. This study investigates the challenges affecting employed women’s access to public transportation in mid-sized cities, using Sanandaj as a case study. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with five urban transportation managers and 30 employed women, comprising office workers and sellers, and analyzed through qualitative content analysis within the Push-Pull-Mooring (PPM) framework. Findings indicate that fleet inefficiency, unequal spatial and temporal service distribution, poor hygiene, and security concerns are push factors distancing women from public transportation. Mooring factors vary substantially by occupational and socioeconomic position. Office workers tend to rely on private cars because of stabilizing conditions, including car ownership, workplace parking, access to ring-road routes, and the need for trip chaining. By contrast, sellers, constrained by low incomes and long, split-shift working hours, frequently depend on informal private transport. On the pull dimension, smart shared services are attractive, particularly to sellers, because they offer flexibility, lower costs, and perceived safety. The study concludes that improving women’s employment accessibility requires moving beyond quantitative fleet expansion toward integrating public transportation with flexible complementary services tailored to the economic and temporal constraints of user groups.

Abstract Transparency, as one of the key elements of contemporary urban governance, is often presented in urban politics as a technical tool to enhance accountability and public trust; however, its relationship with forms of power is rarely systematically analyzed. This study aims to elucidate how formal and informal power structures influence the institutionalization and implementation of transparency mechanisms in urban governance systems. This study selected 36 articles for a qualitative meta-analysis through a systematic review process after conducting a screening procedure based on the PRISMA protocol. The findings indicate that transparency is not merely a technical tool for enhancing accountability but a contested field influenced by power structures. Formal power affects transparency through three main routes: resistance and concealment, control and monitoring, and the reproduction and consolidation of power elements. Informal power forms also appear in three roles: social pressure, mediation, and lobbying against transparency. Analyzing the consequences of these interactions leads to outcomes such as symbolic transparency, reality distortion, and the gap between theory and practice in urban governance systems. Therefore, transparency is not a neutral phenomenon but a field of struggle for various power forms. Dominance of resistance - based and control - oriented approaches of formal power and the duality of informal power leads to the emergence of " symbolic transparency," which reproduces power inequalities rather than fostering accountability. Therefore, any attempt to promote transparency should be based on the exact knowledge of the forms of power and based on cultural, institutional, and political contexts.

Abstract Rapid urban growth and persistent dilapidated fabric in seismically active cities make joint assessment of risk and spatial resilience increasingly urgent. This study analyzes and zonate the spatial resilience of Kerman city, Iran, against earthquakes through an integrated framework combining seismic vulnerability, population exposure, spatial risk, and emergency shelter capacity. The study is applied in purpose and employs spatial multi-criteria analysis within a GIS environment, supported by fuzzy analytic hierarchy process weighting. Results show that approximately 49% of the city's population (257,780 people) resides in zones of high to complete seismic vulnerability, with the highest risk concentrated in the central core and eastern and southeastern districts. FAHP weighting indicates that spatial risk (weight = 0.62) contributes more strongly to resilience than shelter capacity (weight = 0.38). Based on the proposed Spatial Resilience Index, about 31% of the city's area falls into very-low and low resilience classes, while 46% falls into high and very-high classes. The estimated gap between shelter capacity and potential demand is approximately 41,204 people; the SRI map reveals a distinct center–periphery pattern, with the historic core—marked by physical deterioration, high population density, and limited response capacity—exhibiting the lowest resilience. By integrating risk and response capacity into a single measure and subjecting it to systematic sensitivity analysis, the proposed index addresses conceptual, methodological, and analytical gaps in the literature, offering a decision-support tool for prioritizing risk-reduction interventions, urban regeneration, and disaster-management resource allocation in historic, earthquake-prone cities