Nika Jazai_Tehran underground

Nika Jazaei - EMU Final thesis booklet-2010

European Postgraduate Masters in Urbanism: EMU coordinator Delft, Meta Berghauser Pont TU Delft, Faculty of Architecture Semester Final Thesis Nika Jazaei Main supervisor ir. Daan Zandbelt 2nd supervisor ir. Fransisco Colombo

zz Introduction Part 1 : context ...................................................................7 •

Facts and figures

Location, area, population, geography, municipality division • Physical context • Political context • Social context

Part 2 : problem statement ...........................................19 • > Problem statement

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Paradox in Tehran The fall of the public man Space of fear Control Control > Fear> Cover Underground> Subculture> Culture

Part 3: methodology .......................................................27 • Methodology • Mapping social •

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Part 4: area of intervention .........................................53 • Physical analysis • Space of intervention • Zooming area • Analysis the existing

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Fragments of in-between area Green chunk Green valley Analysis of the surrounding neighbourhoods Design principles

Part 5: proposals ..............................................................86 • United communities of Tehran Conclusion .......................................................................114 Bibliography

Fashion, Media, social interaction, Urban art Mapping virtual networks Socio-spatial analysis Neighbourhood, a unit of city building Comparison of old and modern city unit Underground life in the neighbourhood Questions Bringing underground life on the surface, why?

Why public space?

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Introduction

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Developing countries life in unstable and uncertain conditions in many aspects encounter with so many hybrid socio-spatial structures. They experience the different types of maternities and try to understand the alternating contexts and experiences.

The strict differentiations and contradictions direct people to create their own culture. The products of popular culture are formed via the struggles against the hegemonic groups. The passive resistances of subaltern groups succeed in the end and they not only achieve to exist in the system but also spread their tastes, values and ideologies. In Tehran once the resistance of religious people against imposed western culture, helped a revolution in Iran in 1979. The Islamic revolution in Iran was considered a cultural revolution as well, the Islamic culture was defined as “the only culture” of Iran and the “Hezb-o- Allah”

was defined as the only party suiting an ideal Islamic Iran. A shift from modernisation to Islamisation .

The new government used all kinds of strategies and investments in order to make an Islamic Utopia. The Laws were revised and new strict Islamic rules started to put a lot of pressure on people affecting all aspects of their lives.

Today after 30 years the struggle of subaltern socio groups continues, specially the creative middle class. There are a lot of contradictions, life in a modern city with semi-capitalistic economy controlled by strict Islamic regulations. The new Islamic Utopia became a paradox city for many people.

In this project, the youth (aged between 15-30) of the creative middle class are targeted as study group; problems of their dual life in Tehran are stated. Living in the world city Tehran governed by strict Islamic rules, trying to adapt themselves to the city life by living under cover.

High levels of control over public spaces has brought them to the underground Tehran.

In this project a specific “underground life” in Tehran has been mapped and studied . The target group, live in their bubbles and “gated communities” make their own meanings out of their social relations and built the popular culture in opposition to the cultural industry.

The aim of the project is to bring this group from their undergrounds back to the surface of the city. More freedom and regeneration of urban spaces would create a platform for them to appear in public space and express their sub cultural productions. Having people back on the surface will give them the opportunity to spread their tastes, values and ideologies.

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part 1 : context

>facts and figures >physical context >political context >social context

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context

Facts and figures Tehran, the capital city of Iran. The country located in MiddleEast , Asia.

Country: Islamic Republic of Iran Area: 1,648,195 km2 Population: 74,196,000 Tehran as the largest city is divided into 22 municipal districts with dense network of highways and roads.

Highway networks: 280km/120 interchanges Airport: IKIA-international,Mehrabad Train: national station Area Metropolis: 686 km2 Metro: 18,814 km2 Population data from 2006 statistics Urban: 7,088,287 Metro: 13,413,348 - density: 10,327.6/km

Top: location on the world map, located in the middle east Below: location in the country

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context

Municipality division of Tehran

Map of population in the province

The province of Tehran

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context

Main Core Todays Tehran is made of few old villages (cores) which grew and reached each other. The main core is the central core of Bazaar. A core in the north Tajrish,which is now a neighbourhood in the north and another core is the ancient city of Rey in the south. These three main cores create a strong north-south axis and direction to grow.

Old map of Tehran

Tehran in 1890

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Summer residence of royal family

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Ray the ancient city

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Tehran 1890

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three main cores of the city creating the central axis of the city Source: Mashayekhi,A.2009

Main core- Old Tehran

context

Growth Tehran is a modern city, primarily a result of the city’s growth and development during the second half of the twentieth Century.

The city faced major growth after the Islamic revolution in 1978.

A huge wave of migration from small towns and villages created and urban explosion.

Domestic migrations continued during the 8 year war with Iraq.

The war also caused a baby boom .There is a high rate of population growth during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq’s war.

As a result an estimation of 70% of Iran’s population is now under the age of 30 years old.

Urban Growth of Tehran-starting from 1881-1996 Source: Mashayekhi,A.2009

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Physical context MASTER PLAN

The explosion of Tehran in 1960s brings the massive fear of what will be the future of this city?

City structure The Master plan proposed by Victor’s Gruen’s office ,1964, in Los Angeles aiming to decentralise the city in east-west direction. Sub-centers were proposed to be built on the new eastwest axis of the city. Only one of these sub-centers is realised before the revolution. “shahrak gharb” or “western town”.

This Master plan never got completely realised .

MASTER PLAN

The explosion of Tehran in 1960s brings the massive fear of what will be the future of this city?

sub-center unit structure of one sub-center unit from the Master plan

Master plan 1964 The proposed master plan designed by Victor Gruen’s office in Los Angeles in 1964

Tehran in 1996

Sub Center

Metro line Highway 0

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10

Railway

km

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Tehran 1996

Master plan 1964

Source: Mashayekhi,A.2009

Proposed infrastructure and sub-centers by

Polycentric

Northern southern centrality

city’s main cores including the old center, Tajrish in north and Rey in south

still the strongest element of the city structure,connecting mountain to desert

Neighborhoods

Valleys

Tehran is a result of different neighborhoods growing

rivers create valleys part of city’s green structure

Main central axis

Roads-west to east

three main cores connecting with two main roads creates a strong central axis

cities west-east axis including green voids along the roads

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ROPOLITAN AREA OF TEHRAN

Physical context

Geography Tehran is lying on the foot of Alborz mountains reaching the desert. Tehran has four seasons and great difference in tempreture between North and South .

The difference in height and climate has many effects on the city fabric and socioeconomical structure.

0

3000 M .

20

40 KM

Tehran province is the richest province of Iran as it contributes approximately 29% of the country’s GDP. It houses approximately 18% of the country’s population.

Tehran Province is the most industrialized province in Iran; 86.5% of its population resides in urban areas.

OVER SEA LEVE L

260 0 220 0 180 0 140 0 100 0

MASIL-E-KA VIR

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0

VARAMIN 10

FASHPUYEH 20

REY 30

TEHRAN 40

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SHEMIRAN 60

ALBUR Z 70 KM

Political context

A complex political system After the revolution in 1979 the country had a shift from monarchy system to “Islamic republic of Iran”. Under this title the country went through many changes both from laws and regulations to the city structure and social behaviours . The country began to be militarize the public spaces and limit people’s interactions in public.However now Iran’s political system combines elements of democracy and religion. Institutes controlled by supreme leader are balanced by an elected president and parliament.

