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The Role of Sustainable Greenways in Achievement of Improving the Quality of Life (Tehran’s Greenways as a Case Study)

DOI

https://doi.org/10.7275/fabos.775

Publication Date

2013

Abstract

Urban growth and development is caused to increase exploitation of natural resources more than environmental capacity and lead to instability in the cities than ever before. Accordingly sustainable development emphasizes the role of green area and in order to achieve this goal, “greenway” is considered as one of the most important tools for improving urban sustainable development. Moreover, urban green spaces and elements consider as a main factor in the improving of quality of life. Greenways are “green infrastructure” to link people and places (Fabos, 1995) and can be planned at different scales and for multiple purposes, “including ecological, recreational, cultural, aesthetic” (Ahern, 1995), and also to provide people with access to open spaces close to each other where they live. At the city scale, the urban greenways can help improve the city, making it more livable, equitable and environmentally sustainable. In addition, urban greenways provide pleasant, efficient, and healthful and environmentally travel by foot or bicycle. The most important benefits of greenways in urban areas are environmental protection, recreation, and alternative transportation. These benefits cannot be realized unless the greenway planners take a multifunctional approach to the greenway paths and also consider the main role of settlements who lived there as a key factor (Shahani, 2010).

In the present study, the greenways of Tehran (Islamic republic of Iran) are analyzed more indepth to evaluate the quality of life based on perception of people who lived there and the study sources in this field. Tehran urban area and its greenway’s parts are the main material of this research and the greenways of Tehran are evaluated in the frame of urban natural formations of research. Besides, the data that would form the base of the Tehran greenways proposal is gathered from the literature study, greenway theoretical study and international greenway planning applications.

This paper is formed of three phases. A literature review is made to establish a theoretical base for the study. Then, Tehran city and its greenways are analyzed. In this regard, city’s green space compounds are recognized as a major structural component in the process of green paths influence. The most important goals of this paper are considering greenways as a main factor of quality of life in urban area to improve sustainable development. To achieve the main goal at the third part, required index is determined in the study area and evaluated. Some of the main factors which are assessed the quality of life in the main greenways of Tehran in this research are: access to transportation, pollution, accessibility, social interaction, people's health and fitness, recreation and economic growth. Three main greenways of Tehran (Vali-Asr St- Shariati St- Mirdamad Blv) are considered to evaluate sustainable development indexes in the field of quality of life. To reach this, the questionnaire regarding quality of life is designed. Analysis of Questioners about the concept and understanding of greenways are prepared and evaluated based on responses for ranking indicators. Finally, after a detailed analysis and comparative result, some strategies and solutions are proposed for Tehran’s greenways as an applied tools or factors to enhance the quality of life as the most important index of sustainable development.

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