Sustainable Cities and the Contribution of Historical Urban Green Spaces: A Case Study of Historical Persian Gardens

Abstract

Growing populations and rapid worldwide urbanization are recognized as constituting one of the most complex processes in the world and have raised concerns about the sustainability of cities. Sustainable development, a widely accepted strategic framework in city planning, singles out urban green spaces as a primary solution for addressing these issues. Growing empirical evidences indicate that the presence of natural areas contributes to a better quality of life in many ways. Urban green spaces serve as places of identity, memory, and belonging; enrich human life with meaning and emotions by providing important social and psychological benefits; and enhance the quality of life of citizens, which is a key component of sustainability. Despite our understanding of the benefits of urban green spaces, little is known about the benefits of historical urban green spaces. To highlight their importance with regard to environmental sustainability and citizens' well-being, this study analyzes a number of historical Persian gardens that are still actively used by urban residents. The findings suggest that historical Persian gardens could accommodate many social functions and address many of the psychological issues relating to urban dwelling. It has been generally acknowledged that sense of community and place attachment is pivotal to creating sustainable urban environments. Historical gardens as physical components can OPEN ACCESSSustainability 2015, 7 13291 cohesively weave together many parts of cities of any cities while providing places for public congregation as well as attracting a variety of local economic activities. All these attributes can make historical Persian gardens as a valuable municipal resource and a key ingredient for city's living sustainability.

Patterns of Urban Park Use and Their Relationship to Factors of Quality: A Case Study of Tehran, Iran

“…As part of the urban green network they convey important environmental, recreational, aesthetic, economic and psychological advantages [6][7][8]. They also increasingly playing a role in mental health [9] physical health, health recovery, and stress reduction [10,11]. Urban parks in cities in many developing countries face enormous pressures due to urban sprawl and increasing populations.…”

“…Now it is a large sprawling metropolis whose growth since 1970 has been fast and with little in the way of comprehensive planning of green spaces as an organised system [37]. Using parks and green space is, however, a major part of the Iranian culture, with a grand tradition of gardens dating back centuries to different Persian styles and heritage [10]. Within each of the 22 urban districts of the city there is a variety in amount and quality of parks; most of them are used and managed every day but resources are limited, demand is heavy and their condition varies considerably [38].…”

“…Location of the sample parks selected for the research by socio-economic cluster (based on data from Tehran municipality). The legend shows the lowest socio-economic cluster at the top (1) down to the highest at the bottom(10).…”

Research on the Synergy Degree of Aboveground and Underground Space along Urban Rail Transit from the Perspective of Urban Sustainable Development

“…It can be seen in Equation (4), u j (e j ) ∈ [0,1], that the larger the u j (e j ) value is, the more e j will contribute to the ordered evolution of sub-system S j , consequently obtaining a higher order degree, and vice versa. Suppose t 0 is the initial moment, and at that time, the order degree of S j is u j 0 (e j ), j = 1, 2, .…”

“…As a mainstream idea in today's world, sustainable development, which was first proposed in the 1980s, has already permeated into every aspect of our social lives and become a universal consensus in many countries of the world in a period of less than 40 years [1,2]. Cities are the primary representation and source of human civilization [3], and also, this is where the cultural essence of human beings is concentrated.…”