Cities for all: all-inclusive collective urban spaces for the public - a case of a successful interactive model

Eric R.P. Farr, Poorang Piroozfar

Research output: Chapter in Book/Conference proceeding with ISSN or ISBNConference contribution with ISSN or ISBNpeer-review

Abstract

In theory bringing a diverse range of the public together into a locality in a city and satisfying a broad spectrum of expectations is what public spaces are designed to satisfy. However, in reality this has proven to be a challenging task for both designers and planners. There are predominant factors that determine who would spend their time in a public space and to what extents they would be satisfied with their time spent. Those include age, gender, ethnicity, social class, needs, wants and personal preferences to just name a few.Having encompassed a wide range of activities, all-inclusive urban spaces may impose substantial costs to the city from inception through to the completion stages. However, such spaces can successfully be launched, and reimburse their costs, if they are carefully set up to absorb the mass of their peripheral communities and inhabitants on a regular basis. Offering relief for senior citizens, amusement for the youngsters and toddlers, entertainment for the teenagers, all in chorus, provide interactive atmospheres that resonate with the initial purposes of all-inclusive public spaces.This paper aims to investigate Niruye-Havaei, an established urban square, in Tehran as one of the most successful exemplars in provision of an overarching urban public space, overcoming the aforementioned problem. The paper begins with general background information of the place and the space, and the communities in the surrounding vicinities, and how they have been formed over the years and how they are in a dynamic interaction with each other, leading to introduction of such successful pattern. Utilising overt and covert participant observation (ethnography) methods, it will then contemplate on the potentials of place and space, and explores how the entire urban district has been ‘orbitalised' around this featured space and why it has found such a prominent role in the area. Finally, it concludes with a framework model for all-inclusive public spaces and suggests its application to similar situations for acquiring a record of success in urban developments.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of the 18th International Conference on Urban Planning, Regional Development and Information Society
Place of PublicationSchwechat-Rannersdorf, Vienna
PublisherMedieninhaber und Verleger
Pages1117-1124
Number of pages8
ISBN (Print)9783950311051
Publication statusPublished - 20 May 2013
EventProceedings of the 18th International Conference on Urban Planning, Regional Development and Information Society - Rome, Italy, 20-23 May, 2013
Duration: 20 May 2013 → …

Conference

ConferenceProceedings of the 18th International Conference on Urban Planning, Regional Development and Information Society
Period20/05/13 → …

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