The government’s response to the challenges of inefficiency in cities starts in the years after World War II and the formal formation of urban planning knowledge in universities. This has evolved in a process arising from global changes and evolution in ideas, methods, and techniques until today and has reached an approach called urban regeneration. In this regard, in Iran, several legal requirements have also been made in recent years, which include: the National Strategic Document for the Improvement, Renovation, and Empowerment of Inefficient Urban Fabric (2013), The approval of the Supreme Council of Urban Planning and Architecture, regarding theoretical paradigm shift of the “obsolescence” to “inefficiency” as well as the emphasis on the concept of urban regeneration (2013), and the approval regarding the main approaches to protecting and revitalizing the historical and cultural areas(2016). The target areas of the urban regeneration approach in Iran are historical areas, ineffective middle areas, informal settlements, and areas with a rural background.
While urban regeneration is selected as the main policy to improve the quality of life in ineffective urban areas, It needs to describe the dimensions of this approach and its connection with the urban planning system. Urban regeneration seeks to meet positively and sustainably the forces and factors that cause urban inefficiency. Therefore, although the experiences based on the urban regeneration approach are often objectified in urban projects, their formation, progress, and realization depend solely on the meaningful connection with the life of the city, its context, and its development. Therefore, in recent years, one of the most serious questions discussed is how to connect programs and projects based on this policy with the urban planning and development system. This issue of Abadi magazine attempts to address these key questions from different angles by using the articles and notes of experts as much as possible. There are many similarities or contradictions among the points of view presented, which raises the need for the continuation of the dialogue in this field and the analysis of the issues in deeper and inter-knowledge layers. What is most remarkable as a point of commonality among the presented materials is the need to change the existing planning and planning approach and procedures. We are sincerely grateful to all the dignitaries who accepted the invitation of this publication in the academic, professional, and non-governmental organizations to cooperate and present material in this special issue. It is hoped that the content presented in this issue will be a step to strengthen the discourse of urban regeneration in dear Iran.
(Quarterly Journal in Architecture & Urbanism),
Mona Erfanian Slaim, 2019, Vol. 26-No. 81-82, Fall & Winter 2018-2019