Ph.D

A careful study of the urban changes in the systems of different cities across the world indicates that the process of change has taken a momentum since the middle of the 20^th century and gradual changes have been replaced with sudden, unexpected, and irreversible ones. Accordingly, in recent centuries, as a result of the conceptual changes of the term city and the criticisms of unchecked urban development, the high-rise building policies are considered a good solution in the new approaches to urban planning. On the other hand, other Iranian scholars hold that the concept of city in a country like Iran, with its old patterns of architecture and urban planning, referred to a set of homogenous neighborhoods such that consistency and coherence were the main criteria for the quality of Iranian urban neighborhoods. Because of multiple rapid transformations, the traditional system of neighborhood fell apart and social coherence was lost. However, it can be argued that the spirit of collectivism that was once the fabric of Iranian society, maintaining social coherence among the residents of neighborhoods, still exists among the Iranian people so that urban managers and planners can employ this capacity to reinforce social stability in new neighborhoods and facilitate maximum participation.
The goal of the present study is to outline the operational domain of the urban planner to promote and revitalize social coherence in high-rise complexes using the elements of physical structure and coherence. Therefore, the primary concern faced by the researcher was to explore this capacity in new residential high- rise complexes. To tease out the mentioned concern, the mixed methods approach (qualitative and quantitative) was adopted to address a functional goal. The data were collected using the Delphi technique (interview with elites), a structured questionnaire, and expert structured observations in the study samples.
  At the beginning, the researcher would think that the prospect of restoring this spirit and its physical structure that could be easily discerned in the old neighborhoods has been destroyed and practically there has been a historical stalemate. Therefore, urban planners and managers should seek to put forward new theories and patterns to account for the changes in the modern neighborhoods and residential complexes. However, as the most important finding of this study, it is argued that despite this common belief, one can be hopeful to find an appropriate pattern to explain the continuity of the criteria and standards of social coherence derived from traditional neighborhoods to revamp the spirit of collectivism embedded in the fabric of Iranian society in the new neighborhoods.  
  The findings of the present study indicate that there is a significant relationship between the history of residence and the spirit of collectivism and trust; such a solidarity can be easily observed in Behjatabad complex. In residential complexes such as the Ekbatan Complex that were designed in accordance with an a priori plan, at least in terms of physical structure, a number of positive points such as rhythm and diversity of services, collective and behavioral hang-outs, access hierarchies, etc. were observed, which established coherence and spirit of collectivism. According to the results of the questionnaire and expert observations, in complexes that were constructed in peri-urban areas, both in terms of social and physical structure, there are numerous shortcomings. Studies such as post occupancy evaluation can help improve the physical and social qualities in these complexes.
Keywords: Neighborhood, social and physical cohesion, high-rise residential complexes