Iran’s complex political system source: National democratic institute

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social context

Typology of education data

source: US Census Bureau, Iran’s population in millions, 2008

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Density of population

social structure in the city Studying different maps of density of population in the city , people with higher education (elites) live mainly in the north parts. There is a clear relation between geography of the city and socioeconomics and education.

South Tehran houses less fortunate people with lower education.

3000 M .

OVER SEA LEVE L

260 0 220 0 180 0 140 0 100 0

MASIL-E-KA VIR 0

VARAMIN 10

FASHPUYEH 20

REY 30

TEHRAN 40

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SHEMIRAN 60

ALBUR Z 70 KM

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part 2 :

>problem statement

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problem statement

Paradox in Tehran The revolutionaries in Iran defined The Islamic revolution as a “cultural revolution” .

There was a rapid shift in the system policies from modernisation policies of Pahlavi dynasty to “Islamisation “of Islamic Republic.

The aim was to realise an Islamic (shi’a) Utopia. All the rules of the country were revised and islamised. New investments were made to implement the Islamic ideals and values in the country.

The change from a modern Iran to an Islamic Iran was not easy.

In order to accelerate this process new forces were made to dictate Islamic rules. Iranian society went under a lot of pressure and high control. New Islamic rules affected all aspects of their life.

Public spaces were highly controlled and limited. Men and women were separated everywhere but private houses. Parties were banned; bars and dance clubs were closed.

Institutions were rearranged; new dress codes were defined for men and women in public spaces.

All schools changed to Islamic single-sex schools and new educational policies were announced for schools. Anti-imperialism and Islamic values were propagated through all governmental medias.

Iranian society could not adopt itself to all these changes. Public spaces became unsecure spaces where people could get caught and punished because of some non-Islamic behaviour.

This made people to start a dual life.

Tehran a city that was designed to be capital city of modern Iran became the “Paradox” city. Great control was affecting public life of Tehrani inhabitants. Social life was not happening in Public spaces but elsewhere in private spaces. Public life disappeared from the surface of Tehran.

“Persepolis” is an autobiographical graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi depicting her childhood up to her adult years in Iran during the revolution and Iran-Iraq war. The story explains the experience of a young Iranian girl of the cultural shift that brings her a new dual life. Satrapy migrates twice to France and back to Iran. The book illustrates the cultural shock she experienced both in France,a foreign country and back in Iran.

Educational system brainwashes children against West and non-muslims. Control over the youth inside and outside. Marjan Satrapy is an example of a young Iranian that became a minority in her own country and was forced to leave. She is from a society that could not get adapt to new condition and was forced to live their social life in the underground.

A scene from Marjan Satrapi comic book, showing Marjan feeling the duality between outside and inside

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Other examples dealing with related problems in western societies could be:

• The Fall of Public Man by Richard sennett • Fear and space- the view of young designers in the Netherlands published by NAi publishers

• The ecology of fear by Mike Davis • Transit Tehran - young Iran and their inspirations by Malu Halasa and Maziar Bahari

Urban Leisure for an uncertain city - Tehran

public Life

public Life crime

city surface

social Life social Life

SURFACE

UNDERGROUND

PROJECT = CRIME[LESS] SOCIAL 21LIFE public Life

Space of fear and the fall of the public man

This condition creates young peoples of a certain social strata a kind of insecurity and builds a sense of fear towards public The new Islamic codes (dress and behaviour) based on Islamic space. values and ideals puts a lot of pressure and control over the Their public life of certain socio-group falls from the surface of youth in public spaces. the city to the underground. Social life is kept hidden from govPublic space becomes an unsecure space where people could Urban Leisure for an uncertain city - Tehran Problem Field ernmental forces of control in a safer private space. get caught and punished because of some non-Islamic behaviour. Non-Islamic behaviours are defined as “crime� which needs control and punishment. public Life Below there is a photo essay done by BBC about youth public public Life life in Iran. The location is in a park in Tehran and the pictures SURFACE are taken from the same bench used once by two university stucrime dents and once by a religious couple. It is shown in the pictures city surface that two couple spent some time in the park on the bench. social Life UNDERGROUND The police arrested the first couple after a short time. The secsocial Life ond couple had no problem using the park.

PROJECT = CRIME[LESS] SO public Life

PROJECT

social Life

source of photos: BBC photo essay about Iran

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Control Talking of the space of fear, which starts, with a high level of control.

• What does control mean in Tehran?

• How is it different from other societies?

CCTV camera is a typical image representing “control” and “surveillance”. Cameras are there, watching us, tracking us in order to bring us a safer City.

These cameras are meant to be for safety they also bring an uncomfortable feeling of being watched. A big brother watch invades people’s privacy and creates public insecurity.

In Tehran there are CCTV cameras for the traffic, banks and embassies.

There is special Police everywhere in the city for public safety.

Breaking any Islamic code is against the law and considered as crime.

The police are checking for women’s ideal (hijab) veil in public spaces and Bazaar to provide the city with a safe Islamic atmosphere in the city.

CCTV camera

Tehran like every other mega city is difficult to keep safe. The city with 8 million inhabitants needs to be watched constantly.

Controlling non-Islamic behaviour is not possible but with more forces of control. Different authorities, from police stations in each area to local organization called Basij.

High level of control puts young people aged between 15-30 under a lot of pressure. This is 2/3 of the society

Basij blocking the main street to control the cars on a weekend Source: FARS news

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control >fear >cover control >fear >cover

Control > Fear > Cover

public

private

Tehran is a city where unlike other cities of the world a lot of public private people are afraid of the police. This fear is caused by the insecurity towards Islamic codes. There is no clear definition of what is an ideal Islamic dress or behaviour. Young people are afraid to use the public spaces freely.

The high level of control in Tehran and having peoplecontrol arrestedcontrolmax max min min because of their outfit or basic social behaviour like holding hands in the street, creates a kind of public phobia which makes Diagram1. comparing the level of private-public with the level of control people live under covers or how is called in this project, they live in their “bubbles”.

The “bubbles” are metaphors of layers of privacy, the more formsl bubbles one has around him, the safer one feels in the city. That Top Down is how social life of this project’s target group (youth between 15-30) mainly happens in underground life. home car body dress code For surface every action there will be a reaction (Diagram3) city individual veil private car private house In this diagram life is illustrated as a wave on a string (The borhome car body dress code der between public- private, inside-outside) individual veil private car private house Control and crime are the forces, which lead this wave up and Diagram2. different bubbles of an individual living in Tehran down the city surface between private and public spheres. The iinformal forces are from different directions. The government, top down Bottom-up and people (Underground creative tactics) reactions, bottom up.

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public

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formsl

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Top Down

private

control

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city surface

crime

city surface

iinformal

Bottom-up

Diagram3. the relation between control and so called “crime” defined by government happening between private and public spheres in the city

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public

security control crime

For every action there will be a reaction (Diagram3) In this diagram life is illustrated as a wave on a string (The border between public- private, inside-outside) Control and crime are the forces, which lead this wave up and down the city surface between private and public spheres. The forces are from different directions. The government a, top down “control” ,and people (Underground) reactions, bottom Diagramup ordevelopment so called “crime”.

Both control and underground (crime) reaction can reach extremes.

Global process to support the underground life Wave going reallyformality deep to the extreme private house: where areof thecontrol infrastructure to support and informality? the relation with infrastructure and services- physical spaces?

