A new look at the function of the street: providing a conceptual model of High Streets for All approach (Case Study: comparing Imam Khomeini Street and Foroughi Street in Tabriz)
Subject Areas : environment planning
Mana Vahidbafandeh
1
,
Javad Imani Shamloo
2
,
Melika Fadavi
3
1 - Master student of Urban design, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tabriz Islamic Art University, Tabriz, Iran
2 - Department of Urban Planning, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tabriz Islamic Art University
3 - Master student of Urban design, Tabriz Islamic Art University, Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, Tabriz, Iran.
Keywords: Foroughi Street, Street function, High street for all, Imam Khomeini Street,
Abstract :
The high and main streets of the city are the heart of cities nowadays. Today, these vital arteries are facing new social, environmental and economic challenges and must deal with the uncertainty of the city. Now the important question is how to design and plan the main streets of the city in such a way that it meets the different expectations of society and at the same time, it can be compatible with future developments. Many planners and urban designers in the world are thinking of creating strategies to restore the role of high streets to their original position as a place to serve visitors, businesses and stakeholders that all people can use. The high streets for all approach is a popular approach in urban studies in recent years. Nevertheless, so far, it has not been mentioned in the research field of Persian texts and sources in the specialized field of urban planning. Although this approach is successful in global experiences. The purpose of this research is to look at the function of the street by presenting a conceptual model of the high streets. In addition, to validate and better introduce this new approach, two critical streets of Tabriz City (Imam Khomeini Street and Foroughi Street) have been compared from the perspective of this approach. The general approach of this research is descriptive-analytical. Collecting information and field data through a questionnaire and the sample size based on Cochran's formula is 384 people. The research findings show that the essential components of the "High Street for All" approach are more vital in Imam Khomeini Street than in Foroughi Street, and only Foroughi Street has a higher priority in the two indicators of "personal branding, presence of famous commercial brands." To create a High Street for all streets, it should be a strength at the comprehensive level of spaces in all dimensions, including the relationship between humans and the environment.Extended AbstractIntroduction:The High Streets for All mission seeks to stitch the actual uses of the city back together following decades of dispersal and separation and invites us to rethink how we live and move around the city. High streets are the places most people can walk to or get the bus from; they provide common access points to the city’s cycle routes, bus and overground systems. High streets are essential places of employment. This research seeks to know whether the idea of High streets for all is applicable in the cities and streets of Iran and the world. So far, many cities worldwide, such as London, the founder of this concept, have succeeded in implementing it, and these streets have become public places for everyone. In the current research, the theoretical foundations are aimed at the functional revitalization of urban streets. For this purpose, the sources are based on creating a conceptual model according to the contextual-cultural conditions of the case examples. Then, an evaluation was done on Foroughi Street and Imam Khomeini Street in Tabriz, both of which are commercial and essential streets of the city. This comparison aims to find the best high street for basics close to the High Street for everyone.Methodology:The statistical population in this research includes the entire city of Tabriz (according to the definition of urban scale for High Streets) and the sampling is from different people of the city according to the context of the subject. The size of the statistical population of Cochran's formula according to the population of Tabriz city (1,727,476 people) and taking into account the error level of 5% is equal to 384 people. After collecting the field data, Spss software was used to analyze each component in case samples to analyze the mean using descriptive statistics methods. Considering the normality of the data in both samples, the standard deviation was used T-test for two independent models (independent two-sample t-test). Also, collecting information through document study and using the latest sources in the relevant field.Results and discussion:Based on the studies and tests conducted, most of the average data indicate the high potential and parameters of the "High Street for All" approach in Imam Khomeini Street. About 14 leading indicators had a high statistical average in this sample. Still, in contrast to Foroghi Street, due to the presence of a new context in the component of economic sustainability (personal branding, presence of commercial brands), it has a very high average, which indicates the strength of the element (sustainability Economic) on this street. In general, it can be said that the hypothesis of the research is confirmed according to the investigations carried out, and Imam Khomeini Street is considered a well-equipped street with a high average in most of the indicators and from this point of view, it has a lot of potential for the growth and design of businesses.Conclusion:High streets are social; they promote mutual friendship and cultural exchange. At once, global and local high streets offer everyday experiences and opportunities for social interaction worldwide. Designers tell us they particularly value this opportunity to be around other people. This opportunity is significant to socially vulnerable groups like older people or new neighbors looking to make friends. The streets of the "High street for all" are one of the modern city's most characteristic features and the city's most familiar public property. Well-equipped streets are places where most of the city's people from every class and income group can walk. Shared access points to bike and bus routes indicate high access to these streets. Paying attention to the economic dimensions of sustainable cities, including supporting creative businesses through cooperative work centers and holding start-ups, is also one of the new topics of this approach. According to the investigations and the successful experiences of the world, this example of streets can be very successful in promoting and improving presence in urban spaces. Based on this, this approach can act as a strong driver in the direction of balance and creating inclusive spaces in the streets of Iran. This research tried to introduce this functionally successful approach with sample evaluation. We hope that sufficient attention will be paid to it in future research.
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