Social and cultural impact assessment of the construction project of ImamZadeh Hassan Boulevard pedestrian zone in Karaj
Subject Areas :
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رحمان جهانی دولتآباد
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1 - استادیار جامعهشناسی دانشگاه محقق اردبیلی، اردبیل، ایران
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Keywords: urban public space, sidewalk, social impact assessment, Karaj city and Imamzadeh Hassan,
Abstract :
The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of the construction of sidewalks in the area of Imamzadeh Hassan Boulevard in Karaj. This sidewalk is about 300 meters long and is located between the holy shrine of Imamzadeh Hassan and Quds Square in the agenda of Karaj Municipality. The theoretical model of the research is based on the concept of “sidewalk as an urban public space” inorder to use the opinions of experts in various fields as well as field observations has been used. The theoretical model of the research is based on the concept of “sidewalk as urban public space”.In order to evaluate the consequences of the action, various quantitative and qualitative methods, including surveying in the field of project intervention, interviews with various stakeholders, using the opinions of experts in various fields, and field observations have been performed. Consequences assessment has been done in the form of two scenarios, including passive scenario (status quo) and minimum scenario (status quo adjustment) and in assessing each of the scenarios, the consequences of the action in three areas including traffic, social and institutional context has examined. The results show that the area under study in the current situation has many problems including traffic, social and institutional issues. If the first scenario is realized and this situation continues in all three areas, we will see the complete dominance of negative effects on the positive effects, including traffic issues, opposition and dissatisfaction of residents and increasing social harms. If the first scenario is realized (adopting a passive approach) in any of the three areas of traffic, institutional and social, the favorable situation for the study area is not predicted. In other words, the area in question in the current situation faces challenges that necessitate a change in this area. While, the results show that the implementation of any maximum action in the area under review is also far from expected due to the lack of legal, operational and financial contexts. Therefore, the proposed plan of Ataf introduces the adoption of a minimal approach in the implementation of the road construction project as a desirable option. If the city managers approve and decide on the implementation of the road construction project, this plan is based on the idea that this project will be designed and implemented in two independent phases but with common goals. In the first phase, a set of pre-implementation corrective measures is considered and in the second phase, undergraduate and specialized studies are on the agenda. In this vein, Ataf Group has tried to provide solutions for better implementation of each of these phases.