A Comparative Study on People-Friendly Urban Landscapes in the Walkways of Chaharbagh in Isfahan and Qianmen Street in Beijing

Transcription

1 A Comparative Study on People-Friendly Urban Landscapes in the Walkways of Chaharbagh in Isfahan and Qianmen Street in Beijing Sina Razzaghi-Asl Sina Razzaghi-Asl, Assistant Professor in Urban Design, Shahid Reajaee Teacher Training University. Telephone: Saeideh Rahmani Ph.D Candidate of Architecture, Iran University of Department of Architecture, Shahrekord Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord, Iran.Residential Address: No.9, Kamran Cul-desac, SeyyedalikhanStreet, Golzar Street, 8behesht Ave, Isfahan, Iran Corresponding author: Saeideh Rahmani Telephone: Abstract Planning and designing a walkway will be successful when, in addition to physical factors, the social and cultural conditions and even psychological and behavioral patterns of citizens are taken into consideration. The goal of this paper is to discover the most important peoplefriendliness qualities in the urban landscape of the axes of Qianmen Street in Beijing and Chaharbagh in Isfahan. Hence, the research method is based on field observations. The axes of Qianmen and Chaharbagh streets have been studied based on the field data of a list of collected observations including the most important qualities mentioned by experts in the literature. The literature analyzed with the aid of thematic content analysis, and the most important quality criteria of urban landscape in the two axes have been extracted. Finally, based on a comparative approach, practical strategies have been presented to convert Chaharbagh Abbasi Avenue in Isfahan into a people-friendly walkway. Keywords: Walkway, People-friendly, Qianmen street, Chaharbagh street, urban landscape. Page 1475

2 1- Introduction: A city, as one of the substrates on which humans are present, requires many features to qualify for "being a city". "One of the fundamental features of a city is the presence of a public place and urban services in order to create a vibrant center" (Cullen, 2003:135). Cities usually contain a set of various activities, but some of them undertake a specific role and acquire a unique identity (Cullen, 2003:163). A city can take religious, governmental, political, cultural, commercial or other roles, and reveal its predominant identity based on time, place, and presence of humans that define the city's function. Among these, the most important element of human relationship with his surrounding environment is present in an environment so that memories are recorded in their mind. In addition, Schulz says in this regard, "A necessary condition for the application of place in the true sense of the word is memory. A human, after reaching a place, experiences its environmental qualities, and the unification and union of that place - identity - are revealed to him. (Schulz, 2008). The mass production of automobiles and the possibility for major part of social strata to use them intensified this phenomenon (Soltani, 2011). According to Jane Jacobs, the major part of the concept of the "street life" content lies on its sidewalks. To her, these crowded and vibrant sidewalks give meaning to the city center by providing an arena of mutual social relations. (Choay, 1996). There is no doubt that the place of pedestrian and bicycle traffic grew faint in today's urban planning, which is due to multiple factors such as insufficient familiarity with alternatives to base car transportation, attachment to rigid rules and regulations, and incorrect imaginations of the planning and design system about the type and quality of traffic. In this regard, it is important to pay attention to a fundamental difference between the conditions of modern cities and the cities of the past. Walking is considered the first evolved method of movement for every healthy individual (modal, 2007). Walkways are places for the presence of all citizens and their participation in their collective life. These spaces act at the scale of the entire city and embrace different groups of citizens, and in addition to their communication and accessibility role, provide safe and comfortable places for social contact, rambling, watching, and so on. In other words, walkways in urban spaces are places for strengthening communications, activating non-visual senses, perception of environment through the senses, and civic revitalization of urban centers (Malek, 2006). Establishment of civic life in the city (urban space) depends on the manifestation of its corresponding characteristics in the body of urban spaces. Therefore, from this perspective, the quality of collective spaces in a society is of particular importance. People need spaces in which they walk, run, ride a bicycle, alone or with their family play and have fun, have leisure time and take a picnic and/or sit somewhere to study and relax (Parkinson, 2006:12).Therefore, what is considered here, as a freedom-oriented urban space, is one, which possesses a set of peopleoriented environmental qualities,providing an appropriate substrate to establish a social life in a civil society. In other words, the mission of designing freedom-oriented urban spaces is to protect the rights of users, and to provide access, freedom of action, and temporary ownership for all the groups (Ghorbanian, 2008). Accordingly, the concept of the freedom-oriented urban space is a concept focused on the "design for all". In other words, a freedom-oriented urban space is a physical manifestation of the public Page 1476

