TY - JOUR ID - 36142 TI - The First Modern Square in Tehran City (Historical and Spatial Evolution of Old Tehran Squares until Modern Age) JO - Human Geography Research JA - JHGR LA - en SN - 2008-6296 AU - Ghobadian, Vahid AU - Rezaei, Mahmoud AD - Assistant Prof. of Architecture, Islamic Azad University, UAE Branch AD - Assistant Prof. of Urban Planning and Design, Islamic Azad University, UAE Branch Y1 - 2013 PY - 2013 VL - 45 IS - 4 SP - 177 EP - 196 KW - modern KW - Square KW - TEHRAN KW - Topkhaneh Square KW - Tradition KW - urban space DO - 10.22059/jhgr.2013.36142 N2 - Extended AbstractIntroductionWhile forms of cities in Iran have been transformed from traditional structure into modern one,in the same line, the urban elements including squares changed and appeared in a totally newcharacteristic.Traditional squares in Iran have normally been vast open spaces enclosed with publictraditional uses such as public baths, cisterns, mosques, bazars, palaces and governmentalbuildings. All of these squares have coherently been articulated with the city fabric for people.Since the first Pahlavi, urban fabric of Tehran, and accordingly its squares, has changedspecifically for using cars or applying new modern infrastructures. Thus, from this time on inTehran, two types of development overlays each other: The traditional layer consisting oforganic and narrow roads and the modern layer with orthogonal and grid roads. To some extent,the same prototype has been followed in other big or small cities and settlements.The roundabouts or so-called modern squares emerged at the intersection of road networksacross the cities. Therefore, the main usage and scale of these squares was defined for vehiculartransportation. Around this new urban element at the crossroads some modern functions wereemerged: municipality, post and telegraph office, hotels, banks, national police office, countyauthorities and province governor buildings which all were, less or more, relevant to thegovernmental uses. In the middle of the squares itself there was regularly either a statue of thefirst Pahlavi or any other urban landmark.It is historically significant to figure out the first modern square in Tehran city. Most  probably it has been the origin of modern squares and main pattern for the other squares inTehran and all other Iranian cities. The main objective of this research is to discover the firstmodern crossing point in the new development layer of Tehran which is imposed to thetraditional city. This cross point will demonstrate architecture and urban design issues related tomodern and traditional developments in Iran. As Michael Web noted:“We cannot bring back the past, but we can learn from it. An older square that is anorganic part of its community usually serves present needs better than a new spaceordained by a planner or developer. Cities are learning to preserve, improve and adoptthe squares they have, rather than opening up more. People have always enjoyed comingtogether, and this survey celebrates the different ways in which that impulse can befulfilled.” (Web, 1990)MethodologyThis is an explanatory and case study research that focuses on the central city of Tehran withinNaseri’s Fortification and its proximities. The mode of the research is historical and it exploresTehran city from the origins to the end of Modern period. It investigatealmost all the primarysquares of the city in that period including Sabze Meydan, Arg, Topkhaneh, Baherstan,Mokhber-al-dole, Rah Ahan and Hassan Abad.Moving from the more general to specific observation the research explanation has basicallygot a deductive or top-down approach. The research approach inherently avoids any normativeinterpretation and deals with positive statements.In addition to time and location, the spatial characteristic has been another main componentfor discovering the first modern square of Tehran. Spatial characteristics, in here, include:• Land uses and functions of the squares and surroundings• Type of access and the articulation of roads and squares• Morphology, orientation and the layout of the squares• Architectural prototypes and physical-visual aspects of the squaresIllustrations and texts dealing with urban space analysis and square evolutions as well asspecific studies on architecture and urban design of Tehran have made the main data andmaterials for this research.Results and DiscussionComparing the traditional and modern factors of city squares, the first modern square of Tehrancity will be hopefully discovered. Thereby, the research discusses and analyzes the first squaresof Tehran city in three periods:• From establishment of the city to demolishing Tahmasbi’s fortification and the citydevelopment through Naser-Aldin Shah dynasty.• From above-mentioned period to the first Pahlavi.• New development of Tehran central part during the First Pahlavi to 1933.The transformation of squares in Tehran through the years and toward modernization is  discussed in different aspects: Land use, Access, Morphology and Architecture Style. Thediscussions indicate that squares are reshaped from irregular to regular shapes and areinterlinked to urban vehicular streets at all. Furthermore, diagonal and defined spaces areamongst the main square characteristics in modern period. Locating new and modern land usesand widening the scale of mass and solid spaces around the squares are other distinctive changesof modern city development in Tehran.Moreover, squares are connecting to one another with regular, diagonal and linear streetswhile sculptures and water features are vastly added to their landscape. The architecture style inproximity of squares follows more extroverted rather than introverted development and it, inturn, reduces the enclosures of the squares.ConclusionThe outcome of this research shows that Topkhaneh Square which is made during Qajar period,dynasty of Naserdin Shah, is the first square in Tehran which has acquired moderncharacteristics of urban spaces.The location of the square at the focal point of the city from which the city has beendeveloped as well as the spread of modern functions including bank and telegraph officesaround the square have made this segment different from all traditional squares in Iran. UR - https://jhgr.ut.ac.ir/article_36142.html L1 - https://jhgr.ut.ac.ir/article_36142_0225f0dda42931b0b520453183e864bb.pdf ER -