PLANNING STRUCTURE ANALYSIS OF SMALL TOWNS IN IRAN

Planning structure of cities plays an important role in shaping their sustainable development while elaborating urban planning documentation (master plans and detailed plan projects). The existing studies of small towns in Iran reveal issues of architectural heritage and do not touch upon such peculiar features of small town planning as shape of their plan, network of streets, their configuration. It has not been established how a planning structure of a small city influences on its sustainable development.

An inspection of 16 small towns of Iran has shown that the majority of the cities have a compact planning form which is due to flat relief, as well as the need for efficient use of valuable agricultural land. At the same time the paper demonstrates that territory development for building construction within city boundaries has unequal character. It has been determined that cities have very few green areas. Undeveloped wastelands owned by private individuals are often located close to densely developed areas. Such situation is due to specific features of the Iranian legislation that does not specify time terms for territory development. Parameters of urban road-street networks (width in red lines, presence of such transverse profile elements as landscaping along roadways) do not correspond to the existing recommendations in Iran. Mixed or free system of streets is considered as the most common one and it is due to changes in urban conditions during the long process of development. Frequent network of narrow streets forms a system of small blocks of various shapes and needs to be improved. The majority of the inspected cities do not have bypass roads for freight transport, and there is also a transit transport through their historic centers.

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