Formal official city surface Informal not official

[

[

Police searching houses for illegal satellite TV, alcoholic beverages or mixed parties .

Wave of underground reaction reach extreme public: Green movement protests in the streets.

Underground> subculture> Culture Diagram 4 shows how an underground culture becomes a culture. Underground life in Tehran is a suppressed lifestyle, which is determined as illegal life. This lifestyle is a subculture in its nature that opposes the pop cultures, in this case the dictated “lifestyle”. Slowly this subculture becomes a culture and expresses itself on the surface of the city.

SURFACE

MOVEMENT culture subculture UNDERGROUND

Time

Diagram4. transition between Underground to Movement Below: a collage from protest June,2009 in Tehran, people taking over the city.

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part 3 :

>methodology

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Methodology

So far “public life” and “social life” has been defined as Tehran’s dual life. After stating the problem of the social life of the target group, patterns of behaviour are mapped and analysed. The analysis brings the focus on the distinction of “public” and “private” spheres in Tehran and how each of them is under “control” of Top down forces of the government and which are the reactions of the society to it.

The conceptual term of “cover” or “bubbles” are defined in different scales from cars to residential gated communities.

The study highlights the role of neighbourhoods as a unit of city structure and its importance in underground life in Tehran. Further on in this chapter a modern neighbourhood is compared to the old city of Tehran (central core of Bazaar) and some physical elements of the neighbourhoods are pointed out.

After analysing the physical elements of the neighbourhoods an area of intervention is chosen. Conceptually, this space of intervention is an in between space, buffer, of private and public spheres. Spatially (physically) is the area between few neighbourhoods in the northern Tehran where the target social group is living.

After analysis (both social and physical) a set of design principles are introduced to bring up the underground life to the city surface.

public Life PROJECT

social Life

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SURFACE

UNDERGROUND

SURFACE

PUBLIC<

PROJECT

UNDERGROUND

>PRIVATE

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Mapping social The aim of mapping social behaviour is to study more the underground life in the city. Mapping underground life seems impossible and never precise however, in many cases psychogeographic maps of a city are used to realise the relation between spatial and social characteristics of a city. In this project the same method for mapping is chosen. Mapping social life is shown by set of photos from sequences of social life.

These sequences are metaphorically sections of social life.

Starting with human’s body the sections are made through public appearance and the dress codes of the society. “Media” as another section is studied by analysing the “access” and finally physical access of the target group to public spaces.

In all these sections elements of “control” are studied and compared with underground reactions.

Psycogeographic map of the Tehran is one of the best ways to study the relation between spatial and social characteristics in the city. mapping by getting lost in the city and observe. Pictures analysed in this chapter are part of this method.

Source: Rashidzadeh,K. 2007

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SH

NTV

F

B

M

AC

P

F

M SH surfaceThe diagrams on the right are representative of flows of Top STVbottom-up redown forces of the government control and the actions of the social group.

The two flows are studied together in one diagram with secSN M F tionsSH over social life.

AC

Underground reaction to control

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G B

SURFACE Top-down city surface

B

AC

underground F=fashion M=music G=graffiti

city surface

SN=social networking AC=art and culture

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UNDERGROUND Bottom-up

SH=social hubs P=protest B=books and literature

Time

STV=satellite tv NTV=national tv Sections

Interaction

formal

SH

FashF

Media NTV

Urban Art M

B

AC

P

F AC

M city surface

SH

G B

STV

informal

SH

underground F=fashion M=music

F

SN

M

B

AC

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 

y idual

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car codes dress code Fashion and dress

home veil private car private house One of the first urban codes that were implemented after the

revolution is the public dress code. Especially for women Islamic Hijab was propagated.

The Hijab or cover can be considered as the first “bubble” of an individual in the city.

There is a big difference between apposed Islamic dress codes and the way youth look in the streets of Tehran. They have their own fashion modes, from simple Islamic veil, which has been personalized to underground fashion designers with catwalks happening in private houses.

The pop culture of Islamic Hijab has been modified and personalised according to people’s taste, which creates another challenge between people’s sub culture and the government’s apposed pop culture.

A poster made by Tehran’s police for ‘Hijab’, fighting back the new Islamic fashion in the city

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A picture of students of Tehran university right before the revolution

A picture of a woman with veil standing in front of “Ayatollah Khomeini” the former supreme leader of Islamic revolution

Imposed dress codes in a shop

special police for dress codes

Young girls appear in the streets not following the codes

private catwalks happen in private houses

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Media As mentioned before the Islamic government propagated Islamic ideals and values through all media. All TV programs are highly controlled and censorship was used on all news and programs.

Internet is filtered and accesses to certain websites are limited

Satellite TV and internet coverage, The Underground Media

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or impossible. Satellite TV are banned and collected. Microwaves are used to jam satellites.

The available channels are IRIB state TV channels. Even though people hide Satellite dishes in their balconies and use proxy to access all Internet websites.

Collecting satellite dishes

National TV, the only legal media

Controlling Media by sending microwaves 35

Social interaction - social life Among all aspects of life controlling the social life is the most difficult one. The underground social life is not just happening in the “bubbles” of private sphere but also happening on the surface of the city with different tactics. The crime is happening on the surface of the city in a park.

Collective places like shopping malls, teahouses and in general more crowded places. These places are more crowded and less possible to control. Special police is wandering in public shopping centres looking for young people interacting with opposite sex while shopping.

Private house parties are the most popular place where underground life happens. People gather, drink and dance. Private houses or weekend houses turn into private dance clubs and bars.

Another “bubble” which is used in a smart way is the private car. There is a phenomena in Tehran called “ dor dor” which is basically young people driving around in certain streets and boulevards and interacting together. This game happens in certain neighbourhoods and gets even more exciting when a police car try’s to stop them. “Dor dor ! Catch me if you can! “

Tochal located in north of Tehran where you can ski,some sports are the only official leisure which you can have more freedom

“Dor Dor” which means “Round Round” is a popular way of interaction within private cars in famous streets of Tehran. Its called Round Round because its usually happening in a loop

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Special women in a police car, mainly controlling Hijab codes

young people playing guitar, singing and smoking water pipe

An official sign for Hijab (dress codes) saying: women with bad hijab are not welcome

a unmarried couple in a small cafe

Baij blocking the street

An indoor birthday party

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Urban Art and Graffiti Graffiti and street art is an artistic reaction towards the system.

In Tehran graffiti began to become popular from the time of revolution in 1978. The illustrations were criticising monarchy system and corporation with western societies. After the revolution some of these illustrations become famous. They were mainly messaging anti-capitalism such as “Down with USA”.

The government has used urban art to proselyte Islamic attitudes, opinions, and actions of the society. Graffiti’s are covering modern building’s facades as a symbol of the revolution but later some blind walls were given to some specific artists to make propagandas about war or religious believes, which today they are visible from most of the highways and have become a typical image of Tehran’s streets.

Inaccessible walls close to infrastructure are where this underground urban art is found. Lately graffiti in Tehran are getting new political directions, messaging the need for change and freedom.

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Artistic Graffiti on a blind wall of a bridge

A label in support of Green movement Source: http://iranisabzpics.blogspot.com/2009/10/ blog-post_4051.html

Green label with political direction

F NTV SH F

formal

NTV MF F

M city surface SH STV

STV

SNF SH

SN MF

>

round

Official street art saying “Down with USA”

underground

M

M

AC

M

AC G

STVB SN M B

M

AC

B

B

B

BP

B

B

>

informal

M B NTV

An artistic graffiti in a park

underground city surface

An image representing the “Green movement” graffiti, saying: The voice of the Wall

city surface city surface

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e

Mapping virtual networks Another aspect in the social target group’s life is the use of virtual networks. In this part two famous websites are mapped.

