Informal economy and urban spatial changes in the border town Baneh. A case study from the Iranian - Iraqi border.

Considering the various economic and political contexts in different parts of the world, economic relations and integration are performed with different intensity in regions such as the EU or the Middle East. One of the main reasons for the emerging of informal economy at the border regions in the Middle East is the strong barrier function of boundaries in Middle East countries. The Tourism consumption has extended recently in Baneh County, one of the western border regions of Iran neighboring with Iraq. The specific situation of informal economy, low price of smuggled goods, commercial tourism and massive flows of financial capital, all together have caused unpredictable changes in micro and macro levels of the Iran & Iraq border region and specially in Baneh County. The future growth of Baneh County is despite emerging positive spatial changes in Baneh city, doubtful. Unclear policies of local and national government regarding decision making, unclear management of the informal economy and currency instability create an uncertain future. Conventional methods of planning will not have necessary enough impact and effects in order to influence those issues in border regions. The paper is based on the examination of recent spatial changes and economic trends, which were done by descriptive and analytical methods in Baneh city. The research was documented through face to face and video interviews with local stakeholders, photography, field works and visits to the border region. As a result, some strategies were determined which steer recent trends. Further on threats towards a sustainable regional development had been described

Determining the Role of Pedestrian-Orientation, Concerning the Public Places: Improvement of Urban Social Capital Quality

Studying the status of urban social capital indicates that it is declining in contemporary cities. The experts in the field of social science have seriously warned on the consequences of this decline, by examining the components of social capital which is the result of forming norms of collective life and social interaction. In this regard, urbanization knowledge seeks to strengthen social capital through targeted interventions and efforts to improve the quality of urban life. Social interactions are significantly important factors contributing to the social capital and one of the most effective ways of realizing social interactions is making and developing of "public urban places". Regarding the previous studies which show that public places are created for people's presence and social mobility, this study seeks the ways for strengthening social capital by interventions in public places and increasing their quality by determining the role of urban spaces in improving the status of social capital. For a better study of the subject, using a desk research method, field observation and scrolling through a questionnaire, the market pedestrian located in the central area of Tehran was studied. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS software and the results showed that interventions with the aim of pedestrianizing and attempts to make a high quality place increase presence of people and cause a high tendency to establish social interactions.in fact pedestrian-orientation of urban areas has facilitated face-to-face and collective communication by influencing the social trust and solidarity, also it has helped with strengthening the tendency to participate and cooperate. Hence, adoption of the pedestrian-orientation policy and efforts to improve the quality of public places, have enhanced the social capital of city

A New Approach to the Optimal Placement of the Viscous Damper Based on the Static Force Distribution Pattern

Viscous dampers (VDs) are currently used an effective earthquake risk reduction measure. Due to the high cost of this type of dampers, an optimal damper layout across the stories will specifically improve the seismic response and reduce building costs. This paper introduces a new simple three-stage method to determine the optimal placement of VDs on different stories of reinforced concrete structures. In the first stage, the damping demand of each story was determined using the distribution pattern of earthquake forces by the equivalent static method and the story velocity obtained through time-history analysis. In the second stage, the number of dampers required for the structure was calculated, and the location and damping percentage of dampers were precisely determined through an iterative process in the third stage. An indicator representing all basic structural responses was used to evaluate the multiple choices for the damper layout. This process was evaluated for 4, 8 story concrete frames under a near-field earthquake. The results indicated the efficiency of the proposed method in determining the location and damping of VDs on different stories of the structure.

Defining urban green infrastructure role in analysis of climate resiliency in cities based on landscape ecology theories

Cities are exposed to the risk of climate change and as a result, are very vulnerable. In recent years, to face the challenges caused by the climate change, the notion of climate resilience and specifically, urban ecological resilience, has been studied. Climate resilience is in focus of this paper and a subcategory of urban ecological resilience, which is defined as the urban resilience to the climate change. Also, urban green infrastructure has an established role as one of the strategies for adapting to climate change and for developing and promoting climate resilience in cities. Given the theoretical gap existing in this field, this question arises: "How and based on which features of the green infrastructure can we assess and analyze the climate resilience in a city?” To answer this question, the landscape ecology principles and relationship between these principles and the green infrastructure in the cities were used. The relationship was developed in the Yousef Abad neighborhood of Tehran and was qualitatively tested using the aerial images, field surveys and preparation of basic and analytical GIS maps. Finally, the "effective factors in assessing the climate resilience in cities using the urban green infrastructures based on landscape ecology" were obtained

