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The purpose of this study is on the social aspects of regeneration of historical neighborhoods in Iranian cities. For this purpose, the authors investigated the effect of the social capital of the residents of historical neighborhoods in Tehran on their subjective quality of life and on their willingness to continue living in these historical districts. This study was motivated by the fact that the primary issue in regeneration of Tehran’s historical districts is to stimulate the residents’ desire to continue living in their neighborhoods, thereby preventing the population from decreasing.

A review of the theoretical literature revealed that the subjective quality of urban life could act as an intermediary construct that explains the link between social capital and willingness to continue living in a district. With this assumption, the authors administered a questionnaire to 389 residents of different historical neighborhoods who had been randomly selected by cluster sampling. The analysis of the data and the relationships among the constructs was conducted using structural equation modeling.

The results suggest that increase in the participants’ social capital, including neighborhood bonds, civic participation, social networks and trust, could increase both their life satisfaction (i.e. subjective quality of urban life) and their willingness to live in the historical district. As indicated by the structural model of this study, the social capital both directly influences willingness to continue living and has an indirect effect on it through the intermediary construct of subjective quality of urban life.

The findings of this study can help the policymakers of historical districts in Tehran to determine high-priority strategies for regenerating these districts. Some of the most practical policies that can be applied to the context of Tehran include provision of facilities for enhancement of social networks and bonds, formation of non-governmental organizations and using neighborhood bonds to improve the environmental conditions of neighborhood units.

This study has several advantages. First, the measures used that were taken from the literature have been adjusted to the context of the study with the help of a group of experts. In other words, although the constructs have their roots in theory, their measures are of a local and context-based nature. Second, the obtained results would direct the current approaches to regeneration of historical districts in Iran, which primarily have a physical, economic and elitist basis, towards additional social and participatory approaches.

This paper aims to develop a cross-border regional brand management model to help enhance cooperation for developing such localities. It analyzed its applicability in the Brazil–Argentina and Italy–Austria cross-border regions comprising several cities.

A systematic literature review was conducted to obtain a theoretical basis and select elements for creating the cross-border regional brand management (CRBM) model. To apply the model, in-depth interviews were conducted with 19 specialists of different nationalities and distinct expertise on cross-border governance and regional branding. In addition, to validate the proposed model, a focus group was carried out, and specialists were consulted using forms, providing 22 additional opinions.

The results show good managerial practices and gaps that must be overcome to create and manage the brands from the two regions analyzed.

The theoretical contributions consist in extending the literature in place branding by presenting the first CRBM model and the conceptual explanation of each of the model's elements.

The study's practical implications occur through the suggestion of good management practices for the studied localities arising from the applicability of the CRBM model. Furthermore, it is expected that the model developed can be applied in other locations, bringing practical contributions to the management and creation of cross-border regional brands in other countries.

This study presents the first CRBM model and its applicability to two cross-border regions.

The purpose of this study is to develop a conceptual framework for defining the notion of “physical integration” regarding the Iranian bazaar as the main component in the structure of traditional Iranian cities. Applying this conceptual framework to the historical bazaars in the cities of Kerman and Shiraz, this study seeks to pave the way for restoring the physical integrity of such historical districts.

The research was conducted in two phases. First, there was a review of the theoretical background of physical integration followed by the analysis of the corresponding qualitative contents and the validation of the proposed conceptual framework as confirmed by 15 local experts. The second phase tested the validated framework in two case studies based on maps, historical documents and field observations.

The findings show that the physical integration of historical bazaars can be undertaken in morphological, visual-aesthetic and functional aspects. The proposed conceptual framework is capable of dealing with the different aspects of physical integration in historical districts on a meso-scale.

The theoretical implications of this study concerning the physical integration of traditional bazaars address urban design, urban planning and multi-disciplinary historical geography. The study also has practical implications for the integration of bazaars in historical urban regeneration projects via design guidelines.

This study emphasizes the importance of physical integration as a multi-dimensional concept, facilitating it to deal with the physical quality and the characteristics of historical districts, particularly bazaars. It also highlights the role of the Iranian bazaar as a unifying structure in the historical districts.