First Facebook as a globally famous social network is mapped to find where underground life of the group is happening in Tehran. Second website is “lonely planet” by means of study the access of information about leisure and recreation.

According of lonely planet website the formal leisure in Tehran is concentrated more in the central axis of the city starting from north to the center. This means only the neighbourhoods in northern part of Tehran have easy access to the recreational services and the rest of the city need to travel all the way to the central north-south axis of leisure.

Mapping facebook was done through a survey, asking certain group of people (from the target social strata) “what is leisure in Tehran? And where does it happen?”

Plus different groups and events in facebook were all used to document the result. The result of the survey points out the importance of some neighbourhoods in Tehran (mainly in north part). where the best cafes and restaurants are and private parties and social life is going on. Also about the Phenomenal street game of cars most of the famous streets are in neighbourhoods of northern Tehran.

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ng formal leisure

Diagrams on the left are showing the mapping of formal leisure using www.lonelyplanet.com, Diagrams on the right are showing selected famous neighbourhoods where underground life happens

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Socio-spatial analysis

Neighbourhoods The analyse over the outcome of mapped social life we focus on importance of neighbourhoods in the city and the way they create socio-spatial fragments .

“The urban space is not only split along a public-private distinction. It is also subdivided into socio-economic and cultural patterns. One of the main manifestations of these patterns of differentiation is the urban neighbourhood, where social groups, ethnic and cultural groups and other subsections of the society tend to find a particular place of their own while the political, economic and aesthetic processes find an outlet to be expressed (Madanipour, 2001)” Neighbourhoods show how identity and difference find a spatial shape, while on the other hand public-private distinction works within and across the neighbourhoods to frame patterns of social life. It is here that the universality that is associated with public-private distinction finds a particular flavour, as it falls within the distinctive framework of the neighbourhood. At the intersection of the public-private and neighbourhood systems of differentiation, publicness of public spaces and privacy of the private sphere are both challenged.

Victor Gruen, “Schematic Drawing of the Cellular Metropolis of Tomorrow” Source: The Heart of Our Cities: The Urban Crisis. Diagnosis and Cure by Victor Gruen (p. 272). Copyright

Neighbourhood as a unit of city building...

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To study more the importance of neighbourhoods in Tehran we go back to the Victor Gruen’s Master plan for Tehran.

Simultaneously, the establishment of an identifiable part of urban fabric as a neighbourhood appears to be a desire to extend the private intimate space beyond the home.

Tehran, an ideal Metropolis of Victor Gruen Gruens diagram of the ideal metropolis from 1964 was a straight descendant of the diagrams of Ebenezer Howard: an enormous flowerlike structure, repeating itself inwardly as you come closer. The organic hierarchy of families, neighbourhoods, communities, towns, cities and the metropolitan core are held together by an elegant tracing of highways, embedded in a flowing of parks and other green landscapes. Around the metro core there revolved ten cities, each city consisting of ten towns around the city center and each town consisting of four communities around a town center, with lastly each community consisting of five neighbourhoods around the community center. In the fifties and sixties Gruen got to build several parts of his ideal metropolis. He built metro cores of metropolises with his urban renewal projects for cities like Fort Worth or Dallas with their huge high rises, people movers and subterranean shopping centres; he also built community centers with his many malls in the flowing suburbs of the mid west.

especially the densities of the new city, it also carefully choreographed its growth. The city was given growth boundaries that were expanded every five years, in order to maintain its coherence every step of the way.

Source: Vanstiphout, Wouter. “Social Engineering of the City and Urban Design Ideology as an Achilles Heel”. Open, Vol. 15.NAi Publishers, 2008

Tehran Master plan Gruens plan for Tehran can be described as the diagram of MASTER PLAN the ideal metropolis stretched out over the cityTheofexplosion Tehran and in 1960s brings the massive fear of what will be the of Tehran future this city? pulled in a western direction along the foothills of ofthe Alborz mountains, thereby forming something between a central city and a linear one. It was built up of ten cities; the green landscape would separate the cities from each other and create the backdrop for the extensive network of flowing highways. The cities would be subdivided into towns, which would be built up of communities, made out of neighbourhoods. The diagram was not only adapted to the geology of the city, but also to its social-economic structure: the traditional north-south divide in a high lying rich part and a low lying poor part, was repeated in the new communities and towns planned by Gruen around the core of Tehran. The whole city - old and new - was to be cut open by a network of green valleys, that came down from the mountains or were just cut straight through the existing urban fabric. The immense network of highways and public transport would be embedded in these lush green corridors. Not only did Master plan 1964 the Tehran Comprehensive Plan foresee a detailed manageThe proposed master plan designed by Victor Gruen’s office in Los Angeles in ment of the typologies, the services, the public facilities and 1964

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comparison of old and contemporary city unit

Old city Analysing the old city we come up with some important elements of the city:

• City core: the heart of the capital city contains two main •

• 44

political and economical elements of the city the King’s palace and the grand Bazaar Walls and Gates: the city as it grew in 100 years from the main city core, each time was surrounded by walls as a matter of protection and control. There were twelve (maybe 13 ir.Safamanesh) gates opening to the city.

Carpets: or the gated gardens are another element of the old city, which mainly belonged to the king or rich families living in the city

• Routes: main routes the first elements of accessibility

•

•

were connecting the gates to the city core also giving the city a structure with hierarchy from King’s castle to residential areas Infrastructure: the first tramways were also following the city core’s limits to go around the city core , the previous lines of the city walls were replaced with broad and straight avenues Neighbourhoods: the first neighbourhoods (residential areas) were shaped around the city core and between the walls each with the different access to the gates of the city

“Economy”, politics “Government” and “society” are realised as important elements in the Old Tehran. Through a comparison of the old city with “western Town” the only realized town from Victor Gruen’s master plan we understand how the contemporary modern unit of the master plan has the same structural order as the old city (First Main unit). this adds to the importance of neighbourhoods in Tehran.

Location Focus area

Shahrak gharb_Western Town

Highways and Voids in between new walls and limits

Vertical Gated communities new carpets

is a planned town built as a massive project of modern apartment buildings and villas in the north-western part of Tehran, Iran. Originally built based on the model of upscale American suburbs, today it is considered one of Tehran's neighborhoods. Its name means "the West Town".

Local police stations, elements of govern and control in each neighbourhood

New shopping centers neighborhoods Bazaar

45

Underground life in a Neighbourhoods

The mapped neighbourhoods are big communities or bigger “bubbles” of social life. The same method is used to map underground in the neighbourhood ”western Town” (the only realised unit MASTER PLAN of the master plan The explosion of Tehran in 1960s brings the massive fear of what will be the future of this city?

Vertical gated community

Western Town “Shahrak e gharb”

46

Horizental gated community

The outcome of the mapping has been categorized in four groups with spatial qualities to place underground activities .

Gated Communities Underground life is happening in vertical and horizontal gated communities in the neighbourhood. These gated communities are with different functions from gated residential complexes, sport centres, gardens, etc. This happens because of the sense of community and security of the place, which means of having private control over the place on, is in which could also give the opportunity of personalizing the place.

