برنامه ریزی فضایی (May 2023)
Physical-Social Analysis of the Historical Fabric of Shooshtar City
Abstract
AbstractAttention to the historical context of cities, which is a strong thread connecting any society with the past and reviving the identity of the cities, has been continuously increased and the protection of this valuable heritage has been the focus of the leaders of the communities. The purpose of this study is to identify the components’ capabilities that damage the historical fabric of Shooshtar and determine the degree of severity of each factor. The method of analysis is exploratory and descriptive-analytical. The required data were gathered through documentary sources and a survey. The sample was 11 experts who were selected among the experienced managers of the municipality of Shooshtar and the Administration of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Tourism. The analysis was done using the Pastakia model, in which changes have been made according to this research. The findings showed the performance of 33 traumatic components in the historical context of Shooshtar, which, in total, revealed the capability and potential of high-level damage. Out of the three investigated dimensions, the components of the physical-environmental dimension have a greater role in damaging the city. Most of the components of this dimension showed the severity of the damage at the ‘very high’ level, while in each of the two social-cultural and institutional dimensions, in addition to a much smaller number of vulnerability components, half of the components showed the severity of damage at a ‘medium’ level and below. Preservation of the historical context, while requiring sufficient funds and benefiting from modern knowledge, techniques, and tools, also requires raising the awareness of citizens and reforming the management system and laws.Keywords: Historical Context, Cultural Heritage, Environmental Threat, Analysis, Shooshtar. IntroductionSome cities in the world have some unique local characteristics that are a gift of their cultural heritage. This special feature includes a combination of tangible and intangible components such as arts, rituals, and especially the artificial environment. These historical urban centers are considered meaningful places for the host communities because they form a sense of belonging due to their sense of pride. Such urban centers point out the necessity of protecting the heritage of the past, a heritage that acts as a bridge between the past and the present of nations and plays a role as the pillars on which the future is based. Although all over the world, governments and institutions have realized the value of heritage, in many cases, they do not behave and act in favor of this direction. Some cities, especially those with poor management and insufficient intervention strategies, are inevitably involved in unplanned transformations, and their precious heritage is exposed to severe pressures and numerous threatening factors for various reasons. In Shooshtar, as one of the historical cities of Iran, 170.6 hectares of the total area of 2436 hectares of the city area is covered by the historical fabric. The city has 13 world heritage sites registered in the UNESCO list. More than 260 historical monuments have been recorded in the Shooshtar’s historical fabric including water structures, historical houses, mosques, and tombs. Despite the formulation and implementation of plans such as the Strategic Plan of the Historical Context and action plans and numerous operational projects, many visible and hidden damages have exposed the historical context of this city to threats and risks. In this regard, the purpose of the present study is to analyze and evaluate the factors that have the potential to cause damage to the historical fabric of Shooshtar and lose its heritage values. Materials and Methods The data were gathered through library and documentary sources as well as from a survey carried out with a sample of experts. The data were also collected from the urban development plans of Shooshtar, the shape file of the statistical blocks of the 2015 Iranian census. The sample consists of 11 people, including 7 managers and experts of Shooshtar Municipality with education in civil engineering (4 