The Effects of Townscapes in the Place Attachment Case Study: Nārmak Area in Tehran

Subject Areas : architecture

Sakineh  Maroofi ¹ (Ph.D in Urban Planning, Tarbiat Modares University.)
Mojtaba  Ansari ² (Associate Professor of Architecture, Tarbiat Modares University.)

Received: 2011-03-11 Accepted : 2012-03-06 Published : 2014-08-23

Keywords: urban landscape, Place attachment, Urban Social Aspects, Narmak,

Abstract :

The nature of people–environment relationships is reflected in multiple research paradigms of the field, including studies of environmental stress, cognitive mapping, environmental assessment, human spatial behavior, conservation behaviors and ecological psychology. Environment in which man and human life are surrounded, affects the human behaviors, senses and perceptions. In this case, the built physical environment particularly in cities are the most important part of human life spaces. These spaces can affect the citizens’ life in various ways. Some of them grow out of the meaning of places, some of them are dealt with their physical features and some are concerned with the functions of environment. The quality of urban spaces depends on how they are enclosed as much as on their own attributes. This article aims to explore the interrelations between townscapes and social characters of environment.An understanding of the relationship between people and their environment is essential in urban design and planning. It assumes, that environment – people interaction in two way process. People aren’t passive, however they influence and change the environment as it influence and change them. The form and shape of a location can affect on social futures of residents in an area. Experience has shown that the design of the built environment can affect the social life.  The term “sense of locality” deals with two concerns, one is sociological and the other psychological. The first has to do with the sense of one’s location, or one’s   society’s location, within a larger social unit, and the second with a sense of belonging to a region and a regional culture. This research is going to answer this question: What is the relation between townscape and the sense of locality in an area? It seems that there is a meaningful relation between these variables. The attractive and appropriate townscape is an important element to enhance the sense of locality in an urban community. There is an interrelation between both tow variables. As determining the inhabitants ́ socio- cultural effects on urban landscape is too difficult, the authors study the effects of the urban landscape on the sense of locality among citizen in an area. To answer the question of the paper Nārmak area in Tehran was selected as the case study, since the area is one of the old communities in the city, its especial urban landscape and urban design the authors choose the area. The variables were determined and defined. There were two main variables in this paper. To evaluate the first variable (urban landscape) four indexes were determined. The indexes were: the design type of street and squares in the area, the quantity and quality of green coverage in the community, urban furniture, urban lighting, the coverage of footpath. Then a questionnaire was prepared and data were collected. Finally the responds were analyzed by SPSS. Based on the results, the hypothec of the investigation was accepted. It means, in the area under study there is a meaningful relation between urban landscape and the sense of locality.