The Quest for Urban Identity through Using Natural Elements in Cities (Case Study: City of Hamadan, Iran).
Subject Areas : architecture
1 - Department of Art and Architecture, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University.
Keywords:
Abstract :
Identity crisis in the cities is one of the important issues for urban society of IRAN. Lack of a logical relationship between physical aspects and constructive elements of urban identity is a common problem in the contemporary cities. Cities have natural, social, cultural, economic and physical dimensions. In this research one of these categories namely natural elements identities is studied. City is where to growth and promotes human being; cities, like people with diverse characteristics, are different from each other which make distinction from each other. Each city based on natural conditions, cultural and social can be certain characteristics which are causeof the Identify form other cities and human settlements. The identity components can be divided into three categories: 1- natural characteristics; 2- individual characteristics and elements; and 3- human characteristics and elements (humanized environment). The goal of this research is steps taken to solve the identity crisis in the contemporary Iranian cities through identifying the natural elements and phenomena. The research hypothesis is expressed that the natural elements of cities is to be classified and can be effective in improving the quality of the physical aspects of cities. This research, for defining and classifying urban and natural elements, identity use descriptive methods and study of documents for developed theoretical framework in relation to the concept of the identity and the nature. Then, in the field of the natural elements of urban identity using comparative and analytical and comparative methods to extract criteria of urban identity, including criteria for urban planning and urban design. Reviewing case study shows that Hamadan is one of the foothill cities of west of Iran. This city has cold and mountainous climate and slope less than ten percent from south to north is one of its main characteristics. According to Iranian culture and Islamic thoughts, we can find that nature is composed from 4 inanimate elements, which are water, air, soil and light. From composition of these elements, diverse natural phenomenon is created. In Hamadan City, we can find many natural phenomenons from composition of these elements. This composition and its results as a phenomenon make a unique identity for whole environment of city which can be used for and make a unique context for its urban identity. Literature review about identifying critical urban identity criteria shows that we can find two criteria categories related to urban planning and design. With identifying indicators and effective characteristics in reviving urban identity with emphasis to natural elements, we can say that urban identity is extracted from human identity (material and spiritual) which could be classified under four distinctive categories: 1- human sensual characteristics; 2- characteristics which are originated from religious construction; 3- characteristics which were originated from national and cultural construction; and 4- characteristics which were originated from physical construction of built environment. These characteristics play essential roles in reviving urban identity and this research, with identifying and using these characteristics try to deal with reviving urban identity with emphasis on its natural elements.
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