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An identification of the neighbourhood renewal process in Tehran: Case study — Khoob-Bakht neighbourhood, Tehran, Iran
Journal of Urban Regeneration and Renewal,
13
(1),
27-43
(2019)
Abstract
Until the mid-2000s, intervention in the deteriorated areas of Iran was led by an authoritative approach based on top-down planning, coercive possession of properties, banishment of residents and the implementation of mega-scale projects. Large-scale intervention, the long realisation time, disturbance in the local social structure, lack of participation by local communities and negative social impacts have, however, neutralised the effectiveness of this solution in tackling urban deterioration. In 2005, an alternative approach was adopted that emphasised the neighbourhood scale, participation of local communities and collaboration of public agencies. After selecting a pilot neighbourhood in District 15 of Tehran and preparing a neighbourhood renewal plan, a renewal office was established in the Khoob-Bakht neighbourhood in 2007, which was used to start communicating with residents and public authorities. The office planned the renewal procedure and realised some land readjustment projects and public services in the neighbourhood until 2009. The practice has affected the trajectory of urban renewal policy making and planning in Tehran since 2010, and has resulted in a facilitative renewal process on the neighbourhood scale. The experience suggests that a neighbourhood renewal process is generated from activities in four interactive phases: foundational, preparatory, infrastructural and developmental.
Keywords: neighbourhood renewal; renewal office; participation; partnership; land readjustment projects
The full article is available to subscribers to the journal.
Author's Biography
Alireza Andalib has a PhD in urban and regional planning from the University of Tehran, Iran. He was CEO and Board member of the Urban Renewal Organisation of Tehran (UROT)1 (2005–8) and Chairman of the Institution of the Comprehensive and Detailed Plans of Tehran (2008–11). Since 2004, Alireza has been an associate professor in the Department of Planning, Faculty of Art and Architecture, Islamic Azad University, Tehran. Alireza has published on urban renewal in Iran, including ‘Renewal of Deteriorated Areas with the Participation of Residents’ (2007, in collaboration with Kaveh Hajialiakbari), ‘The Principles of Urban Renewal’ (2010) and ‘The Theory of Balanced Renewal of Urban Deteriorated Areas’ (2017).
Kaveh Hajialiakbari has a PhD in urban and regional planning from Shahid Beheshti University (SBU), Tehran, Iran. He began his career as an urban renewal expert in UROT in 1999. He was Vice-director of the Khoob-Bakht renewal plan (2007–9), and Director of the Social Participation Office (2009–12) in UROT, which established more than 60 facilitation offices in the deteriorated neighbourhoods of Tehran. Between 2012 and 2018, Kaveh collaborated with municipalities in Iran to institutionalise a facilitative approach to tackling neighbourhood decline. He renewed his collaboration with UROT as CEO and member of the board in 2018. His work includes ‘Renewal of Deteriorated Areas with the Participation of Residents’ (2007, in collaboration with Alireza Andalib), ‘Facilitation in Tehran’ (2017) and ‘Neighbourhood Development’ (2018).
