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Volume 35, Issue 4 (2025)
IJAUP 2025, 35(4) |
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Amirrahimi A, Talebi Z, Nazemi E, Shabani Shahreza A. The Theory of Relativity and Spatial Impacts in Sustainable Urban Planning: A Case Study of Shahr-e Rey. IJAUP 2025; 35 (4)
URL: http://ijaup.iust.ac.ir/article-1-899-en.html
URL: http://ijaup.iust.ac.ir/article-1-899-en.html
1- Advancement in Architecture and Urban Planning Research Center, Najafabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran.
2- Advancement in Architecture and Urban Planning Research Center, Najafabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran. ,z.talebii@iau.ac.ir
2- Advancement in Architecture and Urban Planning Research Center, Najafabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran. ,
Abstract:
This paper aims to regenerate the urban identity of Shahr-e Rey by proposing an analytical model for sustainable urban planning. In this context, the ‘theory of Relativity’ refers to the idea that urban identity is shaped by the relative relationships among cultural, social, and natural forces, and the ‘principle of biocentrism’ emphasizes the central role of ecological considerations in planning. Building on these theoretical foundations, this model guides urban regeneration by identifying and evaluating the dynamic interactions among cultural, social, and natural forces affexting the city. Regarding methodology, the study uses both historical and analytical data, integrating qualitative and quantitative approaches. In the first stage, historical and documentary information on Shahr-e Rey is gathered from written sources and semi-structured interviews with professors at the Tehran University. In the second stage, spatial and functional analyses were conducted using satellite imagery and analytical tools. The findings led to the development of a two-part framework: the Observer Model and the Functional Model. The Observer Model serves as the theoretical and analytical foundation, focusing on how urban phenomena are perceived and interpreted. In contrast, the Functional Model outlines the proposed spatial system, based on empirical data and biocentric indicators. Functional relationship matrices enabled the evaluation of convergence or divergence among urban spaces. This approach allowed for a redefinition of the city’s essential urban functions. The results demonstrate that applying the theory of Relativity in urban planning makes possible a flexible, context-sensitive, and localized design approach. Accordingly, urban policy should move away from dependence on capitalist paradigms and imitation of global models, and instead, through relative and data-driven analyses, advance toward the development of a sustainable and identity-based city. To achieve this, biocentrism must be prioritized as a higher-order indicator in analyses and decision-making, with its relationship to other areas, particularly the built environment, redefined. Such an approach enables Shahr-e Rey to progress toward self-sufficiency and to stabilize at a sustainable level consistent with its historical identity and natural setting
Keywords: Urban Sustainability, Theory of Relativity, Urban Design, Historical Identity, Sustainable Development, Shahr-e Rey
Type of Study: Research Paper |
Subject:
Urban Design
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