Generic principles of neighbourhood design : with particular reference to Tehran.

The main aim of this research is to develop a list of principles relevant to the design
of neighbourhoods and in particular neighbourhood centres in Tehran. The study
embodies two main phases, a literature review and a survey.
During the literature review various dimensions of a neighbourhood centre are
explored among both 'prescriptive' and 'explanatory' theories in architecture and
urban design. Attempts are made to extract the essence and concepts of individual
projects among the prescriptive resources, while the investigations of explanatory
resources are focused on finding concepts and ideas which are applicable to
design. The characteristics of neighbourhood centres are then classified into three
categories called functional, perceptual and operational. These categories embody
different sections which are separately studied among the literature and design
principles are derived out of the writings and presented at the end of each section.
Finally, a provisional list of principles is developed as the result of the literature
review.
The survey is designed to examine the above principles in the real world in two
contrasting neighbourhood centres in Tehran. Face-to-face interviews with the
residents of the neighbourhoods, together with the observation of cases, comprise
the research instruments. The interviews are based on qualitative open-ended
questions in order to find out the characteristics of the centres which the residents
mostly appreciated or disliked. A checklist is formulated to explore design factors
out of the survey responses. The design principles resulting from the survey are
then compared with the initial list.
The outcome of the research is the final list of generic principles which draws
together the results of the literature investigation and the survey. These principles
are primarily aimed at those directly engaged in the design of neighbourhood
centres such as architects and urban designers. It also includes information for the
management body of the centres. For the ease of users the principles are classified
into ten sections under the three main categories mentioned above. Along with the
above results, there are some secondary findings about the respondents'
differences in perception and evaluation of their neighbourhood centre which are
presented in the concluding chapter of the thesis.
The study intends to decrease the gap between theoretical research and practical
work by presenting design principles, extracted from the conceptual theories, that
can be easily used by designers. Based on both theoretical and empirical
approaches, it also helps to draw attention to the importance of neighbourhood
centres in enhancing the quality of day-to-day lives of the city inhabitants.