Dormitory neighbourhood: the role of studentification in developing low-quality neighbourhood, case of Babolsar, Iran

ABSTRACT Studentification studies in different contexts have reported diverse impacts on urban areas. The conceptualization of the phenomenon is generally based on experiences from developed countries, while studies in developing contexts are scarce. This research explores a neighbourhood in Babolsar, Iran, where studentification has motivated the transformation of agricultural fields around the University of Mazandaran campus into a residential neighbourhood with a concentration of student accommodation. The mixed method approach shows that the economic and policy background has directly influenced low quality developments of built environment, public spaces and facilities compared to rest of the town. As a result, what we call a ‘Dormitory Neighbourhood’ is shaped around the campus, extending a dormitory’s characteristics into an urban area. Originated from Babolsar context, a dormitory neighbourhood shows to facilitate several processes of urban decline to emerge and evolve in the absence of effective urban development policy.