Urban regeneration in Tehran, Policies, Practices and Methodes

Cette thèse porte sur l’analyse spatiale des politiques de renouvellement urbain à Téhéran (territoire municipal). Comment les actions réalisées durant de ces cinquante dernières années pour rénover le tissu urbain dégradé et surtout pour réduire les inégalités spatiales ont, de façon paradoxale, abouti à une fracture socio-spatiale encore plus forte dans la capitale iranienne. La division profonde bien connue de Téhéran entre le Nord au climat favorable habité par une population aisée, et le Sud proche du désert, mal équipé et habité par les couches défavorisées est devenue aujourd’hui plus complexe, mais aussi forte, car on a désormais une ville éclatée, opposant toujours Nord et Sud mais aussi le centre dégradé et les périphéries étalées. Le risque sismique, jadis occulté, est désormais pris en compte car il pourrait provoquer, en cas de crise majeure, 400 000 morts et la destruction de la moitiés des habitations. La question du renouvellement urbain constitue donc un enjeu majeur à Téhéran à la fois sur le plan de l’espace construit comme de la société. La méthode d’analyse privilégiée dans cette étude est de prendre en compte à la fois les faits à l’échelle globale, stratégique, municipale, des politiques urbaines, et de l’échelle locale des quartiers où les données sociales et techniques (habitat, urbanisme) sont imbriquées et interagissent. Cette approche « glocal » - globale et locale- de l’espace téhéranais est notamment fondée sur une analyse des données à l’échelle du district urbain (nâhiyeh). L’analyse critique de l’histoire des politiques et de la gouvernance urbaine montre que Téhéran a connu en deux siècles plusieurs Schémas directeurs qui n’ont jamais été achevés. Les politiques conduites par les différentes municipalités depuis les années 1990 sont au centre de cette étude qui montre comment la pratique à grande échelle de vente dérogatoire et même illégale, de densité (tarâkom foroushi) pour financer le budget municipal a bouleversé le paysage urbain avec la construction de tours dans les quartiers aisés et accentué la ségrégation socio-spatiale. L’analyse cartographique des données caractérisant les 112 districts (nâhiyeh) de Téhéran, et de plusieurs exemple d’opérations majeures d’urbanisme, montrent l’aggravation des ruptures spatiales de l’espace construit (quartiers dégradés) comme des faits économiques et sociaux. Par ailleurs, la méthode d’analyse associant d’une part les échelles globales (politiques, gouvernance) et locales (espace construit et vécu), et d’autre part les techniques de l’analyse spatiale à une échelle adéquate pour mettre en évidence les questions fondamentales, n’a jusqu’ici jamais été utilisée pour analyser la ville de Téhéran. Cette étude critique des politiques et de la gouvernance en matière de renouvellement urbain et les méthodes d’analyse proposées peuvent contribuer à faciliter le travail des décideurs et gestionnaires en vue d’une amélioration du cadre de vie des habitants de Téhéran.This thesis focuses on the spatial analysis of urban regeneration policies in Tehran municipal perimeter. How the urban actions in the last decades, in paradoxical trends, led to a stronger socio-spatial rupture in Tehran? Tehran well-known urban geography shows up a considerable difference between the wealthy North and the poor South, but today, this fracture has been transformed to a new and more complex socio-spatial structure with a deeper opposition between North and South, a more degraded city centre and sprawled peripheries. This new context necessitates an urban renewal, with new policies and methods, taking into account global and local scales.Tehran has experienced various urban plans and operations. These actions were never fully implemented and leaving the capital city of Iran unachieved. The innovative urban renovation policies by the Tehran municipality since 1990, deeply changed both the city’s appearance (building of towers in Northern Tehran) and the urban governance with selling in large scale illegal derogation for higher density of construction permits (Tarakom forushi/Sell of density) in order to finance the city’s budget. The output of multivariable analysis of the physical and social characteristics of the urban districts (112 districts/Nâhiyeh) shows that the most recent policies failed in several issues. It did not improve the vulnerability of old central and south parts of Tehran that could be dramatically hit by a possible major earthquake (400,000 casualties, 55% of buildings damaged); The socio-economic and physical spatial rupture has been strengthened. This empirical study is discussed in the framework of the scientific on urban regeneration dealing especially on the dialectic between micro/local and macro/global (Glocal) issues. Based on this Glocal approach and via a multivariable spatial analysis, a new model is proposed for urban renewal, governance and method of analysis, at the suitable local scale of the districts (nahiyeh) to be used by local or municipal policy makers