The paper aims to introduce the activities carried out for preparing evacuation plans in Tehran and the challenges observed for involving local communities in earthquake risk mitigation.

In order to prepare the evacuation plans, at first the earthquake risk at different scenarios was determined and the potential damages and casualties at neighborhood levels were estimated accordingly. Then, by considering geological and man-made hazards as well as socio-economic parameters, the potential evacuation places were investigated to be equipped with necessary materials for emergency conditions. In addition, some drills were organized at each neighborhood, and the residents were trained about evacuation and other necessary activities at time of crisis.

The methodology developed in this research provides practical means for promoting public participation and earthquake risk mitigation. Furthermore, the paper proposes some measures for involving local communities in risk reduction activities.

Considering the complexities of socio-economic conditions in Tehran, the plan was implemented at two different neighborhoods in 2008. Therefore, similar researches should be conducted in other places to make generalized evacuation plans.

This paper introduces new methods for promoting preparedness and discusses the impacts of socio-economic conditions on developing risk mitigation plans.

In spite of controversies in academia, various nations around the world have been propounding the importance of cultural and creative industries (CCIs) as the driving force in economic growth and development strategies. Accordingly, this research aims to understand how these industries could contribute to forming a cultural and creative policy scheme in an urban context that is structured based on local cultural assets.

The case analysis of Rasht city, a UNESCO Creative City, assesses the planning policies from the national to the regional level to determine the cultural policy planning platform of Creative Rasht in four phases of urban cultural resources, municipal objectives, festival urban branding and the role of stakeholders, which are fashioned by the integrated cultural identity and sustainable city. This is followed by semi-structured interviews with experts and young researchers in the field of culture-led urban regeneration to evaluate different phases of the policy planning process.

By means of the qualitative method and ethnographic research, this paper argues that managerial regulations for local cultural industries contribute not only to the reinforcement of cultural resources but also to urban cultural sustainable development.

Building on empirical research, this paper attempts to argue the significant role of local CCIs alongside social values in creating a creative city platform, given the necessity for an urban cultural platform in Iran. It also emphasises the importance of local communities’ participation in the decision-making process and awareness-raising among different groups of stakeholders.

The UNESCO recommendation under the historic urban landscapes (HUL) title and Operational Guidelines (OPG) were used to create dynamic protective boundaries to maintain the integrity and authenticity of Isfahan's heritage waterways. Accordingly, by using GIS and Isfahan urban layers, three protective zones were proposed and evaluated; the central zone, the functional zone and the visual zone.

Heritage waterways in historic cities are not adequately protected against the negative impacts of urban development, and there is a lack of a dynamic protective system to protect their integrity and authenticity. The problem can be observed in Isfahan, a historic Iranian city, where the boundaries of urban heritage waterways (Madi canals) are usually rigid and arbitrary. This study aims to develop a practicable paradigm for determining protection boundaries for Isfahan's Jolfa Madi, an urban heritage waterway.

Compared to the current protective boundaries, the authors found that proposed protective boundaries create a greater amount of protection space, which makes a strong connection among the ecological, historical and socio-economic characteristics of the urban context. Furthermore, the protective zones based on the HUL approach give Isfahan's urban planning policy the opportunity to consider participatory tools, financial tools and regulatory systems.

Many studies have emphasized a fixed-width buffer or an arbitrary distance from the urban waterway's axis (urban heritage) or its banks. Although these protections include technical conservation or setting restrictions on the adjacent buildings and blocks, studying crucial concepts such as urban dynamic, urban heritage context and producing a particular technique for protected boundaries has not been investigated. In this article three dynamic boundaries are delineated with various functions in order to provide urban heritage with dynamic preservation and sustainable development for the historic urban landscapes.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a hierarchically structured system of regenerative architecture indicators for assessing research-educational building projects.

First, based on a literature review of the historical roots of regenerative design and related approaches and the interviews held with experts of the related field, the paper proposes a structured framework of architectural indicators suitable for the context of Tehran. Later, the importance of criteria is estimated by the analytic hierarchy process method based on a survey of experts. Finally, the results clarify the order of indicators’ importance for enhancing research-educational buildings with the aim of developing regenerative design in the context.