Flexible public spaces and collective spaces The underground life is happening through informal use of public spaces (flexible spaces), inside neighbourhoods. Such as indoor shopping malls, art galleries and cultural centres. Cosier collective spaces such as cafes become social hubs and hot spots of one neighbourhood.

Street game Walls-Highways Gates- highwayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exit rams Government-Local police station Bazaar-Shopping center and malls Carpets(gated gardens)-Gated communities

A phenomenal street game with cars was introduced earlier in the social mapping. Young people socialize in their cars in certain streets of Tehran.

Public places Underground life is happening in public places depending on level of control of special police. Public places such as some of the parks and mixed-use collective places

47

mapping bubbles and tactics in a Neighbourhoods

r >cover economy

and demand Thesupply border between private and public gets

privateisoLiving within gates does not mean living lated but means sharing a “bubble”

public

>

blurred within the bubbles

network

>

By mapping bubbles, patterns of behaviours of Underground physical and flows control >fear >cover life in Tehran can be explained. Bubbles as Privacy layers are different in size and sense of place and the tactics of use. politics min maxPrivate spaces are shared and become places of interaction. control-society public Gated communities as bigger bubbles become intimate public places for people to break smaller bubbles, feel belonged and have control over the space.



maxcontrol control

control

max

  >

 dress code veil

max max

                

>



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  

home body dress code dresscar home car body code individual individual car privateprivate house veil private car private house home car body dress code veil individual veil private car private house home car home car body code private car body private house home cardress dress code home car body dress code veil car individual private house car private house veil individual private individual private veil private car private house The digram home car body dress code individual structure of veil private car private house

Gated community= Sharing a bigger bubble

48



>>

Interaction= Sharing a bubble, sharing min

control

   

home private house

>

>>

max

max

 



>

control



>

public control max control

>

public public

>



+

 

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>

public

economy economy supply and supply demand and demand private economy supply and demand private car body dress code economy individual veil private car network economy supply and demand economy network economy physical andphysical flows and flows supply and demand private network supply and demand private supply and demand private physical and flows economy network supply and demand private network politics min physical and flows minnetwork politics network and flows control-society politics physical andcontrol-society flows physical min physical and flows control-society network private space politics physical and flows politics control-societymin politics min politics min control-society control-society control-society politics min control-society private

>



private

senseof placeand comfort 

>

control >fear >cover

control >fear >cover control >fear >cover control >fear >cover public public public control >fear >cover

Bubbles as communal private places create

home private house

car body control >fear dress code >cover control >fear >cover individual veil private car

min

max

  



>



>

 

control

private

    

 

above explains patterns of behaviour within the neighbourhoods with (residential) gated communities inside. The movement within bubbles (cars and neighbourhoods) .

control >fear >cover

 

Flexible public places

 car private car

private home private house

network physical and

>

Book City_Bookstore

economy supply and d

>

Collective spaces, public spaces with lower level of control and mixed- Flexible spaces public body dress code used spaces. individual Golestan_Shopping veil Complex Fadak _Park Example: a cultural centre with shops, galleries and a cafe.

Ebn e Sina_Cultural Center



control

politics control-socie

min

max

control >fear >cover

body individual

control

dress code veil

  body individual

dress code veil



car private car

home private house

car private car

_Famous streets Iran Zamin Mahestan Hormozan Piroozan

_Dangers Police Basij Bumps

Underground life happens within gates.

Example: Residential gated communities, gated gardens, hidden art galleries, underground performing places

 private

Street life

_Hot spots carwash shopping center charirty

max

Gated Communities



economy supply and demand

>

An Urban game for young people happens in streets of certain northern neighbourhoods. public Cars create sense of security for people and are tools to interact.

network physical and flows

>

 

Street game- dor dor

min

politics control-society

 Gated communities

home private house

Shahrak gharb [Western Town]

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WHY?

Why ? bringing underground life on the surface

The study over patterns of “Underground social life” in Tehran shows that the creative mid-class social strata is under a lot pressure. The target socio-group uses different social tactics and potential spaces in the city to express its underground culture and taste.

The young generation is the future of the city that needs to live freely on the surface of the city. In order to build the future of the city they search for freedom of expression and sense of place.

Movement, reaction to high level of control, The suppressed socio-group in Iran is searching for a space to express itself. Unless there is some space for them this expression will appear in extreme ways. What Iran – Tehran experienced after the elections in 2009 was an explosion of a big bubble. A suppressed socio-group, that no matter minority or majority, they are part of future Iran.

The green movement in Iran claimed to support certain ideology and life with more freedom. A huge part of this movement was from people who learned to live within bubbles.

They expressed them selves globally by using different alternative medias. Each media or tool of expression is a back-up tool for controlled and limited media.

Virtual networks and social media such as facebook, youtube, twitter were blocked for this reason. Today these networks are banned and known as medias of opposition against the Islamic regime.

Apart from virtual space some tactics were used bye the green movemenr as physical medias of expression such as: Graffiti, with political message Paper bills, Green “V” was stamped on paper bills to express the existence of opposition

An Individuals living in his private bubble with a great desire of reform

people breaking out their bubbles and create a movement

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Why ? Public space

As it was mentioned before, the aim of this project is to bring the underground life to the surface of the city. The Underground life has been defined as part of the people’s life, which has been undercover in different conceptual “bubbles” and within gates. People instead of using public spaces are sharing private spaces , “sharing bubbles”. The aim of this project is to break the “bubbles” and bring back people to the public space.

The main struggle with public space in Tehran is the high levels of government’s control over spaces: “The two revolutions that have shaped Iran’s modern history were both performed in its public spaces. In this sense, there was a close link between the social movements and the public spaces of the city (Madanipour, Public and private spaces of a city, 2003, Newyork)” During the twentieth century, the urban squares of Tehran and the large cities, such as “Baharestan” Square in front of the parliament, have frequently been the spaces of political contest.

Whoever controlled these urban spaces, controlled the city and society. While the kings used them as displays of their power, the revolutionary masses used them as their meeting points and places of challenging authority. (Madanipour,)” So as a conclusion more freedom is needed in public spaces in order to create sense of place in public spaces.

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part 4 :

>physical analysis >area of intervention

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Physical analysis

Analytic study over green structure Green structure of the city is analysed as an important element in creation of open public space .The table below shows the analytic study over fragments of cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s green structure in six different sizes with different functions and locations in the city. For each of these typologies level of control and capability of fitting functions from mono to mixed are measured. Out of the analysis, green valley fragments are selected as important layer of the city with high potentiality for public space.

The valleys are strong vertical elements of the city structure mainly without functions and lower level of control. The level of control here means strict limitations limiting social and recreational activities.

Scale

XS

S

M

L

XL

XXL

Control

Function

pocket parks

Shape

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Mixed

Mono

landscape, parks

urban parks

recreational green

green valley

green hills, forest, agriculture ..

Population void To find a space of intervention, areas with low density of population are under concern. These areas have the quality of in between (blurred, buffer zones) and are sufficient for public activities. The density map of population has been studied and analysed. Sections along vertical axis of city structure are made out of the map, which highlights some population voids in the city.

The void is chosen which is situated in the main north-south axis of the city. In this area formal leisure facilities are concentrated and more accessible .

Map of population density in Tehran

Selected population void mapped

Sections of population density along Vertical axis of city structure

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Space of intervention

The space of intervention is physically an in-between area of the certain neighbourhoods. These were chosen through mapping patterns of underground life.

Overlaying some maps out of social and physical analysis process chooses the in between area of intervention.

