Assessing the impact of using gadgets on environmental preferences of urban space users Case study analysis of Jomhjouri Street and Mellat Park in Tehran, Iran

The development of new technologies has had significant impact on various parts of life and contributed to change of design tendencies and the way urban spaces are used. For the first time individuals are able to use their portable smart devices to access the internet and other applications in public as well as green spaces of the cities. Ignoring the question of the impacts of these new technologies on users preferences and consequently the way they engage in urban spaces especially green areas may result in generating differences in users perception of urban spaces. As a result, challenging collective experience, still transform public spaces to individual. This research aims at exploring users of gadgets preferences at 2 popular spaces of Jomhouri Street and Park-e Mellat of Tehran, also represent that redefining of these spaces by new physical and non-physical technologies have brought about what differences in preferences and their civic activities. To evaluate preferences, the method of video and image recording implemented within 4days on 68 users of both spaces while mainly using their gadgets (portable smart devices). Finally some conclusions extracted. Using these new technologies have driven the users of urban spaces to prefer choosing private places along with isolated behavior toward surrounding (for those use them in isolated form rather than collective). In addition they have different perceptions of urban spaces in comparison to other people and this phenomenon is more highlighted in male users.

Assessing the impact of using gadgets on environmental preferences of urban space users Case study analysis of Jomhjouri Street and Mellat Park in Tehran, Iran Keywords:

gadgets , environmental preferences , urban space , Park-e Mellat , Jomhouri Street