An identification of the neighbourhood renewal process in Tehran: Case study — Khoob-Bakht neighbourhood, Tehran, Iran

Until the mid-2000s, intervention in the deteriorated areas of Iran was led by an authoritative approach based on top-down planning, coercive possession of properties, banishment of residents and the implementation of mega-scale projects. Large-scale intervention, the long realisation time, disturbance in the local social structure, lack of participation by local communities and negative social impacts have, however, neutralised the effectiveness of this solution in tackling urban deterioration. In 2005, an alternative approach was adopted that emphasised the neighbourhood scale, participation of local communities and collaboration of public agencies. After selecting a pilot neighbourhood in District 15 of Tehran and preparing a neighbourhood renewal plan, a renewal office was established in the Khoob-Bakht neighbourhood in 2007, which was used to start communicating with residents and public authorities. The office planned the renewal procedure and realised some land readjustment projects and public services in the neighbourhood until 2009. The practice has affected the trajectory of urban renewal policy making and planning in Tehran since 2010, and has resulted in a facilitative renewal process on the neighbourhood scale. The experience suggests that a neighbourhood renewal process is generated from activities in four interactive phases: foundational, preparatory, infrastructural and developmental.