3 characteristics of freedom in urban spaces. Therefore, a freedom-oriented urban space can be defined as "A space, which provides the possibility of use, free movement, access to the space for everyone and environmental comfort and equitable allocation of municipal facilities for them; encourages citizens to participate in the creation and interactive use of the space; and controls and foresees the establishment of justice in the form of a particular discipline with consistent management."(behzadfar, Kordestani, 2009) The main objective of this paper is to identify the environmental qualities affecting the enhancement of people-friendly urban landscape in the index urban axes of Beijing (Qianmen Walkway) and Isfahan (Chaharbagh Walkway). In addition, a comparative study between the indices used in each of the above-mentioned axes in order to implement the features affecting the design of urban landscapes of the walkways under operation across the country is considered another important output of this paper. In this regard, this paper seeks to answer this fundamental question: "Which environmental components and qualities have led to creating a people-friendly urban landscape in the axes of Qianmen in Beijing, and Chaharbagh in Isfahan?" 2- The Research Method: As mentioned above, this paper seeks to discover the most important people-friendliness qualities in the urban landscape of the axes of Qianmen Street in Beijing and Chaharbagh in Isfahan. Hence, the main research methodology of this study is based on field observations. To this end, the axes of Qianmen Street in Beijing and Chaharbagh in Isfahan have been studied in the summer of The instrument used to collect the field data was the observation log consisting of the most important qualities addressed by experts in the literature. To this end, the literature similar to the subject was analyzed with the aid of thematic content analysis, and the most important quality criteria of urban landscape in the two axes have been extracted. Finally, based on a comparative approach, a comparison has been made between the components of each of these axes in order to extract a common agenda and to identify effective environmental qualities in the plan of human walkways. 3- The research background: Quality of life and quality of environment have always been among the main concerns of scientists in the field of urban development. In the transition from special conditions influenced by the industrial revolution, world wars, economic recessions, etc, which have led to accepting the compulsiveness of social issues and their impact on the place and environment, to a fundamental turn towards the interaction between humans and environment, it can be seen that most recent theorists have tried to consider this mutual effect. Basis on it, they have provided some assumptions in order to improve the lives of human beings. From among these theorists, we can refer to some scholars such as "Jane Jacobs", "Donald Appleyard", "Francis Tibbalds", "Jan Gehl", etc., who have given particular attention to social and functional aspects of public spaces in order to improve the quality of life and environment; and one of the categories regarded by them has been increasing the walkability in the cities. The importance of human presence in the urban space is sometimes imagined to the extent that it has been considered the most important sign of the quality of civilization (Tibbalds, 2004, quoted from Buchanan, 1963). In addition, in Page 1477

