Journal of Iranian Architecture & Urbanism(JIAU)

Abstract Extended Abstract
Background and Objectives: Throughout the history of human thought, numerous theories have emerged concerning the essence of architecture, its fundamental components, and the role and significance of each element. These theoretical perspectives have profoundly influenced how architecture is conceptualized, practiced, and taught. Dominant paradigms such as formalism and strict functionalism, for example, often reduce architecture to a purely visual or utilitarian construct—one that functions merely as a physical container for human activity. Such reductionist views tend to overlook the fixed and multidimensional nature of human beings, whose needs extend beyond the material to encompass emotional, sensory, intellectual, and spiritual dimensions. As a result, these perspectives fall short of addressing the full richness of human experience and hinder architecture’s potential to contribute to human flourishing. Among the elements that have been neglected or insufficiently explored in many of these modern approaches is the concept of “geometry.” Far more than a technical or decorative tool, geometry has historically served as a foundational and generative principle in architecture—one that organizes space, creates harmony, and reflects deeper metaphysical realities. This research seeks to re-examine the role of geometry within the broader system of creation, and by extension, within architectural design, through the lens of Islamic philosophy and thought. By adopting this holistic and spiritually grounded framework, the study aims to uncover the true ontological and functional status of geometry in architecture. Ultimately, it aspires to contribute to a richer pedagogical and practical approach to architectural education and design—one that is aligned with the innate nature of human beings and supports a more meaningful, purposeful built environment.
Methods: Initially, the research examines the definition and position of geometry across various human schools of thought. Using an interpretive-analytical approach and authentic Islamic sources, the study identifies this concept and its place within the system of existence, including architecture, thereby shaping the theoretical framework of the research. Through logical reasoning, the roles of geometry in architecture are extracted from this theoretical framework. For a comprehensive understanding, the four causes of geometry in architecture are identified and examined through a case study of the “House of Kaaba,” a manifestation of divine architecture.
Findings: The indicate the following:
- Efficient Cause: Geometry organizes architectural elements into a unified whole for human use, aiming for the perfection of human life.
- Final Cause: Geometry conveys meaning aligned with the architectural function, guiding individuals towards worship and understanding.
- Material Cause: The element of “space,” which must possess specific characteristics and features in each building, proportional to its function and human perceptual powers.
- Formal Cause: The limiting and distinguishing aspects of space (such as floors, ceilings, and exteriors), which must be proportionate to the building’s function and intended meaning, leading to the creation of a unique internal and external volume, decorated with appropriate arrangements.
Conclusion: This research underscores the profound significance of geometry in the realm of architecture, particularly through the lens of Islamic thought. By exploring the theoretical foundations and practical applications of geometry, the study reveals its essential role as the primary generator and organizer of architectural elements. The identification of the four causes—efficient, final, material, and formal—provides a comprehensive understanding of how geometry shapes and enhances architectural design. The case study of the Kaaba exemplifies the divine and functional aspects of geometry, demonstrating its capacity to harmonize architectural elements, convey meaningful symbolism, and create spaces that cater to both human perceptual powers and spiritual needs. This holistic approach not only enriches the sensory and spiritual dimensions of human life but also offers a robust framework for contemporary architectural practice. Ultimately, this research advocates for a renewed emphasis on geometry in architectural education and design, promoting a more integrated and meaningful approach that aligns with the holistic nature of human existence.

Abstract Extended Abstract
Objective and Background: The growth and expansion of early residential nuclei have led to the formation of heterogeneous neighborhoods consisting of context with a minimum standard of construction for low-income residents and a new quality context with more affluent residents. As a result, they have residents with different socio-economic and even cultural backgrounds living together over time. The formation of these complexes in different parts of Tehran has caused social, psychological, and physical problems in the residential environment, ultimately affecting the residents’ quality of life. On the other hand, in recent decades, “diversity” has found a special place in urban planning. Some views suggest that diversity is an essential component of equitable urban development. Variety can take many forms (racial, income, physical, functional, etc.). There are at least a few heterogeneous neighborhoods in each city. Variety in residential neighborhoods, which are heterogeneous in terms of socio-economic class, can lead to different judgments between different groups.
In heterogeneous neighborhoods, the external perception of the adjacent residential environment leads to misjudgments, which may lead to interaction or, conversely, to separate groups from each other. Thus, creating a healthy environment in a heterogeneous context has become a significant and serious issue. According to numerous studies in the field of heterogeneous neighborhoods, external judgments are based on objective and subjective factors of texture. So far, the identification and prioritization factors of housing and residential environment quality during the perception and judgment of outsiders in such neighborhoods have not been addressed. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the factors influencing the external judgment of an adjacent neighborhood and the effect of the socio-economic class of individuals on the prioritization of these perceived factors in a heterogeneous context. According to the mentioned issue, this research aims to identify and prioritize the physical and social factors of the heterogeneous neighborhood by the perception of the residents.
Methods: This study uses an applied research design. This article uses a survey method to measure the social and physical factors influencing the judgment of outsiders about their adjacent neighborhoods. The study area is Hassanabad-Zargandeh neighborhood, where two old and new contexts are located next to each other, providing accommodation for different classes of people. In this community, two groups of 250 people with different socio-economic class were selected in a poorly developed civilian and non-randomly affluent texture. 500 questionnaires were distributed among the study population to extract the funds and characteristics of housing quality and the residential environment from documentary and library studies and in the survey. Then, using the factor analysis method and the help of SPSS 24 software, the factors affecting external judgment in a heterogeneous context were discovered and prioritized. With this analysis, the views of different groups of residents and their evaluation methods on the objective and subjective characteristics of the neighborhood were obtained.
Findings: According to the research findings, the residents’ priorities in their judgments are different from the housing and residential environment of the adjacent neighborhood. Accordingly, when perceiving and judging the adjacent housing and residential environment, the higher socio-economic status group pays attention to the factors of passway, open and private green space, facade, combination of uses, security, material, and details. The lower socio-economic status group pays attention to the security, façade, perceptual density, spatial quality, passway, access to facilities, and socio-cultural factor in their judgments.
Conclusion: In the perception of a complex, higher socio-economic status group prioritizes physical factors over non-physical ones and pays more attention to them. It can be said that objective factors are more important for this group than subjective factors. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the diversity, architecture, and physical housing of the lower socio-economic status group to reduce the negative judgment of the affluent residents. Because in heterogeneous neighborhoods, paying attention to the attitude and tendency of the upper class to coexist with the lower class is more decisive. According to the visual and social disruptions, the different social classes, the place of residence, and ignoring how housing factors and residential environment are valued can cause negative labeling between a group (especially the affluent group to the lower class group), leading to tension and disintegration of a heterogeneous society. It is necessary to pay attention to these perceptual priorities in the planning and policy-making of heterogeneous urban contexts in order to make the coexistence of groups possible.

