A study of a narrative approach in environmental planning of Amirabad neighborhood in Tehran,Iran

Abstract

One way to study the human mind, including collective memory, is to determine the effects of the environment on humans. One of the ways to identify these effects on humans to some degree is to study the mental narratives of the inhabitants of a place. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the experiences of the residents over time in relation to their role in changing the environment of the neighborhood. Therefore, this research was conducted using the method of cognitive narratology and oral interviews were used in this context. Fourteen residents of the Amirabad neighborhood were selected who had lived in the neighborhood for at least 20 years and were at least 45 years old. The purpose of the narrative and a significant instrument related to the environmental qualities associated with the collective memory of the residents were determined to explain the narratives of the residents by analyzing the items extracted from them. The analysis of the results shows that residents' narratives provide planners with indicators that planners should ultimately evaluate together with the people themselves. This study shows that in Amirabad neighborhood, the factor of needs has been ignored and regardless of this factor, the memorable elements of people are forgotten due to land use changes due to population growth and the increase of special land uses.