people), urban planning, architecture, and sociology and 4 managers and experts of Shooshtar Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Department with education in the field of restoration of historical works, history, sociology, and geography. The survey of experts has been done in two stages. The first stage was to identify the factors of damage. In this regard, the Delphi model is implemented to identify all the factors of damage to urban fabric (34 indicators). In the second stage, the experts evaluated the indicators in Pastakia's model. Finally, the closest number to the mean value of the expert’s evaluation was set as the score of each parameter. Pastakia's model was originally developed in 1998 for environmental impact assessment and is used here with modifications for the intended purpose. Research Findings Generally, the vulnerability components in the physical dimension indicate the high vulnerability of the historical fabric. In this dimension, 6 components are in the medium range, 5 are in the very high vulnerability range, and the rest, i.e. 7 components, indicate a high vulnerability condition. Meanwhile, the components of ‘high level of underground water’, ‘deterioration caused by aging of the buildings’, and ‘building materials and structures’ have the highest absolute score. In other words, these three can cause more damage to the fabric. ‘The status of the network of roads and streets’ is another component with a very high level of vulnerability. The last component at a very high level is ‘the quality of the water and sewage transmission network’. According to experts, the breakdown and deterioration of Shooshtar's urban water and sewage system is a serious risk for the destruction of historical houses.In the social-cultural dimension, totally, the components that can take the historical fabric at risk, indicate a high level of vulnerability, but the gap between the scores of this dimension and the scores of the physical-environmental dimension is high. The scores indicate medium and lower levels of vulnerability. The components of ‘weak sense of place and lack of sense of responsibility of citizens’ and ‘ignorance of users of the context regarding the value of cultural heritage’ show a very high level of vulnerability as well.In the institutional dimension, 4 components have been evaluated as having a very high damage capability. ‘Carrying out construction and renovation activities without paying attention to the damage to historical buildings, such as shaking and vibration caused by digging hives near historical buildings’ and ‘the insufficient equipment and facilities to contain incidents such as fire, flood’ were at the top of the components. After these two, the ‘absence of an institution or organization that is directly responsible for the preservation and maintenance of the historical context or their negligence’ and ‘the influence or lack of attention of the executives in implementing the established laws and regulations’ play a greater role. Half of the components revealed medium and lower risk capability. Discussion of Results and ConclusionsConsidering the results of the study, most of the vulnerability components (18 cases) play a role in the form of physical-environmental factors. On the other hand, the average score of vulnerability intensity in this dimension also shows a higher gap with the average score of the components of the other two dimensions. Therefore, in the preservation and protection of the historical fabric, the components of physical and environmental aspects should be taken much attention. Wear and tear caused by aging and building materials are part of the nature and essence of historical structures, but with today's knowledge and engineering methods, they can be protected undoubtedly. The results of the research also show risks caused by the water and sewage networks embedded in the fabric, which require serious attention to fix the existing defects. References- Afilizadeh, S., & Molavi, M. (2021). Explaining the role of urban green spaces with the aim of regional resilience in crises. The 7th Annual International Conference on Civil Engineering, Architecture and Urban Development (in Persian).