Abstract How citizens perceive and understand their surrounding environment depends on several dynamic and static contextual factors. Such a subjective and context-based understanding can create different emotions and feelings in people, which has created a new and adjunct approach toward studying spatial and temporal structure of the city. Investigating the relationship between built environment as a physical dimension and behavioral and emotional aspects of human has received much attention in recent studies, especially in urban planning and design studies, and has become an urgent issue in recent years. The purpose of theoretical, empirical, and applied researches in this field is generally enhancing the quality of life in city through studying a new layer that focuses on emotional-behavioral aspects of individuals. This emotional-subjective attitude toward space and its impact on the individual’s behavior in space has become important and has been utilized in recent years under the title of “urban emotions” approach, as an interdisciplinary field. Therefore, the present study aimed to introduce the approach and research area of “urban emotions” and sought to examine the importance and application of this layer in the field of urban development as well as studying vacancies in this area, and providing suggestions for future studies. Thus, this was done by referring to library resources and reviewing more than 50 published studies consisting of basic theories on the subject, theories of intellectuals in the field of urban development, and recent projects and researches generally related to the last five years, through descriptive-analytic method and using library resources. 
The results showed that the studies in this area can be divided into two categories of theories and basic studies and new studies initiated by Christine Nold (2009). The basic view mostly focuses on effective environmental factors in a qualitative and highly general way based on traditional methods of emotion measurement, and is mostly focused on environmental psychology and landscape design areas, which has less influenced the area of urban design and urban development. But in recent years, the emergence of new methods of measuring emotions in the field of medical sciences, psychology, and computer sciences has provided the possibility of more precise studies in the field of environmental design. New researches (in the last 5 years) in terms of frequency include four domains: 1) focused on emotion measurement; 2) new methods of emotion measurement; 3) investigating the factors affecting emotion in the environment; and 4) applications of emotion. However, these studies mostly focus on emotion measurement in urban environments and emotion measurement methods, and few studies have also examined the factors affecting emotion in the environment and its application in the field of urban development as a pilot. Therefore, based on ongoing studies in the field of emotion monitoring methods, it has become possible to review and study the theories which are more basic, more applied, and exclusive in the field of urban environment. Also, review of basic theories and recent studies in the field of urban emotions showed the importance of the issue in the field of urban development. Despite the importance and application of this interdisciplinary field in urban studies, the scientific potentials of this new approach in all diverse aspects of urban use and analysis have not yet been explored which requires more precise and extensive evaluation in urban sciences. According to the conducted studies and its adaptation to different areas of urban study, the most important areas of application of this new layer can be: 1) mental health area, 2) happy city and pleasant urban spaces area, 3) Attachment to place area, and 4) area of collaborative urban planning and smart city. Also, evaluation and measurement of the built environment, evaluation of the psychological effects of a plan before its implementation, and providing new citizen-centered designing and planning opportunities are among the benefits of applying the subject in the field of urban development. Overall, the results showed that in recent years, the area of “urban emotions” has opened up a new meta-human approach to analysis and examination of dynamic interactions in time, space, and perception and emotions of human, especially in urban planning and designing processes. “Urban emotions” has proposed a human-centered approach as a mediator between research fields such as geo-informatics, computer science, computational linguistics, sensor technology, citizenship sciences, and spatial planning. The main purpose was to produce a layer of new information that visualizes the measured spatial emotions. This visualization allows for concluding about humans behavior in urban environments and creates a new citizen-centered perspective in designing and planning process. Over the past few decades, new advances have made the use of new methods and technologies possible. However, scientific potential of this process has not been fully exploited, and the possibility of using it for innovative analysis and simulation needs to be widely evaluated in urban sciences. These new data and information layers can provide new insights into the development of intrinsically complex and dynamic physical and social structures of urban environments. It can be used in the field of urban development and can be generalized and used in other related areas such as public health, traffic management, security, tourism, and more.