Quarterly Journals of Urban and Regional Development Planning

Abstract Neighborhood sustainability is one of the most important approaches to achieving sustainable development at the micro-urban scale and is proposed as a platform for assessing the quality of life, social cohesion, and efficiency of the urban environment. The present study aimed to investigate the status of neighborhood sustainable development indicators in the Nezamabad neighborhood of District 7 of Tehran Municipality. This study is descriptive-analytical in that four indicators of identity, safety and security, vitality, and place belonging were measured as socio-cultural components of neighborhood sustainable development. After collection, the research data were analyzed using the binomial test, considering the non-normal distribution of most of the variables. The results of the study showed that the indicators of identity, place belonging, and safety and security in the Nezamabad neighborhood are in a stable state, but the vitality index is evaluated as unstable. Despite the relative sustainability of some components, the findings show that Nizamabad neighborhood is not considered an acceptable sustainable neighborhood from an overall perspective. Therefore, strengthening physical, social, and functional components, especially in the area of ​​neighborhood vitality, is essential to improve the sustainability level of this area.

Abstract This research aims to examine the perceptual gap between urban managers and homeless individuals in their encounter with the phenomenon of homelessness in Tehran. The study was conducted using a qualitative approach and narrative inquiry methodology. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with urban managers and homeless individuals, field observations, and documentary sources, and analyzed employing thematic analysis. The findings reveal the existence of a fundamental gap in the understanding and conceptualization of the issue; such that urban managers predominantly perceive homelessness as a security concern linked to urban order, emphasizing control, management, and cleansing strategies for the urban environment. In contrast, homeless individuals regard this condition as a consequence of structural exclusion, systematic poverty, and the violation of their citizenship rights. They demand recognition of their human dignity and civic status, beyond merely receiving supportive services. This perceptual divergence explains the ineffectiveness of purely security-oriented policies and the perpetuation of the homelessness cycle. Accordingly, the research concludes that exiting the current situation necessitates a paradigmatic shift from coercive and regulatory approaches to human-centered, empowering policies grounded in social justice—an approach that begins by listening to the voices of the marginalized and redefining the issue based on their lived experiences.

Abstract The aim of this paper is to understande the professional role of urban planners in confronting the complexities and conflicts within the process and environment of metropolitan planning in Tehran. Professional self-awareness among urban planners about their role is considered a key component in effectively understanding, explaining, and executing urban planning tasks. It is influenced by a set of individual, organizational, institutional, political, and discursive factors and plays a significant role in shaping the planners' approach to addressing urban complexities. The main question of this research is: How do urban planners of Tehran's metropolitan area perceive their professional role in addressing the complexities and conflicts within the planning process and its environment? In line with the objective of this research, the Constructivist Grounded Theory (CGT) method has been employed to focus on the planners' subjective constructions from an emic or introspective perspective. Following a systematic review of the literature and conducting semi-structured interviews with 18 planners experienced in the metropolitan planning environment of Tehran, the stages of initial, focused, and theoretical coding (comprising 225 initial codes and 33 conceptual categories) were completed to finalize the conceptualization based on the central category. The findings indicate that "professional self-awareness of planners in the field of roles" is the concept shaping the institutional behavior of planners, which plays a crucial role in understanding the geography of agency among metropolitan planners in Tehran.

Abstract The analysis of the role of urban artificial intelligence in managing pandemics (particularly COVID-19) is considered an emerging field within smart urban planning. This study aims to elucidate the level of maturity and the capacity for deploying urban AI technologies in Iran and was conducted in two phases. First, a systematic review of 336 articles indexed in the ScienceDirect database (2020–2025) was carried out using the PRISMA approach, complemented by bibliometric analysis with VOSviewer software. Second, a case-based analysis of measures implemented in Tehran was conducted using qualitative analysis across three dimensions: “prediction,” “diagnosis and treatment,” and “control of transmission,” drawing on research data, official documents, and empirical evidence. The results indicate that while Iran possesses a relatively high level of data infrastructure, the utilization of machine learning models and intelligent algorithms remains at a moderate level, and the existing technological capacity has not yet evolved into “cognitive data-driven governance.” The examination of Tehran’s response during the COVID-19 pandemic shows that the most significant applications of artificial intelligence were in data-driven diagnostics and transmission control through digital surveillance tools and online education, whereas real-time predictive capabilities remain limited. These findings reveal a gap between technological infrastructure and its practical utilization and can serve as a foundation for developing predictive systems and urban health digital twin models

Abstract Good urban governance within the smart city paradigm represents a fundamental transformation in urban management, emphasizing a citizen-centric, participatory, and sustainable approach. This study aimed to identify and stratify the components of good urban governance based on the smart city framework in Shahrekord. Methodologically, this applied research adopted a descriptive, analytical, and survey-based design, utilizing a mixed-methods approach. The statistical population comprised academic and executive experts possessing substantial scientific or empirical background in urban governance and smart cities, alongside a practical familiarity with Shahrekord. Participants were identified and selected using purposive and snowball sampling techniques. The sampling process continued until theoretical saturation was achieved, ultimately involving 26 experts. The findings revealed that through documentary analysis and expert consensus, 22 key components of good urban governance within the smart city context were identified and validated. By employing the Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) technique, these components were organized into an 11-level hierarchical structure. Within this hierarchy, "smart and data-driven governance" was positioned at the base of the pyramid as the most fundamental driver of the system. Conversely, four components, namely "electronic participation", "digital capacity building", "organizational agility", and "evidence-based policymaking", were situated at the apex as the most dependent ultimate objectives. In conclusion, the successful realization of a smart city in urban areas like Shahrekord necessitates the adoption of a systematic, governance-oriented perspective.

Abstract With the increasing population of elderly people in cities, paying attention to the quality of their spatial experience in urban environments has become an important necessity in urban planning and design.Parks are among the urban open spaces that the elderly often visit for leisure and walking. The present article aims to measure and evaluate the environmental components in the reading of urban spaces from the perspective of the elderly, after identifying the needs of the elderly in using urban spaces, including parks, using documentary studies and a survey method and preparing 350 questionnaires and using a t-test from the users of Hamedan People's Park. In this study, two objective factors including functional, environmental and accessibility factors and a subjective factor including perceptual factors, social identity, collective memories, sense of security and attachment to place were identified in the reading of urban spaces from the perspective of the elderly. Accordingly, among the objective factors, the elderly consider the existence of urban equipment, natural factors, and the use of sloping surfaces instead of stairs, and among the subjective factors, the existence of space for social interactions, the visibility of the space, the existence of collective spaces, and various activities in the space to be effective in using urban parks.