Optimal Location of Multiple Tuned Mass Dampers in Regular and Irregular Tall Steel Buildings Plan

Tuned mass dampers are one of the most common devices for the passive control of structures subjected to earthquakes. The structure of these dampers consists of three main parameters: mass, damping, and stiffness. Tuned mass dampers reduce the amplitude of the responses affecting on a mode. In most cases, only a single TMD (tuned mass damper) or a few dampers at several points above the building height are installed on the roof of the building, requiring considerable mass and space in some parts of the structure as overhead. It is also more important to predict the elements that will meet the required mass. In this research, the performance of multiple tuned mass dampers (MTMDs) is investigated in L- and U-shaped regular and irregular tall steel buildings with 10 and 20 floors, under the near- and far-field records. Nonlinear time history analysis is also applied to evaluate the multiple tuned mass dampers effects on the seismic responses of the structures. The SAP2000 API and MATLAB genetic algorithm are used to determine the optimal location of the MTMDs in the roof plans of the buildings. The results show the effects of multiple tuned mass dampers in reducing the seismic response of acceleration, displacement, and base shear up to 50, 40, and 40% in average, respectively. The results of determining the optimum location of MTMDs in the models indicate the importance of the symmetry of the dampers relative to the centre of mass of the building

Utilitarian and hedonic walking: examining the impact of the built environment on walking behavior

Abstract Introduction Most previous studies have mainly focused on utilitarian or recreational walking and discussed their relationship with the built environment. The point is that most of these studies have not been sensitive to the motivation of trips while travel is a complicated behavior and individuals may have different degrees of motivation and utility for a given trip purpose. Accordingly, because of different utilities of travel, it is more likely that the built environment differently affects walking behavior. Purpose This paper aims to clearly distinguish between utilitarian and hedonic walking and then explores how the built environment influences walking behavior. Method Using data collected from 863 respondents in six diverse neighborhoods in Isfahan, Iran, we developed negative binomial models for two types of walking; namely, utilitarian and hedonic walking. Results The results reveal some interesting insights: first, both models of walking confirm that neighborhood preferences do not play any important role in explaining walking behavior in our context, inconsistent with previous studies. Second, the objective and perceived built environment factors differently contribute to explaining both types of walking. In this regard, utilitarian walking is affected by mixed land use, residential density, facility accessibility, attractiveness, and walking infrastructure; and hedonic walking is influenced by mixed land use, attractiveness and safety. Third, attitudinal factors and socio-demographic variables also differently appear in the models of walking. Conclusion The results confirm that it is essential to be more sensitive to the motivation of trips, and suggest a clear policy implication: the individuals’ reactions toward policies intended to increase walking frequency depend partly on the utility for walking

Investigating the side-effects and consequences of the formation of second homes in Alamut rural areas, Central Alborz of Iran

Rural out-migration is one of the most critical issues in all countries. This flow increases the rural decline, and in many cases, causes rural abandonment. But against our imaginations, there is also a reverse flow from cities to villages. In the Alamut region in central Alborz of Iran, some villages attract populations by the reverse migration flow. This temporary flow forms a new type of housing in the rural areas called “second home”. The analysis of second home appearance is the main issue in this article. We used surveys method from locals and field observation in eight villages of the eastern Alamut area. The QSPM (Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix) matrix is used for analyzing observation and side-effects of second homes in the short-term and long-term. The result showed that second homes in these rural areas have different side-effects. Low skill employment creation, temporary increase of local consumers, rural re-novation cost, and second home owner’s participation in agriculture activities are the positive effects. But there are also some negative impacts like; seasonal and low-income jobs, destructive impacts on the environment, erosion of natural resources, and increasing demographic instability. This phenomenon has positive impacts in the short-term and negative consequences in the long-term. The approaches for decreasing the expansion of second holiday home and using the positive implications of this phenomenon for developing the rural areas would be explained in this paper