- Ahadnejad, M., Roustaei, Sh., & Zangishei, S. (2012). The analysis of interventions in old and worn fabric renewal (A case study: Feizabad neighborhood in Kermanshah city). Journal of Geographic Space, 12(37), 67-120 (in Persian).- Amini, E. (2005). Explaining the concept of urban fabric and its role in reducing earthquake risks. Summary of Papers of the International Conference on Earth Hazards, Natural Disasters and Countermeasures, Tabriz: Tabriz University (in Persian).- Aminzadeh, B., & Adeli, Z. (2014). Evaluation of the urban fabric vulnerability in the earthquake crisis (Case study Qazvin`s regions). Journal of City Identity, 8(20), 5-16 (in Persian).- Amjad, M., & Soltani, I. (2020). Strategic planning to reduce the vulnerability of historical textures case study: Historical texture of Yazd city. Journal of Emergency Management, 8(16), 17-32 (in Persian).- Bahadri, M. R. (2023). Fixing the damage of the Gotvand Dam on the historical monuments of the region needs to be investigated. Retrieved from: https://www.irna.ir/news/84121369 (in Persian).- Birkmann, J. (2006). Measuring vulnerability to natural hazards: Towards disaster resilient societies. Tokyo: United Nations University Press.- Bosher, L. D., Okubo, T., Chmutina, K., & Jigyasuh, R. (2018). Dealing with multiple hazards and threats on cultural heritage sites. file:///C:/Users/KAi2000/AppData/Local/Temp/Bosher%20et%20al%202019%20(DPM).pdf- Buckle, P., Mars, G., & Smale, S. (2000). New approaches to assessing vulnerability and resilience. Australian Journal of Emergency Management, 15(2), 8–14.- Chaharmahali, A. M. (2023). History surrounded by water danger of destruction of historical houses of Shushtar. Islamic Republic News: https://www.iribnews.ir (in Persian).- Clauss-Ehlers, C. C., & Lopez Levi, L. (2002). Working to promote resilience with Latino youth in Schools: Perspectives from the United States and Mexico. International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, 4(4), 14-20. DOI:10.1080/14623730.2002.9721884.- Consulting Engineers for Design and Development (2011). The master plan of Shushtar city. Volume III (in Persian).- Coumou, D., & Rahmstorf, S. (2012). A decade of weather extremes. Journal of Nature Climate Change, 2(7), 491-496.- Cutter, S. L., Barnes, L., Berry, M., Burton, C., Evans, E., Tate, E., & Webb, J. (2008). A place-based model for understanding community resilience to natural disasters. Journal of Global Environmental Change, 18(4), 598-606. DOI:10.1016/j. gloenvcha. 2008.07.013.- Delavar, N. (2017). Strategic planning to improve the resilience of the neighborhoods of Tehran (case study: neighborhoods of the 12th district of the municipality). MA Thesis, Kharazmi University, Tehran (in Persian).- Ebrahimzadeh, I., Diman Kashefidoost, D., & Hosseini, S. A. (2019). Evaluating the physical resilience of the city against earthquake (Case study: Piranshahr city). Journal of Natural Environmental Hazards, 20(8), 131-146 (in Persian).- Elnokaly, A., & Elseragy, A. (2012). Historic city centers as catalysts for wider sustainable urban regeneration. In Lawrence, R., Turgut, H., and Kellett, P. (Eds.). Prequalifying the Built Environment: Challenges and Responses. Advances in People-Environment Studies. Hogrefe Publishing.- Elnokaly, A., & Elseragy, A. (2013) Sustainable heritage development: Learning from urban conservation of heritage projects in non western contexts. European Journal of Sustainable Development, 2(1), 31-56.- Elseragy, A., Elnokaly, A., & Sabbagh, M. (2017). Revitalizing Alexandria through its symbolic significance of heritage, urban form, and the distinctive spirit of place. Proceedings of the International Conference on Changing Cities III Spatial, Design, Landscape & Socio-economic Dimensions, 1819-1834. - Esmailpoor, N., Hosseini, G., & Haidary Hamane, E. (2018). Measuring the resilience of historical sites against earthquakes and their upgrading (Case Study: Sang-e Siah Neighborhood of Shiraz). Quarterly Journal of Sustainable Architecture and Urban Design, 6(1), 89-103 (in Persian).- Fasihi, H. (2020). Methods and techniques of urban environment assessment. Tehran: Payam-e Moalef Publication (in Persian).- Fasihi, H., & Kamran Dastjerdi, H. (2022). The vulnerability of cities’ historical fabrics against natural and human-induced hazards: A case study in the Pamenar neighborhood of Tehran, Iran. Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites, 23(1-2), 31-41. https://doi.org/10.1080/13505033.2022.2132659.- Fasihi, H., & Parizadi, T. (2023). Physical-social analysis of Tehran’s historical fabric viewed from a resilience approach. Journal of Researches in Earth Sciences, (in Press) (in Persian). DOI:10.52547/esrj.2023.225287.1094.- Ferreira, T. M., & Ramírez Eudave, R. (2022). Assessing and managing risk in historic urban areas: Current trends and future research directions. Frontiers in Earth Science, 10, 847959. https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2022.847959- Fontenele, A., Campos, V., Matos, A. M., & Mesquita, E. (2023). A vulnerability index formulation for historic facades assessment. Journal of Building Engineering, 64, 105552. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2022.105552.- General Directorate of Meteorology of Khuzestan Province (2020). Geographical and climatic characteristics of Khuzestan province (in Persian).- Gholami, Y., Salimi, Z., & Heidari, R. (2016). Measuring and evaluating the level of physical resilience of worn tissues against earthquakes (Case study: Central tissue neighborhoods of Bushehr city). MA Thesis, Kashan University (in Persian).- Giuliani, F., De Falco, N., Cutini, V., & Di Sivo, M. (2021). A simplified methodology for risk analysis of historic centers: The world heritage site of San Gimignano, Italy. International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment, 12(3), 336-354. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJDRBE-04-2020-0029.- Giuliani, F., De Paoli, R. G., & Di Miceli, E. (2021). A risk-reduction framework for urban cultural heritage: A comparative study on Italian historic centers. Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development, 11(4), 499-515. https://www.emerald.com/insight/1759-5908.htm.- Granda, S., & Ferreira, T. M. (2018). Assessing vulnerability and fire risk in old urban areas: Application to the historical centre of Guimarães. Journal of Fire Technology, 55, 105–127. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10694-018-0778-z.- Habibi, K., Shieh, E., & Torabi, K. (2010). The role of physical planning in mitigating urban vulnerability against earthquakes. Armanshahr Architecture and Urban Development, 2(3), 21-33 (in Persian).- Habibi, S. M., & Maqsoudi, M. (2017). Urban restoration: Definitions, theories, experiences, global charters and resolutions, methods and urban practices. Tehran: Tehran University Press (in Persian).- Hamidi, M. (1994). The role of urban planning and design in risk reduction and crisis management. Proceedings of the International Conference on Earthquake Forecasting, on Strategies to Cope with the Effects of Future Earthquakes, November 1994. Islamic Revolution Housing Foundation (in Persian). - Huang, H., Li, L., & Gu, Y. (2022). Assessing the accessibility to fire hazards in preserving historical towns: Case studies in suburban Shanghai, China. Frontiers of Architectural Research, 11(4), 731-746.- Islamic Council Research Center (2022). Report of subsidence in the provinces of the country (in Persian).- Kakolaki, M., & Eslami, H. (2017). Assessment of Changes in groundwater quality and quantity of Mianab Shushtar Plain after the construction of the irrigation and drainage network. Quarterly Journal of Water Engineering, 5(1), 46-61 (in Persian).- Licciardi, G., & Amirtahmasebi, R. (Eds.) (2012). The economics of uniqueness: Investing in historic city cores and cultural heritage assets for sustainable development. Washington, DC: World Bank Publications.- Little, M., Paul, K., Jorderns, C. F., & Sayers, E. J. (2002). Vulnerability in the narrative of patients and their cares: Studies of colorectal cancer. Health, 4(4), 425-510.- Mahmoudi Nia, M., Sarami, H., Ramesht, M. H., & Taghvaei, M. (2020). Evaluating the resilience of historical tissues against natural hazards (earthquake): The case study of historical tissue of Yazd. Journal of New Attitudes in Human Geography, 13(1), 637-649 (in Persian).- Maleki, S., & Mavedat, E. (2013). Evaluation of seismic vulnerability spectrum of cities based on various intensity scenarios using µd, TOPSIS, and GIS Models (Case study of Yazd). Journal of Geography and Environmental Hazards, 2(5), 127-145 (in Persian).