Journal of Iranian Architecture & Urbanism(JIAU)

Abstract Extended Abstract Background and Objectives: After the outbreak of COVID-19, the 15-minute city approach emerged as a post-pandemic urban planning strategy, attracting significant attention from many urban researchers. The 15-minute city approach is an innovative method based on a mid- to long-term comprehensive and systemic vision of the city, aiming to provide a better quality of life for its residents. The six fundamental functions of this approach—living, working, meeting needs, healthcare, education, and entertainment—are integrated within a planning network composed of four dimensions: proximity, density, diversity, and digitalization. In addition to the concept of the 15-minute city, other time-related urban concepts have been introduced by researchers and urban institutions. These time-based discourses, known as X-minute cities and encompassing a range of labels such as 1, 15, 20, or 30-minute cities or neighborhoods, activate a set of policies from the street level to the city scale. Researchers worldwide, considering factors like the scale of study, cultural, social, and economic contexts, type of study, and academic disciplines (urban planning, urban design, geography, transportation), have approached this concept in various ways. This diversity in perspectives presents numerous challenges. Therefore, the present research aims to clarify the dimensions and applications of this concept by re-examining the subject. The objective of this study is to provide a deep and robust theoretical foundation for advancing research on the concept of the 15-minute city. Accordingly, the present research conducts a meta-analysis of articles related to this approach within the time frame of 2014-2023. Methods: This research employs a meta-analysis method and a comprehensive review of the existing literature on the concept of the 15-minute city to elucidate the definition of this approach, its principles, characteristics, and measurement methods. Accordingly, this study is of a fundamental-theoretical nature. Meta-analysis is a systematic review that has a specific and well-defined research question and utilizes precise and organized methods to identify, select, and evaluate relevant studies, as well as to collect and analyze data from the research included in this review. For the purpose of meta-analysis and an in-depth study of the existing literature, a systematic review of global theoretical literature related to this concept was conducted over a ten-year period (from 2014 to 2023) to understand its concepts, dimensions, key elements, tools and methods, and their evolution. This literature was collected by searching the keywords “15-minute city,” “15-minute neighborhood,” “20-minute city,” “20-minute neighborhood,” “temporal urbanism,” and “walkable neighborhoods” in the titles of English articles through two search engines, Google Scholar and Scopus, as well as in the titles of Persian articles in the Noormags, SID, Civilica, MagIran, and ISC databases. To screen the articles, a qualitative assessment checklist and the QARI tool along with Program Skills Appraisal Critical (ASP) were utilized. Additionally, using the KESP checklist, each article was assigned a score ranging from one to five. Articles that accumulated scores above 21 were scientifically and qualitatively approved, while the remaining ones were excluded. By employing these tools and eliminating duplicate and irrelevant articles, a total of 106 articles were subjected to concise analysis, of which 4 were in Persian and 102 were in English. Findings: The findings of the research indicate that this approach is shaped by four fundamental dimensions: density, diversity, proximity, and digitalization. In this meta-analysis, topics such as the spatial distribution of articles, conceptual models, the nature of studies and effective criteria in elucidating the approach, scales of studies, methods and tools for data collection, the scientific validity of articles, and the consequences and topics related to the 15-minute city approach were examined. The spatial distribution of the articles reveals that over 40% of the studies have been conducted on European cities and neighborhoods. Regarding the 15-minute city model, most studies have relied on Paris 15-minute city model and Melbourne’s 20-minute neighborhood, with some studies introducing modifications relevant to their specific contexts. In evaluating and applying the 15-minute city approach, various dimensions and components have been identified. This article provides an in-depth examination of these components, categorizing them into five aspects: individual factors, environmental factors, facilities and services, physical factors, and perceptual-social factors. Concerning the scale of research, studies have been conducted at various levels, ranging from neighborhoods to metropolitan areas and states, with the city scale being the most extensively researched. In terms of methodology, the articles on the 15-minute city approach exhibit quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method approaches. The reviews indicate that while there is a predominant focus on quantitative methods within this approach, the majority of studies employ mixed methods overall. Half of the reviewed articles hold a Q1 scientific ranking, and over 90% of the first authors are faculty members from prestigious universities worldwide, as well as doctoral and master’s students. The concentration of the reviewed articles within the fields of urban planning and its subfields—such as transportation, urban planning, and urban design—demonstrates the specialized nature of this topic within urban science. Due to its comprehensive nature, the 15-minute city approach influences a wide range of topics, from the health and well-being of citizens to feelings of satisfaction and social equality across various aspects of citizens’ lives. Conclusion: Based on the conducted reviews, the 15-minute city approach has a positive impact on important urban issues, including health and well-being, air quality, smart cities, social interactions, service location, urban agriculture, increased active transportation, happiness and vitality, social trust, satisfaction, time management, resilience, and social equality. Therefore, the significance of this approach as a comprehensive and holistic strategy becomes increasingly evident. Additionally, a limited number of Persian articles have addressed the 15-minute city approach, indicating opportunities for further studies on this approach for Iranian urban researchers and professionals. According to the conducted studies, the most significant research gaps concerning the 15-minute city include examining the effects of this approach on the macroeconomic aspects of location, land value, and value chains in urban spaces. Moreover, despite the elucidation of the 15-minute city approach, the necessary urban planning and management requirements for its realization still require further research. It should be noted that due to the innovative nature of this approach, more comprehensive results will be achieved over time with the increasing number of articles in this field.