4 2000, an international conference about walking titled "Walk", the objectives of stabilizing the importance of walking, and the necessity of paying attention to it, was held at political and decision-making levels. The main topics of the conference were reducing the impact of cars on the city, increasing the walkability of neighborhoods, and the greater stability of neighborhoods and the city (Kashanijoo, 2010). A walkway is something more than a series of shops. These places pave the way for cultural, recreational, leisure, and rambling issues, civic life, and exchange of views, ideas, and opinions in a society (Tibbalds, 2004), pedestrian spaces are areas for the occurrence of social and political events, creation of memories, and expression of collective feelings (Fakoohi, 2006). Walkways are pathways with the highest level of social role, where pedestrians are in full control, and motor vehicles are only used to serve ongoing life in the streets. Walkways are tools for the development of collective activities (Pakzad, 2009). In this regard, the potential of a place to be used by pedestrians is the utility of the built environment for the presence of people, life, shopping, meeting, pastimes and enjoying them in a zone (Nosal, 2009). A pedestrian zone is a place, whose inhabitants, whatever their age and ability, can feel security and comfort, appropriateness and attractiveness in a walk, not only during leisure, but also while using the equipment and when commuting (The American Planning Association (APA), 2008). From among scientists, having influence on walkways, Jacobs while criticizing the modernist thinking about streets, has stressed the importance of walkways. In addition, in his book "Townscape", while confirming Jacobs, and contrary to modernist architects, "Gordon Cullen" considers an urban environment to be desirable if the presence of humans on foot is possible in the cities and the cities are at human scale (Cullen, 2003). Many similar studies such as those by Pakzad, 2009; Rafieian et al., 2011; Sadeqi et al., 2009; Qarib, 2004; Kashanijoo, 2010; Madanipour, 2005, and Moeini, 2011,have been conducted in Iran in recent years. Described in Table 1 to the criteria associated with the urban landscape of walkways and in Table 2 refer to inferring the norms of designing people-oriented (freedom-oriented) urban spaces based on commonalities present in the qualitative norms of environmental respondentness. Table1. The criteria associated with the urban landscape of walkways (Compilation: the authors) Theorist Objective The proposed criterion Jane Jacobs (1961) Donald Appleyard & Allen Jacobs (1987) Increasing vitality and diversity in the public space and efficiency of a city, paying attention to the social and functional aspects of streets and sidewalks Defining a desirable urban environment, and presenting the goals to increase livability Diversity of activities, monitoring, vitality of sidewalks, diverse combinations of buildings, social mix, flexibility, green space, urban furniture, the regularity of public transportation services, permeability (smallness of blocks), sense of place, security, human scale, public space, social interactions Livability, safety, health, access to recreational facilities, social diversity, originality and meaning, providing pedestrians with comfort, allocating a space to pedestrians, restricting the movement of vehicles Page 1478

5 Donald Appleyard & Mark Lintel (1969 ) Francis Tibbalds (1992) Jan Gehl (1987) Matthew Carmona et al. (2009) Schmitz, Scully, (2006) Soltani, (2007) Moeini, (2006 ) Kashanijoo, 2010 Assessing the impact of commuting on the life of people and neighborhood units Presenting a set of criteria affecting the desirable quality of the urban environment Defining the types of activities in public spaces, and paying attention to the role of streets in human social life Introducing the principles of quality improvement and vitality of urban spaces, and creating better places for people Clarifying the relationship between health and the built environment, methods to create a walkable neighborhood Compiling the principles and rules of urban design, and trying to improve the quality of environment Further investigating and identifying the issue of increasing walkability To present the principles of designing walkways as a guide for urban designers Increased social interactions, presence of different age groups, reduced movement of vehicles Mixed use, human scale, freedom of rambling and walking, social diversity, readability, visual enjoyment, sense of place, safety, pedestrians' comfort, quality of life Quality of environment, social diversity, attractiveness, vitality, relaxation, public spaces, urban furniture, security, comfort, enjoyment, utility, social interaction Safety and security, accessibility, comfort, use, vitality, cleanliness, greenness, attractiveness, readability, sociability Mixed use, to pacify the traffic, suitable sidewalks, safety of commuting for children, diversity of activities, human scale, the expansion of public transportation Vitality, diversity and permeability, lighting, vegetation, flexibility, safety Security, communicability, education and public health, social and demographic characteristics, pleasantness, environmental attractiveness, accessibility Vitality, flexibility, safety, attractiveness, selecting the type of transportation, accessibility, education and public health, continuity, the relationship between use and pedestrians, access to transport stations, pedestrians' behavior Table 2: Inferring the norms of designing people-oriented (freedom-oriented) urban spaces based on commonalities present in the qualitative norms of environmental respondentness (Behzadfar; Mahmoudi Kordestani, 2009) Page 1479