- Maroufi, H., Kamali, N., & Sedigh, H. (2019). The role of land use planning in reducing the vulnerability caused by natural disasters (Case study: Janbaz and Faramarz Abbasi neighborhoods Mashhad). 9th National Conference and 2nd International Conference on Urban Management Planning. Mashhad: November 28 and 29, 2019 (in Persian).- Martins, V. N., e Silva, D. S., & Cabral, P. (2012). Social vulnerability assessment to seismic risk using multicriteria analysis: The case study of Vila Franca do Campo (São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal). Journal of Natural Hazards, 62, 385–404. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-012-0084-x.- Meeks, S., & Murphy, K. C. (2016). The past and future city: How historic preservation is reviving America’s communities. Island Press.- MehdiNezhad, S., & Shaghaghi, Sh. (2022). Analysis of the historical texture of Tabriz (Analytical example: Sahib al-Amr historical collection). Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Architecture and Urbanism Development, 3(2), 37-53 (in Persian).- Ministry of Roads and Urban Development (2014). What is the worn-out urban fabric?. Retrieved from: www.mrud.ir (in Persian).- MirShafie', S. H. (2022). Shooshan. Retrieved from: http://shooshan.ir/fa/news (in Persian).- Moaddab, R., & Amini Hosseini, K. (2020). An investigation on effective dimensions and indicators in measuring the resilience of historic-commercial urban fabrics against earthquake hazards with a special view to traditional Bazaars. Quarterly Journal of Environmental Hazards Management, 7(3), 265-280 (in Persian).- Morrow, B. H. (1999). Identifying and mapping community vulnerability. Disasters, 23(1), 1-18.- Mousavi, H. R. (2010). Vulnerability reduction in architectural design with performance-based seismic design approach. Journal of City Identity, 4(7), 61-73 (in Persian).- Mousavi, H. (2022). The danger of drift threatens the western wall of Shushtar water structures. Retrieved from: https://www.irna.ir/news/83154782 (in Persian).- Nayeri, M., Shieh, E., Rezaei, M., & Saeidi Rezvani, N. (2018). Managing neighborhood resilience in earthquake encountered in urban exhausted tissues (Case study: Abdolabad, Tehran). Scientific-Research Quarterly Journal of Geography & Regional Planning, 8(2), 35-48 (in Persian).- Nazmfar, H., & Pashazadeh, A. (2018). Evaluation of urban tolerability in the face of natural hazards (Case study: the city of Ardabil). Journal of Geographical Planing of Space, 30(8), 213-228 (in Persian).- Norouzi, A., & Farhadi, M. (2017). Vulnerability assessment and strategic planning for crisis management (Earthquake) in rural areas (Case study: Shahrekord city). Journal of Emergency Management, 6(11), 31-45 (in Persian).- Omidali, E., Taghvaei, M., & Beidram, R. (2014). Improving worn-out urban structures with the approach of earthquake crisis management. Quarterly Journal of Geographical Research, 29(3), 165-178 (in Persian).- Omidvari, F., & Hosseini, A. (2019). Examining global experiences in relation to urban resilience. The 4th International Conference of New Horizons in Civil Engineering, Architecture and Urban Planning. Afog Novin Science and Technology Association (in Persian).- Pakzad, J. (2007). A guide to designing urban spaces in Iran. Tehran: Deputy of Urban Development and Architecture Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (in Persian).- Parizadi, T., & Fasihi, H. (2017). Baqershahr, resilient city: Strategic planning to improve urban resilience. Tehran: Fasihi Publication (in Persian).- Rebollo, V. V., Balenciaga, M., & Roca, R. I. (2020). Good practices in building cultural heritage resilience: Advancing resilience of historic areas against climate-related and other hazards. Retrieved from: www.savingculturalheritage.eu/fileadmin/user_upload/Deliverables/ARCH_D7.2_Mapping_and_ characterisation_of_good_practices_of_cultural_heritage_resilience.pdf- Resilient, Vanc. (2018). Preliminary resilience assessment. https://vancouver.ca/files/cov/resilient-vancouver-2018-preliminary-resilience-assessment.pdfRezaei, M. R. (2010). Explaining the resilience of urban communities in order to reduce the effects of natural disasters (earthquake); Case study: Metropolis of Tehran. PhD Thesis, Tarbiat Modares University (in Persian).