The rankings revealed that, in the environmental dimension, “Design of site & building” and “Site & context considerations” are the top priorities of learning spaces in Tehran followed by “Water management,” “Energy management” and “Materials & waste management” ranked as less significant, but still important indicators. In the social dimension, “Design for people & human health” was considered much more important than “Social interaction” and “Interaction with nature,” and in the cultural dimension, “vernacular & historical features of design” was more important than “Aesthetic feature.” In the economic dimension, “Energy storage & production” indicator was ranked highest followed by “Adaptability & multiplicity of design solutions” and “Using waste to produce new resources.” Generally, for achieving regenerative architecture in learning spaces, the environmental criterion was given the highest weight among all dimensions. After that, the higher rank was given to social dimension; while cultural and economic dimensions took the third and fourth place.

The paper has limitations because of the limited number of experts in the field of regenerative approach.

This research seeks to answer the following question: what is the ranking of regenerative architecture indicators in the design of research-educational building projects in the context of Tehran? To answer this question, the indicators of regenerative design in the architectural field are explored through a detailed study of literature and interview with experts of the related field; later, they are ranked based on a survey approach that investigates the opinions of experts. The final results are then explained based on logical analysis to obtain a comprehensive understanding. The prioritization of indicators actually provides a simple framework for designers and architects to have a clear path in developing an architectural regenerative project when different contexts vary in influential features. The selection and prioritization of indicators in this research depended mainly on their relevance to the conditions of Tehran and can be used for regions with similar conditions as well.

Large-scale interventions are still the dominant approach in dealing with historic cities in Iran; however, during the last decade there has been a shift towards integrated and decentralised policies and a series of locally based projects were initiated across the country. Political and ideological forces, population growth as well as cultural and heritage consensus are influencing approaches towards urban conservation and heritage management constantly. This paper opens up the urban intervention approaches in the historic core of Shiraz and provides a deeper insight and better understanding of heritage management and regeneration plans in Shiraz as a representative of historic Iranian cities.

The study explains and analyses major urban transformations in Shiraz. The main approaches towards historical city core are identified and the mechanism that shaped these approaches in national and local scale is discussed. This investigation primarily uses qualitative data sources. The study relies on multiple sources of evidence which result in the reliability and validity of the investigation. Therefore, primary sources include original documents, maps and photographs published in documentation for the projects, published and unpublished materials and archives about case study city and secondary sources such as interviews with consultants and authorities as well as residents have been used.

This paper provides a more detailed explanation about several interrelated factors that affected the process of decision and policy making, planning and implementation of city centre interventions during the last two decades.

This paper anticipates consequent trends in heritage management in Shiraz and recommends further research areas. The paper can be used to develop a more practical set of recommendations for urban heritage management in Iran.

The duration of an urban search and rescue (USAR) operation directly depends on the number of rescue teams involved. The purpose of this paper is to simplify the earthquake environment and determine the initial number of rescuers in earthquake emergencies in USAR operation.

In the proposed methodology, four primary steps were considered: evaluation of buildings damage and the number of injured people by exerting geospatial information system (GIS) analyses; determining service time by means of task allocation; designing the simulation model (queuing theory); and calculation of survival rate and comparison with the time of rescue operations.

The calculation of buildings damage for an earthquake with 6.6 Richter in Tehran’s District One indicated that 18% of buildings are subjected to the high damage risk. The number of injured people calculated was 28,856. According to the calculated survival rate, rescue operations in the region must be completed within 22.33 h to save 75% of the casualties. Finally, the design of the queue model indicated that at least 2,300 rescue teams were required to provide the calculated survival rate.

The originality of this paper is an innovative approach for determining an appropriate number of rescue teams by considering the queuing theory. The results showed that the integration of GIS and the simulation of queuing theory could be a helpful tool in natural disaster management, especially in terms of rapid vulnerability assessment in urban districts, the adequacy and appropriateness of the emergency services.