6 General features of people-orientedness Recognition of the majority of opinions Recognition of individual freedom Recognizing the right of individual and public choice To provide equal opportunity Paving the way for participation Paving the way for discourse Preservation of individual and public identity and values To protect individual rights To protect collective rights (public) Qualitative norms of environmental respondentness Taking advantage of mixed uses - compatibility - variety - diversity of uses - an environment for everyone - diversity - adaptability Freedom of choice - to secure the freedom of pedestrians Readability of the environment - freedom of choice - flexibility - chooseability for everyone - creating the clarity and readability of the environment - variability - the structure and readability Permeability - accessibility - access to opportunities - imagination and happiness - equality Social mix - creating motivation through the use of contrasting urban forms - the color of belonging - social and public life - to consult and involve users in the projects - the quality of public areas Social mix - social and public life - the presence of public spaces and special places - creative relationships - the quality of public areas - social intercourse Meaning (sense) - hearing the voice of the past, in the sense of readability of cultural heritage - sensory richness - the color of belonging - historic preservation and urban restoration - cultural substrate and environment - paying attention to the architectural values of the environment - authenticity and meaning - use of traditional urban experiences in new constructions - beauty - unity - harmony - historic preservation - maintenance Designing for pedestrians (walkability) - paying attention to the human scale in the projects (human scale) - appropriate scale The possibility of social life in front of private life Qualitative norms of people-oriented urban spaces - The possibility of using the space for everyone - Freedom of movement in the space - Offering multiple spatial options to users - Accessibility for everyone - Participation in the creation and use of space - The ability to talk and interact face to face in the space - Environmental semanticity - Proportionate scale - Human scale - Definition of individual and collective spheres Page 1480

7 Paving the way for individual and public welfare and comfort Decentralization of power Lawfulness and order Vitality - efficacy in terms of energy consumption - cleanliness (to minimize air pollution) - supporting nature and wildlife (preservation of ecosystems) - natural substrate and environment - urban selfreliance - paying attention to environmental durability and sustainability - security - economics and its appropriate tools - sustainability - environmental quality - comfort and convenience - health and safety - protecting the natural environment Justice - equality - monitoring Control and monitoring - control - order - monitoring and discretion - Environmental welfare and comfort - The proportionate distribution of facilities across the city - Efficient urban management 4- Studying case samples: 4.1. Investigating the qualities related to people-friendliness in Tian'anmen in Beijing (Qianmen Street, Beijing, China): Beijing is the capital and political-governmental center of China. Urban spaces in Beijing have all been affected by its governmental role, and its citizens' behavior has a specific definition proportionate to such spaces. Tiananmen Square is located in downtown Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China, and is the largest square in the world with an area of 440 thousand square meters. The north side of the square includes the Gate of Heavenly Peace, which is considered the main entrance to the Forbidden City. The south side of the square has a tower-like gate; this watchtower has been used to protect the Forbidden City. In the past, there used to be a moat around the square; in fact, the square was also part of the Forbidden City, and a red wall was surrounding it. This wall was removed in 1959; 10 years after the arrival of communism in China. Qianmen Street is located in the south of Tiananmen Square and along the central axis of Beijing. This axis is one of the last remnants of business centers in old Beijing. This axis has become a modern commercial pedestrian street, and is the second walking axis and shopping area after Wangfujing Street in downtown Beijing. At first, Qianmen Street was established in the Ming and Qing Dynasties ( ). Places such as Guanghe Theater, Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant, and so on, which are part of Beijing's history, were built in this axis. The basis of the city of Beijing is the Page 1481

