Urban Transformation and Identity in The Globalization Era Case Study: Tehran-Iran

Globalization is a topic that has entered two decades ago in the urban. Globalization is a multi-dimensional phenomenon which involves urban planners, sociologists, economists and other specialists.Cities are increasingly exposed to the impact and influence of globalization and this phenomenon can influence cities from different aspects: urban development; employment; activities; urban economy; accommodation; urban transportation; culture; urban identity; etc. Globalization has broken borders between countries and has affected many different nations in different ways, depending on their degree of development.By appearance of globalization and the formation of different activities especially in the new regions and with the appearance of multi-function centers, the historical centers which were the active economic, political, social and cultural parts of the cities, have been obsolesce. New city developments and inattention to the old part of city, is the main reason to horizontal growth of cities and daily city expanding. Affected by globalization, the cities in the world are going to become more and more alike. Under these circumstances, what will be the national identity situation in the developing countries? What are the threats and opportunities of globalization for the developing countries?Although our cities and urban spaces already had their own character and identity, today, we almost lost cities with special identities. But it does not mean that we cannot give identity to them once again.In this paper, all effort done to review the effects of globalization on urban identity in developing countries, then to provide solutions for preservation and development the identity of cities in the age of globalization, while enjoying the benefits of globalization.

Keywords:

Globalization , Urban transformation , urban Identity