The Role of Open Spaces in Neighborhood Attachment(Case Study: Ekbatan Town in Tehran Metropolis)

Subject Areas : Urban Design

Ali Javan Forouzande ¹ , Ghasem Motallebi ²

1 - Ph. D., Department of Art and Architecture, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
2 - Ph. D., Department of Fine Arts, Tehran University, Tehran, Iran

Received: 2010-07-13 Accepted : 2011-05-17 Published : 2012-01-01

Keywords: Open spaces, residential complex, Neighborhood attachment, Architectural design,

Abstract :

This paper intends to highlight one of the key concerns of housing designers i.e. the influence ofopen space on human satisfaction as well as their attachment to a particular place. Consequently, neighborhood openspaces with their meaningful layout seem to be constituent elements of residential complexes. Although, architects anddesigners try to create qualitative areas among buildings, the function of open spaces has not fully been defined yet.As such, the current research aims not merely to elaborate on the role of open spaces, rather tries to propose designingcriteria for residential complexes. Based on previous researches, the paper has investigated open space characteristicsby taking into account Ekbatan residential complex in the west of Tehran metropolis, hence; proposed a model witheffective variables. A survey was done after randomly selecting household samples there. Findings demonstrated theprincipal role of open spaces in the attachment to neighborhood. Security and quietness were the two other importantcriterions for those residents. Based on these findings, it can be said that the physical attributes play two roles in theneighborhood attachment; first, they facilitate social activities and provide opportunities to develop social attachmentand second, enhance architectural attributes including aestheticism and density.