8 north-south axis; and the Forbidden City and this axis are a part of it. The Qianmen axis had become a commercial and recreational center, due to its suitable place for connecting the royal palace to civil societies in ancient Beijing. Today, on the verge of the Olympic Games and in an effort to revive the customs and traditional culture of Beijing, the reconstruction of the axis has begun. The distance between the North and South entrances to the Qianmen axis is about 845 meters long ( The renovation of Qianmen Street, Beijing's ancient thoroughfare, in the south of Tian'anmen Square, and in the heart of Beijing, began on May 9, The main goal of the project is to modernize the axis, maintain its historical appearance, and improve the living conditions of its residents. In addition, the electricity, water, and gas networks have been updated. Renovation began from the shops on both sides of the thoroughfare; the street was paved with green and white marble; the building of Opera Theater was also renovated; trams were also revived on the street in order to facilitate the movement of pedestrians. This gives the opportunity to visitors to have an experience from the old times.this street became the pedestrian thoroughfare and shopping area in the city center of China's national capital (chinadaily.com.cn). In the early years of the Qing Dynasty ( ), the developed part of Qianmen Street was converted into a teahouse and theater. Reconstruction of this street is part of Beijing's efforts to rebuild the old areas of the city before the 2008 Olympic Games (Du Xiaodan, Investigating the qualities related to people-friendliness in Chaharbagh in Isfahan: ChaharbaghAbbasi is one of Isfahan's old streets, located between Darvazeh-Dowlat and Si-o-Seh Pol; the two sections; ChaharbaghAbbasi and Upper Chaharbagh were designed in the era of Shah Abbas the first, and approximately date back to 1000 Hijra. Allahverdi Khan Bridge has dividedchaharbagh into two sections: Upper Chaharbagh and ChaharbaghAbbasi, and has been a connecting rout between upper Chaharbagh and lower Chaharbagh (Saheb News - AtiyyehMardani). In this regard, Chardin says "This passage is the prettiest passage I have ever seen and heard about"; Chaharbagh can be divided into its constituent elements; appearance and landscape, and into its component parts: the floor, walls, skyline, urban furniture, as well as the form and activity going on in it. This street was in the form a boulevard starting from the front of Jahan-Nama Mansion, and passing through Si-o-Seh Pol reachinghezar-jarib Garden. In the middle of ChaharBagh Avenue there was a stream passing all its length, which had pools with marble fountains in regular intervals, and due to the slope of ChaharBagh Avenue, there were some small watersheds in this stream, which added to the street s beauty. The gardens in Chaharbagh Avenue had straight and regular walls, which attracted Pietro Della Valle s attention, and he has referred Page 1482

9 to them twice in his travelogue. All the walls were net-like, and pedestrians could see the wooded, refreshing, and flowery space of the gardens, their pools, fountains, waterfalls and central Kushk in a vague, stimulating and inviting way (Ansari, 2001). However, unfortunately, now, there has remained nothing from the glory and beauty of this street but a name and shadow, and its flooring has been buried. Isfahan Municipality has started to reconstruct and organize this axis in order to revive the historic-cultural identity of ChaharbaghAbbasi. Stating that the implementation of the fifth phase is difficult and requires time, Jafari, CEO of Renovation and Improvement Organization of Isfahan Municipality said, The west body of Chaharbagh will be gradually revived, the flooring of Chaharbagh axis will be done after the completion of subway station operations; and then in two phases, Chaharbagh will be closed off to vehicles. In the first phase, the entry of private vehicles into Chaharbagh will be prohibited, and in the second phase, Chaharbagh axis will completely become a walkway. Pointing out that the project of building the body of Eastern Chaharbagh has been designed to show the contemporary architecture as well as being a walkway, he continued, A commercial complex has also been planned in this project. Stating that the western body will be revived by the owners, CEO of Renovation and Improvement Organization of Isfahan Municipality stipulated that the western body of Chaharbagh is worn out, many buildings in this body are old, and the facades of the buildings should be harmonious, and that they must be built based on the approved project. He added that facilities will be provided for the issuance of building permitsto revive the western body. Mahmood Darvish says, If the project of making Chaharbagh a walkway along with the revival and reconstruction of buildings of historical values is carried out, we can have one of the prettiest streets in the area. Moreover, if we can make apparent the structure of the street and the streams under the current flooring of Chaharbagh, the historical value of the current Chaharbagh will highly be increased. In addition, with regard to the latest news about ChaharbaghAbbasi's becoming a walkway, AbolghasemGolestannezhad says, ChaharbaghAbbasi is supposed to become a walkway, but its executive operations start after determining the status of the subway and its stations in this area. Chaharbagh, as a historical axis, is one of the special plans of the detailed plan of Isfahan, and in the expertise steps, the consultants and experts in this field must deal with its details and prepare the plan of Chaharbagh. According to this evidence, we must say that the necessary measures for turning Chaharbagh into a walkway, which are considered one of the terms to "restore it", require technical standards for construction not only in the body of Chaharbagh, but also in areas between ChaharbaghandShamsabadi Street and Bagh-e Goldasteh Street. In this regard, with Chaharbagh Avenue becoming a walkway, maybe we can hope that people can get a little bit away from the smoke and noise of vehicles, and consider Chaharbagh as a safe place for recreation (Keshavarz, Saheb News, 2013). 5- Results and Discussion 5-1- A comparative study on the urban landscape between the axes of Qianmen and Chaharbagh: The axes of Qianmen Street in Beijing and Chaharbagh in Isfahan were studied in the summer of According to the research method of this paper, which was mentioned, the instrument used to collect the field data was the observation log consisting of the most important qualities Page 1483