-Population voids, sections of population density map along the green valleys -High education map (concentration of elites) -Mapped neighbourhoods with vivid underground life out of mapping social underground life -Main East-West highways as horizontal elements of city structure and elements of enclave -Vertical Green valleys as open green elements out of analytic study over green structure of the city considering the relation between function and level of control

Green valleys- vertical elements

Sections of population density

Population void mapped

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Horizontal elements of Infrustructure Intersections: Horizontal roads and infrastructure, Green vallies, vertical elements of Tehranâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s grid

Mapped neighbourhoods from social underground mapping

High educational upper middle class - target group

layering: The grid, social mapping and neighbourhoods

layering: The grid, social mapping and neighborhoods, population void

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zooming area

The zoom in area is as a buffer zone between few northern neighbourhoods (big bubbles)

hran in 1996

5

m

58

10

selected area is an in-between area of different neighbourhoods

Old villages under pressure of new highways added to the road network

Fragmentation of neighbourhoods by road network and exits ramps

Elements of enclave, natural valleys and highways crossing the neighbourhoods

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The existing

public facilities and functions

Gated communities- housing

Green potential of the valley surrounding neighbourhoods with gated communities

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Elements inside the area

fargmented neighbourhoods

neighbourhoods surrounding area

big enclaves of road network

Highways and enclose elements

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Analysis of the area

Network of highways

Highway exit ramps

Due to the high rate of city growth in the last decades, the network of highways and high speed streets have been densifying dramatically. Highways are element of creating enclaves and the reason of fragmentations in the city; also old fabric of villages has been under a lot of pressure

Another element of enclave is the exit of highways ramps, which look like spaghettis. The area has been dealing with a lot of spaghettis crossing through fabrics and putting neighbourhoods under pressure

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Natural enclave

Green chunk

Part of the green structure of the city which is the valley and a green park between the highways are considered as elements of enclave so far but with the potential of in-between to attract urban activities and public space

This chunk includes public services and public spaces, following the master plan it was meant to be an urban park for the northern Tehran but now it has been under a lot pressure of the new developments of the surroundings and new transformations from residential to commercial

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Analyisis of the area

++ + +

+ +

-

+

+

+

+ +

Fragments, boundaries and borders

Sense of community

The area is divided into different fragments by the borders of the communities, road network and highways also natural elements as elements of enclave. But the in-between area could be seen as a single unity of in-between

The area is not a void or enclave between the communities but could be considered as platform of interaction and communal activities of communities around

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The surrounding neighbourhoods (communities)

The in-between area

Neighborhoods around where they house the target group with active underground life

The area between the neighborhoods is an area of intervention to bring the underground life of the surrounding communities on the ground

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Fragments of in-between area

The green valley

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The green urban chunk

Analysis of in-between

Gated areas Actors of control

The in-between area

Under pressure Public access

Mapping gated communities within the area and forces of control

Green urban chunk

Mapping different potentialities in the area

Green valley 67

Functions of green urban chunk

Gated sport complex

State TV

Park

Hotel

Forum

Restaurant

>Gated sport complex >Green national park >Tehran EXPO and former luna park >Revolutionary guard property >Gated community of revolutionary guard >Hospital >State TV >Former HILTON hotel- Revolutionary guard property >Restaurant >Streets - highways >Medical school

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R.G

Streets

Gated community R.G

Medical school

Hospital

Propotions

Under pressure, underground activities Under pressure, underground activities Under pressure Actor of control Actor of control Public service Actor of control Actor of control Public service

Tool of fragmentation and control Public service

green chunk

Area: 4295860 m2 H: 2781 m W: 2095 m The Green urban chunk was meant to be a big recreational park containing, biggest gated sport complex, Luna Park, national park, state TV and Tehranâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s business EXPO. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why in this project its called Green Chunk

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green valley

A view from the in-between area to the vertical gated communities

Analysis of the green valley A bridge of highways has crossed the in-between valley of the chosen area; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the point that 2 elements of enclave meet each other. The space has the underground activity qualities; it has been used as underground music location several times, has graffiti. Also some informal settlements are in the valley. The area has high potentialities for underground activities but its not socially secure and it is not recognized as a safe place from surrounding neighbourhoods.

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Graffiti under the bridge, young photographers taking pictures

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Analysis of the surrounding neighbourhoods

The surrounding neighbourhoods of the in-between area are:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

Sa’adat abad Western Town (shahrak e gharb) Evin-Darakeh Velenjak Mahmoudieh Zaferanieh Elahieh Jordan 1 Vanak

4

3

2

6 5

7 8

9

Description of the neighbourhoods [Sa’adat Abad] The neighborhood is located on the foots of mountain, It is shaped in a grid. The main square connects the area to the main street full of shops and restaurants however it is more used by locals and it is incomparable with the surrounding neighborhoods. It connects to the cities largest prison in the north. The International school of Tehran is in this area which adds to the diverse educational value of the neighborhood. The sense of neighborhood is low and that’s why it is housing the cheapest residential properties in Northern Tehran [Shahrake gharb] Western Town, An example of realized town from Victor Gruen’s proposed master plan for Tehran. The neighborhood is famous for its gated communities, both vertical high-rises and horizontal communities of villas. Shopping happens in shopping centers and local mall. The neighborhood is like an island surrounded by mass of highways and the underground life (social life) happens almost everywhere in this neighborhood from streets, parks to public buildings and of course the gated communities but in a different way, as it places

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the famous leisure phenomena of car game in the main street.

[Evin- Darakeh] The neighborhood starts from foot of the mountain and continues to the upper parts where people go hiking. It has an old nomad fabric with gated private gardens, some gardens are abandoned after the revolution and some are used for sports. It is considered as a place for underground sports (specially tennis courts) and leisure activities. On the south edge of the neighborhood where it meets the highway there are some new buildings some of them high-rises replacing the green gated gardens. Basically this neighborhood is in danger of loosing its historical value because of the new developments as a result of new highways passing through [Velenjak] Located in the Shemiran area in the northern part of Tehran, on the slopes of the Alborz mountain range, Valenjak is known for its beautiful landscape, mild climate, fresh mountain air, springs, and wildlife. It is located adjacent to the Tochal Complex, a ski resort area with a gondola lift up to Mount Tochal. Because of the popularity of the recreational facilities it is overcrowded on Fridays. It also houses a large number of foreign residence and many embassies are located there. Shahid Beheshti University is located in this area. The price of properties in this area is higher than that in most other suburbs of Tehran as well as the cost of living.

[Mahmoodieh] is an affluent residential area in Tehran, located south of Zaferaniyeh, bordering Valiasr Avenue on the east side, Velenjak on the west, and Chamran expressway to the south.

The area is in close proximity to Tajrish.

Mahmoodieh was one of Shemiran’s first areas to be used as a year-round residence by rich and affluent classes of the time (1950’s). Although it has long been home to the wealthy, the type residing there have never been the flashy kind (e.g. the nouveau riche or courtiers), but rather people of old money and business tycoons who preferred not to show off, and thus while many houses are built in large plots of land, and have lovely gardens combined with rich architecture, most look relatively

modest and have less extravagant facades, compared to those later built in Elahiyeh or Niyavaran.

Also for the very same reason, it has never been famous as a “fashionable” place amongst the upper class areas and fortunately, less damaged by waves of mass development of expensive residences in northern Tehran, during the 1990s.

