Explaining the factors affecting the sustainable development of Tehran with an emphasis on the components of a creative city

Akbarpourganje, Atiye; Behzadfar, Mostafa; Mofidi Shemirani, Majid

doi:10.22034/ijumes.2025.2048794.1283

Explaining the factors affecting the sustainable development of Tehran with an emphasis on the components of a creative city

Document Type : Case Study

Authors

Atiye Akbarpourganje ¹

Mostafa Behzadfar ²

Majid Mofidi Shemirani ³

¹ Ph.D. Student, Department of Urban & Regional Planning, School of Architecture and Environmental Design, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran

² Professor, Department of Urban & Regional Planning, School of Architecture and Environmental Design, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran

³ Assistant Professor, Department of Urban & Regional Planning, School of Architecture and Environmental Design, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran

10.22034/ijumes.2025.2048794.1283

Abstract

The problems of Tehran not only harm the process of sustainable development but also lead to social issues and inappropriate civic behaviors. Given the complexity of these challenges and the high costs associated with traditional solutions, leveraging the principles of a creative city is an effective approach to utilizing urban capacities for sustainable development. This research aims to examine the impact of creative city components on the sustainable development of Tehran. In the first part, the indicators of a creative city and urban sustainable development are outlined, followed by an analysis of how these components affect sustainable development. Finally, strategies for the sustainable development of Tehran emphasizing the creative city approach are presented. This research is developmental in nature and utilizes a combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches. In the qualitative section, purposive sampling was employed, with semi-structured in-depth interviews conducted with five specialists, and data were analyzed using thematic analysis. In the quantitative section, data were collected and analyzed from a standard 43-question questionnaire based on a Likert scale among 234 urban experts. The results of the data analysis using LISREL software showed that the indicators of "Research and Development Spaces," "Cultural and Recreational Places," "Creative Class," "Ethnic-Cultural Diversity," "Technology," and "Creative Eco-Industries" have a positive and significant impact on the sustainable development of Tehran. Finally, recommendations are provided in three areas: creative environment, cultural vitality, and managerial infrastructure.

Keywords

Creative environment

creative city

cultural vitality

management infrastructure

sustainable development

Tehran

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