Abstract Extended Abstract
Background and Objectives: Urban development plans, the most important and comprehensive document of the development of cities, have passed different periods in terms of content, methodology and implementation. This is due to the importance of plans in urban development and to the failure to implement them. The experiences of preparing urban development plans show that these plans, despite their positive and constructive aspects, have not always solved urban problems, and may have been an important factor in the formation of problems in some cases. This subject has been the basis of many studies in the form of articles, books and reports by experts or consulting companies, Organization, the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development and the Ministry of Interior. Despite new theoretical concepts, including strategic-structural plans, the ineffectiveness of these plans is still evident. Therefore, any kind of research in order to identify and diagnose urban development plans, considering the complexity of urban issues is necessary. The aim of the article is to analyze urban development plans through the structure of studies and the methodology and content of these plans. 
Methods: The dominant methodological approach of articles related to the pathology of urban development plans has been the meta-analysis method. Meta-analysis involves a systematic study of previous research findings pertaining to a particular subject, providing the opportunity to derive conclusions that may not be readily evident from the original data within those prior studies. First, related articles have been collected in the period from 1992 to 2020; then, by selecting the number of 85 articles related to the pathology of urban development plans, using the basics and extracting the investigated indicators in the form of a checklist of related data, including study trends, geographical distribution, research approaches and types, research environment, strategies, the methods of data collection and the general approach of the content have been extracted and analyzed quantitatively.
Findings: The trend of studies in the investigated period of time shows the fluctuation of studies by researchers regarding the pathology of urban development plans did not increase in different periods. More than 50% of the studies were conducted without case samples. The geographical distribution of studies shows the lack of proper and uniform distribution in the country. In a large number of provinces, despite the increase in the number of cities, no study has been done. The most researchers are related to the field of urban planning with 41% and the second place is geographical sciences with 38% of all researchers. This shows the lack of attention of other sciences related to the city and urban development plans. Based on the research findings, from a methodological perspective, there is a relatively good balance in prescriptive research, with various approaches (comparative and inductive) being utilized in the applied studies. The majority of studies have a qualitative nature and focus on macro-level urban development schemes. More than three-fourths of the research was conducted in bibliographic method and nearly 65% of the articles were descriptive and phenomenological in terms of research methods. It is clear that pathology studies of urban development plans notably lack the incorporation of alternative research methods, such as parametric and non-parametric approaches. According to the results of this article, more than 75% of studies have been based on documentary methods, which is on the one hand due to the documentation of comprehensive urban plans and the necessity of document review, and on the other hand, it shows the weakness and lack of attention to other methods of data collection in case studies.
Conclusion: The findings indicate that the increase in the quantity of pathology studies does not correspond proportionally to the increase in the number of cities and graduates of this field in the country, and on the other hand, the geographical distribution shows that more than two-thirds of the country’s provinces have no specific study or only they are satisfied with one research. In the specialized fields, 80% of studies are done by graduates of urban planning and geographical sciences, and researchers of economic and social sciences have paid the least attention to the field of urban planning. Therefore, it seems necessary that the authorities take measures for the purposeful collaboration of other researchers related to the city. Also, the lack of appropriate and relevant methodology and high dependence on phenomenology and document study, despite the survey and field nature of the research field and the lack of combined methods, can be seen in these articles. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the objective and operational aspects of urban development plans; move more towards mixed (quantitative-qualitative) research. Overall, the findings indicate that studies related to urban development plans have a fundamental weakness in terms of methodology. The methodological content analysis of the studied articles indicates two distinct types of urban development plan pathology studies. The first group, with 6% of the articles, has investigated the level of realization and the reasons for the non-realization of the goals in the samples, and nearly 94% based on the experiences of the authors have raised the causes of the inefficiency of urban development plans, which is due to the influence of studies on the phenomenological method and the priority of knowing the cause is more than the knowing the effect, and it indicates the lack of investigations with an inductive approach in urban development plans. In conclusion, it is suggested that the Supreme Council of Urban Planning and Architecture of Iran, considering its mission in this regard using the capacity of numerous and related scientific centers throughout the provinces of the country, according to the periods of monitoring and revision of plans, provide the field for targeted studies by researchers. This can balance between the time periods of studies, the optimal distribution of studies according to issues and problems and the dispersion of cities and the use of different researchers in this field.