10 addressed by experts in the literature. The literature similar to the subject helped the thematic content to be analyzed, and the most important quality criteria of urban landscape in the two axes have been extracted. Table 2 describes the documentation of the two axes, and Table 3 shows a comparative comparison between these axes. Table 3. The documentation of the two axes; Qianmen and Chahrbagh (Compilation: the authors) Page 1484

11 Table 2. Comparing the criteria of urban landscape between the two axes; Qianmen and Chaharbagh (Compilation: the authors) Page 1485

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17 6- Conclusion: Finally, based on a comparative approach, a comparison has been made between the components of each of these axes in order to extract a common agenda and identify effective environmental qualities in the plan of human walkways. According to the research method of this paper, which is based on field observations, and considering the axes of Qianmen in Beijing and Chaharbagh in Isfahan, the field data and the observation log consisting of the most important qualities addressed by experts in the literature were investigated. The most important qualities of urban landscape in the two axes have been extracted as follows: 6-1- Qianmen Walkway in Beijing: Convenient access to public transportation within the range of the axis (bus, subway, taxi) The provision of the required public parking lots around the axis for the visitors' convenience To secure the axis from the entry of motor vehicles (excluding emergency vehicles) by using barriers, CCTV cameras, and so on Appropriately defining the beginning and end of the axis, using indicator elements Coordinating and regulating the skyline in order to ensure appropriate visibility to the historical building at the beginning of the axis Considering its location near the Forbidden Palace and the downtown area, and the defined role for the axis, which is trans-regional and international commercial, to suit the uses of the area, to build the body of walls considering local and traditional Chinese identity, elements, etc., and choosing the flooring in harmony with the role of the axis To provide a suitable green space, and use of local elements, motifs, details, and decorations to create a green space, benches, garbage cans, and so on The presence of infrastructure installations by constructing underground canals, and caps depicted by decorative motifs, to build toilets within the area of the axis for the visitors' convenience To provide the lighting of the axis using elements in harmony with the environment (paper lanterns, etc.), the lighting of the axis and buildings to be used at night, and creating the color and feeling of Chinese history Putting statues and artworks in the axis to create vitality, etc., and displaying Chinese genuine decorations, customs, and activities (silk spinning, genuine clothing, etc.) The prosperity and vitality of the axis in the downtown area, and being connected with palaces and old buildings of the city Transportation by bicycle, a revived tram system, and the electric car within the axis, revives the memories of the past, and brings welfare for passers and people 6-2- Chaharbagh Axis in Isfahan (given that this axis becomes a walkway in the near future): Being located in the downtown area, being adjacent to the Safavid palaces, being part of the main north-south axis, and turning the axis into a tourism hub and shopping center at downtown, in the dignity of the axis and tourists Page 1491

