Renewal strategies and neighborhood participation on urban blight

Abstract

Urban blight had its own rational and hierarchical function in the past. Nowadays it is featured with structural and functional shortage. Therefore, it has lost the capacity to meet the residents’ needs. Along with intensification of urban blight problems in cities, and downtowns in particular, which affects different aspects of urban life, many urban planners have shown special attention to such districts. Laleh-Zar neighborhood is an example of these neighborhoods, which on the one hand due to lack of urban equipment and infrastructures gives rise to urban blight and penetration of commercial and trans-regional land use in residential area. On the other hand, much of its residential units are transformed into business units, warehouses, workhouse particularly on the edge of the neighborhood. Given the expansion and intensity of problems, apparently, the most effective strategy to deal with the shortcomings and the problems is participation strategy. Besides, this study has used a strategic approach, which is one of the public plannings for both internal and external analyses. Therefore, it is a systematic approach, which can be helpful in decision making. The results showed that the capacity for participation of the study population was below proper level concerning the four aspects of financial, intellectual, instrumental, and physical aspects, although their tendency to participate was high. Moreover, correlation between participation capacity and intention for participation in renewing the structures had a significant relation with cultural and historical values at a confidence level of 99%.