[Zafaraniyeh] is a neighbourhood in the north of Tehran, Iran.

The name’s origin lies in the fact that it was the residence of many saffron traders long ago, thus the name Zafaraniyeh .The Islamic Azad University of Tehran, Languages branch is located also, The museum of Sa’adabad Palace is situated at the end of this street, which also contains a culture house. There are plans to build a big shopping center in Asef crossroad. The main Street connects Zafaraniyeh to surrounded neighborhood and from east and to Valiasr Street from west. Egypt’s embassadorial residence is also located there. There is also a synagogue in this neighbourhood [Elahieh] is a posh district in northern Tehran. The area is a residential and commercial locale and is filled with the homes and businesses of many politicians, diplomats, expatriates.

It used to place a large community of Persian Jews, senators, and ministers during the time of shah, members of royal circle, as well as famous scientists, artists, and writers. Elahieh is one of Tehran’s “most fashionable districts” in Tehran, since this area included big gardens and mansions with eye catching architecture designs. It was perhaps the greenest part of northern Tehran as it was in lowest part of mountain receiving most of mountain waters. The highest part of Elahieh had the most beautiful and scenic garden view in northern Tehran.

Elahiyeh is an upper class district in Northern Tehran, actually a part of Shemiran. It is home to Tehran’s most expensive real estate as well as the clubhouses of the Russia, Turkey, Germany, Danish, Swiss, Belgian, Icelandic, Cuban and Finnish embassies.

The most famous part of the area is Fereshteh Avenue. This is where the newest buildings and many fashionable locales, including top-end shops and chichi cafes, can be found. Fereshteh used to be one of the most quiet and peaceful part of northern Tehran but following attentions from real state investors after the Islamic revolution, many of the huge gardens and nicely de-

signed houses were replaced with the most fashionable high rises which has increased the population of this area significantly. This has caused problems for narrow alleys around this area; the traffic often gets gridlocked on summer nights, and the atmosphere is rather snob affected. Before Shemiran was officially incorporated into the city of Tehran, the area consisted of expansive residences and gardens used as summer homes for wealthy residents of Tehran. Today however residential towers and upscale penthouses have replaced them for good and few of those gardens have actually escaped development.

[Jordan] a former residential neighborhood with a grid structure along two northern-southern famous streets in Tehran.

The main street is called Jordan with housing blocks on both sides, which lately has been shifting from residential use with low-rise buildings to more commercial use and business highrises. This gradual transition has been brought traffic jams in rush hours and lack of parking space. The dramatic change of neighborhood’s identity from a quiet neighborhood with dead ends to one of Tehran’s famous commercial streets has made locals start loosing their sense of belonging to the place and make them leave their houses the same process, which happened, in center of the city [Vanak] is Square and a neighborhood in the northern part of the city. The neighborhood is a shaped as an extension to an original older village of Vanak (Deh-e Vanak). Vanak square is one of the important junctures and the starting point for some of the city’s highways and main streets. A small Armenian community has lived near the village for a very long time and today the Ararat Sports Complex is the largest sports complex of Armenian Iranians, which is close to the main square. It is affluent neighborhood with high-rise commercial buildings, a golf course, chic cafés and malls, and a funfair called Funfair, which has not been in operation since 1995.

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Goals and principles

Goals of the project • Designing in between area and applying networks of urban activity to it • Bridging characteristics and adding qualities • Designing public space with high quality in an inbetween area • Transition between inside and outside- buffer zone (blurred public and private) • Bringing attention-control in the space to create social security and bring safety by urban programs and key projects

Conceptual diagram of Communities and in between spaces

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Connectingthe area to the green network making accessible- softening the boundaries

In-between area as a new center for the surrounding neighboirhoods

Applying a network of activities

Bridging the enclaves

Connecting underground life to public space- making accessible, adding new programs

Using different tactics on the borders 75

Urban activities and public events

charshanbe souri celebration

Public space a venue for public events • The in-between area is a platform for the surrounding com-

• • •

munities to express their popular cultural products. The area is a venue for public events and urban programs for the city. Some proposed public programs for the areas are: National Celebrations: Noruz, Charshanbe souri,Mehregan,..

Religious Carnivals: Taoua, Ashoura,…

Street theater , roohozi, pardeh khani, pantomime,…

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Pantomime

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Informal performance happening under a bridge in Tehran

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Ashoura, religious carnival

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Under the bridges

Ready to go up to the surface...

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On the bridge

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However popular culture is always a culture of conflict. It is structured in opposition to the dominant ideology. (Fiske, 1990, Hall, 1981) The subordinates are in struggle of making their social meanings in opposition to the hegemonic groups that intend to impose their own values. In this process the people build their culture out of their experiences. The ordinary people resent their situation. They can not produce their resources but use the resources of the current system to make their own culture. (Fiske, 1991)

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Proposal

United communities of Tehran The idea is to design the in-between area of mapped neighbourhoods in Tehran and unite them by creating them a metaphorical backyard.

The unity of these neighbourhoods is realised through a conceptual glue structure that connects the communities together. This unity will give a plural identity to the people living inside the communities (target group).

The in between space will be a chance of centralizing the underground activities of a network and a platform for interactions.

The in-between will be a blurred public-private green open space. A common backyard for with modified circumstancing places and personalizes intimate public space.

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UCT is...

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UCT- united communities of Tehran

> Underground life with a public address > Not a bigger gated community but a unity > A platform for the target social strata to express them selves > Where they carry plural meanings and have the sense of community > A transition from strengthening to softening the boundaries > Where they operate with clever tactics, which give them the chance of standing against the terminating attacks and continue to exist > Giving them the opportunity to spread their ideologies, tastes and values > Where they bring their own meanings out of their social relations and built the popular culture in opposition to the cultural industry

89

UCT project The aim of the project is...

Increasing accessibility • Making the in-between area accessible for all the sur•

rounding neighbourhoods Accessible in the city scale for other parts of Tehran

Connectivity • Tear down boundaries and elements of enclave • Connecting the communities (neighbourhoods) together by designing the in-between

Urban programs • Putting urban activities and public places inside the area to

Control • Bringing “Social security” in the area to improve the quality of public space

• Using the in-between as a platform for the communities to have control over the public space by putting public places and underground activities inside

Sense of Community • Creating a Plural identity for the communities • Taking advantage of the strength of each community for the unity

attract people from neighbourhoods

++ + +

+ + Surrounding neighbourhoods

90

-

+

+

+

+ +

In-between area of communities

UCT project The structure of UCT...

Conceptual Glue

Centralizing communities

UCT has a structure for the communities to stay connected and accessible through it. The in-between area is surrounded by mass of highways; this brings accessibility by car in city scale but then creates an enclave situation for the neighbourhoods.

The area has a great natural potentiality of green space.

In this project, the green structure is used as a tool to soften the boundaries.

The UCT needs a center. In this project a new CBD is proposed following the municipal plan for the area to strengthen the economical value of the unity. The new CBD will bring the commercial and business centers of each community into a network.

The new center will be placed on a green platform and would be an anchor to improve public services with high space quality.

Conceptual Glue structure

Centralizing communities

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Actors and plans

Municipality - Governance

Municipal plan for this area consist of two parts: The valley: an ecological plan trying to protect the mountain foothills and to manage the public space within the natural potential of the valley.