Abstract Extended Abstract
Objective and background: In recent decades, the study of spatial planning in general and “spatial structure” in particular has taken a special position in international references. The review of related theoretical texts published in recent decades shows great changes in this area. Most of the research has reviewed and scrutinized the spatial structure in the theoretical literature and international empirical research (Parr, 2013; Meijers, 2005; Davoodi, 2003; Guillain et al., 2006; Cao, 2016; Gebhardt, 2016; Goletz, 2016). In national references, new concepts and foundations have been explored in the field of spatial structure in particular and spatial planning in general. On the one hand, the diversity and variety of research conducted in this field in national references, the contradictory results obtained from some of the research, and the lack of a single finding may imply the uselessness of the conducted research and the waste of time and money. On the other hand, the results confuse some scientific societies and theorists, policymakers, planners, and decision-makers. Therefore, a meta-study approach is used to remove such conditions in research methods and their revision process. By using a meta-study, the present study aims to review the national research in the field of spatial structure to identify and examine theoretical and scientific gaps and address the strengths of research. Finally, by combining and summarizing the studies on spatial structure, the theoretical frameworks of reviewed studies are explained.
Method: The present research is a developmental-applied study in terms of objective and includes quantitative and qualitative aspects in terms of type and nature of data. According to the characteristics of the research topic, this study is descriptive-analytical research carried out using a meta-study research method.
Finding: The content analysis of the reviewed studies showed that in these studies, four approaches had been applied to analyze the spatial structure. They include hierarchical, systemic, relational-synergistic, and contextual approaches. There are also three perspectives on “spatial structure”. The origin of these perspectives is rooted in the areas addressed in the theoretical foundations of studies. In studies on topics such as “monocentric, polycentric and scattered patterns”, the perspective on “spatial structure patterns” was applied to analyze the spatial structure. In studies on topics such as “centralized, decentralized, scattered, compact, random, sprawl, fragmented and leapfrog patterns”, the perspective on “spatial structure development patterns” was applied. Those articles focusing on topics such as “linear, island, cluster, symmetrical, correlated, radial, sector, complex, porous patterns” have analyzed the spatial structure using the perspective on “form patterns of spatial structure.” Moreover, the analysis of studies showed that the confusion of topics and concepts has taken place in the field of spatial structure. In many studies, the concepts of spatial growth patterns and spatial form patterns have been used instead of spatial structure patterns, indicating a misunderstanding of key concepts in the field of spatial structure. The analysis of studies also showed that various factors and driving forces- internal factors including “backgrounds and contexts, economic, demographic, social dimensions and infrastructure” and external factors and drivers of development including “government policies and decisions- spatial planning policies, globalization - global processes and economic rivalries”- influence the formation and change of the spatial structure of cities and regions.
Conclusion: In the general review, it can be stated that the study of the spatial structure has become an important issue in Iran only in the last two decades. About 80% of these studies have been conducted in less than a decade, indicating the emergence of this concept in the spatial planning system of Iran. On the other hand, 87% of the studies have an applied-developmental nature, and only 13% have addressed basic concepts, indicating the poor scientific development of this concept in applied-developmental studies. Among the effects of this shortcoming, one can mention the low-quality and inadequacy of the theoretical foundations presented in the studies, which was observed in 42% of the reviewed studies, according to the present study results. Only 34% of the studies were evaluated well in terms of theoretical foundations. Some significant weaknesses identified in the qualitative evaluation of studies include less use of up-to-date and reliable references, the lack of proper coherence between the objectives and research questions and theoretical foundations, and improper use of theoretical concepts and foundations. There is also a particular weakness in focusing on the approaches. There is a lack of knowledge in the reviewed studies, and most of them have expressed related approaches and theories without having any theoretical knowledge. On the other hand, more than 65% of the studies have relied on a morphological approach rather than land use, functional, and combined approaches. Therefore, in future research, it is required to pay more attention to the development of theoretical and approach concepts, structures, and frameworks and analytical approaches to the spatial structure to fix existing gaps. Also, in the analysis of geographical distribution, it was found that most of the studies focused on Tehran metropolitan area and Tehran metropolis and other geographical areas have been less studied, indicating a weak balance in exploring the different geographical areas of Iran. Of the four spatial scales, 54% of studies were performed at urban and metropolitan scales, and researchers have less considered other spatial scales.