- Rostami, M., Hosseinzadeh, M. M., & Esmaili, R. (2020). Assessment of bank-river stability versus erosion and factors for its management strategy in the Vaz River, Mazandaran province. Journal of Researches in Earth Sciences, 11(44), 1-14 (in Persian).- Sabbioni, C., Cassar, M., Brimblecombe, P., & Lefevre, R. A. (2008). Vulnerability of cultural heritage to climate change. Council of Europe.- Sadri, A., & Hodhodi, M. (2015). The phenomenon of rising humidity in the historical and building foundations, challenges and solutions. International Conference on Civil Architecture and Urban Planning at the Beginning of the Third Millennium (in Persian). https://civilica.com/doc/41412- Salazar, L. G., & Ferreira, T. M. (2020). Seismic vulnerability assessment of historic constructions in the downtown Mexico City. Sustainability, 12(3), 1276. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12031276- Sedaye Miras (2023). The flood drowned half of the historical and ancient site of Shushtar. Retrieved from: https://www.sedayemiras.ir (in Persian).- Serageldin, I. (2019). Very special places: The architecture and economics of intervening in historic cities. The World Bank.- Sesana, E., Gagnon, A. S., Ciantelli, C., Cassar, J., & Hughes, J. (2021). Climate change impacts on cultural heritage: A literature review. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, 12(4), e710. DOI:10.1002/wcc.710.- Shafaei, S. (2005). A guide to identifying and intervening in worn tissues. Tehran: Technique and Art Designers Company (in Persian).- Shahsavari, A. H. (2021). Falling into the Shushtar water structure, an old, repetitive and fruitless warning. Retrieved from: https://www.isna.ir (in Persian).- Sharifi, A., & Yamagata, Y. (2016). Principles and criteria for assessing urban energy resilience: A literature review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 60, 1654-1677.- Sheikhi Nia, H. (2023). Shushtar tourism development by revitalizing historical houses. Mehr News Agency: https://www.mehrnews.com (in Persian).- Shojaeian, A., & Alizadeh, H. (2014). Locating multi-purpose spaces with the aim of crisis management after earthquake case study: Worn texture of Shooshtar city. Journal of Geography and Territorial Spatial Arrangement, 4(11), 127-140 (in Persian).- Shushtar Governorate Crisis Management Headquarters (2023). Report of the recent flood in Shushtar. Retrieved from: https://shoushtar.ostan-khz.ir (in Persian).- Shushtar Municipality (2005). Shushtar, a city whose heart beats with water. Retrieved from: http://shoushtarcity.ir/ (in Persian).- Statistical Centre of Iran (2016). Shape file of the statistical blocks of the 2016 population and housing census of Shushtar city (in Persian).- Stephenson, V. (2016). Vulnerability of historic buildings to environmental actions; an empirical methodology. University College of London.- Strange, I. (2017). Planning for change, conserving the past: Towards sustainable development policy in historic cities?. Cities, 14(4), 227-233.- Tehran City Planning and Studies Center (2016a). Examining the viewpoints of historical texture management with emphasis on cultural and social requirements. Tehran: Publications of Tehran City Planning and Studies Center (in Persian).- Tehran City Planning and Studies Center (2016b). The basics and concepts of the resilience of cities (models) (in Persian).- Tweed, C., & Sutherland, M. (2017). Built cultural heritage and sustainable urban development. Journal of Landscape and Urban Planning, 12, 62-69.- UNESCO (2023). Shushtar historical hydraulic system. Retrieved from: https://whc.unesco.org- United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) (2009). Terminology on disaster risk reduction. Geneva.- Zarghami, S., Teymouri, A., Mohammadian, H., & Shamaei, A. (2017). Measuring and evaluating urban neighborhood’s resilience against earthquake: The case of Zanjan downtown. Journal of Research and Urban Planning, 7(27), 77-92 (in Persian).- Zhang, X., Tang, W., Huang, Y., Zhang, Q., Duffield, C. F., Li, J., & Wang, E. (2018). Understanding the causes of vulnerabilities for enhancing social-physical resilience: Lessons from the Wenchuan earthquake. Environmental Hazards, 17(4), 292-309. https://doi.org/10.1080/17477891.2018.1491383
Keywords
