A study on city centre regeneration : a comparative analysis of two different approaches to the revitalisation of historic city centres in Iran

Abstract

Developing a balanced approach, dealing appropriately with the historic environment. has always been a challenging problem in many countries. There has been a tension between the old and the new and struggle over continuity and change. The historic city centres in Iran have also been the subject of such controversy. The historic cores, which form a very small part of the cities in recent times, have been undermined in the various waves of redevelopment. There has been an underlying emphasis on physical-led regeneration and delivery of flagship projects. This dominant approach, mainly employed by the central government, has failed to solve the problems of the areas; indeed, the interventions carried out within the framework of this approach have exacerbated the existing problems. During the last decade, however, efforts to revitalize Iranian historic cities have gained a new momentum. Several interrelated factors contributed to the changing role or structure of the state in urban regeneration process, which provided a basis for the development of a new approach to the regeneration of historic environment in Iran. Due to the lack of sufficient research on these approaches and the absence of comparing and assessing their results, this study aims to provide a deeper insight and develop a better understanding of these approaches to revitalize the historic urban centre. This is realized by identifying the employed approaches and addressing their deficiencies, exploring factors that shaped the approaches, examining and interpreting the features that characterize the approaches, and assessing their outcomes and impacts. Given the qualitative and exploratory nature of the investigation, this study has employed an in-depth case study methodology. According to the conceptual framework of this research, the emphasis of the study is on mechanisms and interrelationships that affect the process and product of urban regeneration. Accordingly, this study has concentrated on the identification of the agencies involved, the role they play, and their strategies and interests within the economic, political and cultural contexts in which they operated. These roles, strategies and interests are related to the rules, resources and ideas that governed the process. The developed conceptual framework is applied in the study of two cases, each representing a different approach employed by the urban authorities during the last decade. The cases are parts of the historic core of Mashhad and Shiraz the second and sixth largest cities in the country (metropolitan cities). The case of Mashhad exemplifies a physical-led, redevelopment oriented approach employed by the central government and the case of Shiraz represents an integrated, more sensitive, conservation-led approach adopted by the local authorities. The findings of this study provide insights into the issues that policy-makers and practitioners should consider in designing regeneration policies and developing programs and efforts dealing with the problems of historic environments. The primary implications of the study are summarized in five elements including 'a greater balance between local and central'; 'developing innovative local partnerships, multi-agency regeneration partnership'; 'empowering local authorities' (locally-based regeneration); 'adopting and developing an integrated approach' (conservation-led regeneration), and finally involving local people (community-based regeneration).