"Urban elements" are parts of "urban furniture" with a variety of dimensions and features, and according to the definition, "abstract or integral 3D synthetic elements to buildings are in such a way that they can convey concepts from the environment to users of urban space." Symbols and statues commonly represent artistic reflections of memories, human beings, events, beliefs, etc. These urban elements have sometimes been referred to as a socio-cultural symbol. The origin of the urban symbols is yet unknown. The symbol as the main linguistic axis has been with humans from a long time ago and has always taken on the color or present of any occasion or situation.
Urban symbolism is a phenomenon within the city that is signified in a conventional experience. This meaning assignment or semantic load can take many different forms. That is, it can come out of a free contract and people's subconscious gradually brings something closer to one another in a biological experience, or it can fit into their minds, or this contract can be the result of power.
In the case of urban symbolism, the first point we come across is the dynamism or high flexibility of these symbols. Symbols change over time and are not understood in the same way. People's different perspectives also make this symbolism different. On the other hand, the environment contains a set of behaviors that are interconnected and have common seasons. These settings have two basic elements: (i) a behavioral indicator paradigm, and (ii) a physical setting. A physical location may be part of several behavioral settings if current behavioral paradigms occur in one behavioral setting at different times. A behavioral setting enables one to achieve satisfaction, which is different for various individuals.
A set of environmental capabilities in a particular situation creates a potential environment for human behavior in that location. However, not all of these capabilities are perceived by people. Processes of spatial perception, cognition, and behavior are influenced by individual and group competences as well as the structure of the environment. According to differences in individual competencies, some competencies are biological and some are sociocultural. These differences affect how the environment is perceived. The less qualified one is, the more pressure he will tolerate. The more qualified a person is, the more freedom he will experience and the social and physical environments limit his behavior less.
This study aims to find the relationship between emotional intelligence and urban symbols. The term emotional intelligence was first introduced as a form of social intelligence by Sullivan and Meyer (1990). However, the precise term of emotional intelligence was introduced by Daniel Goleman (1995) that ignited many arguments. Researchers identify and describe emotional intelligence by evaluating concepts such as social skills, interpersonal abilities, mental development, and awareness of one's own emotions and the ability to control emotions.
The research methodology is correlative and analytical through this study. Library resources, as well as field data, were used to collect data. The statistical population of this study consists of the young individuals in Tehran and the sampling method of research is random sampling. The data were collected through two questionnaires. The standard questionnaire "Emotional Intelligence Bar-On" was used to measure emotional intelligence and the questionnaire was designed with the help of studies and expert comments to assess environmental preferences and other required aspects. Cronbach's alpha was used to assess the validity and reliability of the questionnaires, which was 91% for the emotional intelligence questionnaire and 87% for the environmental preference questionnaire. The collected data were then analyzed quantitatively using SPSS software.
The present study concluded that there is a direct and significant correlation between the components of emotional intelligence including emotional self-awareness, self-assertiveness, self-esteem, and independence, as well as the total amount of emotional intelligence of the respondents and their desire to have symbolic elements in architecture and urbanization. According to the psychological research on emotional intelligence and its enhancement and promotion strategies, it can be promised that the symbolic architecture provides a platform for enhancing the level of emotional intelligence of users of architectural and urban spaces, improving the level of social interactions in urban spaces, and enriching activities by increasing users' emotional self-awareness and challenging their aesthetic perceptions.