Urban Park Design in Iran: Investigation of Factors Affecting Users’ Psychological Benefits

Park design in Iran has followed the traditional European style since the Qajar dynasty. Thefamiliarity of Iranians with the spirit of Persian gardens and the low quality of the newest parks is such that usersprefer ancient geometrical Persian gardens. Today, those responsible for the design of urban green spaces lackingexamples differing from the traditional and thus they are in need of an adequate set of guidelines for how to design forpresent conditions, users, and their needs. This research focuses on the relationship between park design componentsand users’ psychological restoration regarding their preferences and perceptions to increase the quality of parks,diminish vandalism, and increase user agency. Psychological restoration is the likeliness that people will be able torest and recover their ability to focus. A random sample of 100 Tehranian residents was taken by presenting themwith images depicting 6 urban parks from around their city. The results were analyzed by grouping into categories:1-similar activities and 2-by counting and categorizing the individual descriptions of components (frequency of words)contributing to restoration likelihood. Findings showed that the categories mentioned most frequently for high levelsof restoration were natural categories including trees, shrubs, grasses, flowers, and water. Findings with low levelsof restoration and recovery consisted of negative contextual conditions and the absence of nature such as high risebuildings around the parks, lack of trees, and crowds of people. The activities imagined more frequently were playingand other physical activities, social activities, and relaxation.

Keywords:

Tehran , Iran , Urban parks , Psychological restoration , Users’ preferences and perceptions , Nature , Design guidelines