New CBD: The new business center with public services replacing the former firm ground (Tehran’s Expo)

Revolutionary Guard - Actor of control

From the physical analysis, it is realised that a high percentage of the area is under pressure of highways. The “Revolutionary guard” in Tehran mainly does the construction of highways. There are some lands won by the R.G by using highways as a tool of fragmenting the neighbourhoods.

Highways of the road network usually isolate the won lands and make Gated residential areas for the actor.

Green Desire

In UCT project, the green structure is used as conceptual glue for the unity and is aimed to bring public space with pedestrian access into in-between area. The Green desire is not only a structure but is also a tool to control new developments. The idea is to let the actor of control win part of the land but then control it with the municipal building rules (Defend strategy). Controlling “R.G”’s new developments means not to be gated and the necessity of open green pockets between the new blocks to connect it to the green structure of the area.

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Defend strategy

The area under presuure of highways

Certain building rules of the public space and green space is used to control the new developments by Revolutionary Guard.

(Building rules are arranged by Municipality and neighbourhood communities)

94

Highways fragmenting the parcel

Green desire controlling

Green rules as a tool

Limiting new developments

Fragmentation of new developments by highways, crossing the pedestrian paths through the new blocks by using building rules as a tool

95

desired green, UCT'S conceptual glue

Green structure is proposed to be the “conceptual glue” structure for the in-between space - UCT plan.

Desire Green is...

• • • • • • •

96

Green space in-between the communities.

Breathing space for public space under pressure Controlling densification and new developments Platform for open public space Space of transition (blurred public -private) Space of attraction, inviting people to enter in-between Structure to connect the in-between area to the green network of the city

Linear park

A linear park is proposed as part of the green structure along the river in the green valley. The linear park will be a buffer zone and a mediator between the surrounding neighbourhoods and the public in-between.

Later in this chapter the park will be shown in details

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New CBD, new Centrality

Part of the Municipal plan is a new CBD proposed to replace the former Firm ground of Tehran (Expo). The new CBD is proposed on the green platform of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;green desireâ&#x20AC;? as part of the centralizing structure for UCT. A Business center will connect the business network of the neighbourhoods. The economical value of the area in City scale will be added.

Some design principles are used to control the traffic in the new business center.

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Commercial and shopping streets

Traditional Bazaar

Business and public service in green area

business and commercial centers

New CBD impotant in city sclae

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UCT PLan

UCT General plan is realised in the in-between area of neighbourhoods and consists of a central core within a green basis connecting neighbourhoods together. Neighbourhoods are also connected through a network of business and commercial. A great linear park along the river in the Valley is proposed which places (underground) urban activities; The Park is a place of interaction, accessible from surrounding communities and other districts of the city.

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New centrality in relation with each of the surrounding neighbourhoods

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Phase 1

In-between area

Extension of highway through the area

New development by R.G

Phase 2

Green desire- defend strategy

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Controling new development

Connection to the squares-increasing accessibility

Phase 3

Centralizing-New CBD

Linear Park

Adding quality and social security

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Linear park Brdige Old fabric

Sport federations

New CBD Pedestrian access

New Green blocks

Public facilities Highway extension R.G new development

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Green blocks

CBD

Linear park

Network of gated gardens

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Connecting network of gated gardens in the old fabric to the new CBD, protecting the old fabric by proposing known, touristic (example: lonely planet) walking paths with putting cultural programs.

Agriculture centre connected to the green platform of the new centre with pedestrian, bridging the highway

cross roads

square

• Design rules of new center and different existing elements •

of the area have three main directions, First is to increase connectivity, second protection of old fabric and natural elements and third is adding value to the existing. Some of the rules are:

• • softening the borders by bridging pedestrian paths and green

• Connecting the existing public activities to the new center • Protecting the old fabric close to the new center by creating pedestrian paths from public places through the fabric

• Using the potentiality of the river and natural elements •

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PLural identity through programs Education

Leisure International

Mountain

Chique

Sports

Art & Culture

Commercial

Business Cars

Plural identity of UCT UCT as a unity is bringing all strengths and opportunities of the communities together. The neighbourhoods are labelled through the analysis of the neighbourhoods. By putting urban and public programs related to each neighbourhood the quality inside in-between area is raised. The qualities of each neighbourhood is shared and expressed as sub cultural products. All this together will bring a plural identity for the place.

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identity

Making the in-between accessible The Green structure is the main Conceptual glue bringing different parts of the in-between area and the surrounding neighbourhoods together. But also there are elements of enclave inside the area which are connected in different ways.

Linear park

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Linear park

Mixed

Mixing services

soften the gate

Gated community

key projects

Key projects-public facility

Bridging throug buildings

Art and culture stripes

connecting to old fabric

network of old gardens

putting underground activities

underground sports

H-Gated.

Residential Old fabricmeusum gardens Hotel

Tennis park

Int. school

Cultural stripes

Auto park

V-Gated.

Residential

Bridging the enclave elements Soft Bridge: Pedestrian Bridge and putting programs close Bridge Building: To cross the road through a building

Cuntural stripes

Green landscape

Bridge Building

Green Valley

Business Center

Bridge

Linear Park along the river Neighbourhood

Pedestrian bridge

Street

Highway

Green Chunk

connecting by crossing streets with bridge or softenning the disconnection by use of open public space

exit ramps of highways

The cultural stripes, part of the linear park, crossing cuildings with green public space on the roof

river

Putting programs in the enclaves and increasing pedestrian accessibility

Conclusion

CBD on a public park will be • New center for UCT with high economical value • Empowering the business centers of the communities and importance in city scale • Bringing attention to the in-between area and to the neighbourhoods, a reason to be there • Supporting public activities and services in the area Linear Park • A buffer zone, softening the boundaries of the communities • Venue for social events, from national ceremonies to religious carnivals • A platform to express sub cultural products of the communities and spreading ideologies, taste and values

>The Social Dimension of Public Space Public spaces are open to all, regardless of ethnic origin, age or gender, and as such they represent a democratic forum for citizens and society. When properly designed and cared for, they bring communities together, provide meeting places and foster social ties of a kind that have been disappearing in many urban areas. These spaces shape the cultural identity of an area, are part of its unique character and provide a sense of place for local communities.

>Promoting neighbourliness and social inclusion The open spaces near our homes give us a valuable place to socialize with our neighbours, whether chatting over the garden fence or meeting in the local park On a larger scale, community gardens and city farms bring people together from different ages and cultures, and thus help to create a real sense of neighbourhood. Once again, however, quality counts: the better the design of the space in question, the better the quality of the social experience. In this regard, it has been found that big, bland spaces on housing estates fail to offer the same opportunities for social cohesion as more personal spaces.

>Public space generates community cohesion By putting underground activities through urban programs inside the park, such as Arts, culture and sports the in-between will be a “Public address for the underground life”, In other word bringing the underground life on the surface

>The Economic Value of Public Space A high-quality public environment can have a significant impact on the economic life of urban centers big or small, and is therefore an essential part of any successful regeneration strategy. A good public landscape also offers very clear benefits to the local economy in terms of stimulating increased house prices, since house-buyers are willing to pay to be near green space.

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Public spaces are not just empty voids. Typically, they are filled with both soft and hard landscape elements to help shape their character. What we put into our public spaces is just as important as the space itself.

>A venue for social events To encourage events like these, along with their spin-off benefits, cities need to plan the physical layout of their public spaces with festivals and other social activities in mind. One of the benefits of high-quality public space is its potential as a venue for social events. Well managed festivals and other events can have a very positive effect on the urban environment, drawing the community together and bringing financial, social and environmental benefits

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