18 Upon construction and completion of the downtown subway line, provision of public transportation will become suitable for the area The presence of public parking lots in the areas around the axis (on Hakim St, Pagoldasteh St, etc.) to provide welfare in the axis The presence of elements and historical buildings in the beginning, end, and middle of the axis to define and strengthen it The presence of trees and green space in the axis, and creating memories of ChaharBaghAbbasi Avenue Constructing the eastern body of ChaharBagh, with a view to reviving the old gardens of the axis Creating stations for bicycles at the beginning and end of the axis for people's convenience 6-3- With effective environmental qualities in the plan of human walkways being identified, and given the qualitative comparison of the two axes for implementing in Iran conditions, and to convert the Chaharbagh axis into a walkway, the following recommendations and suggestions are presented: To close off the street to motor vehicles To provide security for pedestrians and tourists To define a harmonious body-line, setting the standards and incentive packages to build the western body of the Chaharbagh axis (in order to create a proper sense and its place) Suitable lighting for the axis and creating suitable elements for lighting To design and construct urban furniture (benches, garbage cans, telephone booths, etc.), public boards and signs, statues and artworks, and placing them at the Charbagh axis Provision and rehabilitation of urban installations in underground canals within the area Flooring the axis and reviving it according to historical documents Page 1492

19 References Ansari, Mojtaba, 2001, "Values of a Persian Garden (Safavid Era - Isfahan)", Doctoral Dissertation, Majoring in Architecture, Faculty of Fine Arts, Tehran University. Behzadfar, Mostafa; and Mahmoudi Kordestani, Payam, "The Qualitative Norms of Designing People-Oriented (Freedom-Oriented) Urban Spaces" Armanshahr, Issue # 3, Winter Behzadfar, Sasan; Salehi, Milani; an Iranian Society of Consulting Engineers publication. Beijing Attractions. April 2nd, qianmen-street-a-famous-pedestrian-street-in-beijing. China Daily. August 27, Choay, Françoise, 1996, "Urbanism; Utopias and Realities", Translated by Habibi, Seyyed Mohsen, Tehran University Press, Tehran. Cullen, Gordon, 1998, "The Concise Townscape", Translated by ManouchehrTabibian, Tehran Du Xiaodan. May 9, h/ /102878_2.shtml Ghorbanian, Mahshid, 2008, "The Main Streets of the City - Providing an Instruction for Designing with an Approach to a Space for Living and Collective Life", Master's Thesis in Urban Design, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran. Gunn. 1998, tourism planning & development: to consider in tourism plan making, APA proceeding Parkinson, J. (2006) ''Holistic Democracy and Physical Public Space'' British Journal of Political Science Conference, London, British Academy. Kashanijoo, Khashayar, 2010, "Walkways; from the Principles of Design to Functional Features", Azarakhsh Publication, Tehran. Keshavarz, Raziyeh, Saheb News, February 2013, Madanipour, Ali, 2005, "Design of Urban Space: An Inquiry into a Socio-Spatial Process", (Translated by: FarhadMortezaei), Urban Processing and Planning Company (affiliated to Tehran Municipality), Tehran. Malek, Mandana, 2006, "Prepared a Document Focused on the Presence of ImamzadehYahya Walking Passage in Tehran", Master's thesis in Urban Design, ShahidBeheshti University Press Mardani, Atiyyeh, Saheb News, Moeini, Mahdi, 2011, "Walkable Cities", Azarakhsh Publication, Tehran. Moeini, Seyyed Mohammad Mahdi, "The increasing walkability, a step towards a more humane city", Journal of Fine Arts, Issue # 27, Fall 2006, pp Nosal, Bob. (2009), Creating Walkableand Transit-Supportive Communities in Halton Region Health Department of Halton University. Pakzad, Jahanshah, 2009, "A Guide for Designing Urban Spaces", (Fourth Print), Shahidi Publication, Tehran. Qarib, Fereydoon, 2004, "A Feasibility Study on Establishing Pedestrian and Bike's Routes within the Range of Old Tehran", Fine Arts, 19, Page 1493

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