Professional Documents
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Introduction1
This paper has been extracted from M.Arch thesis entitled: Designing Ardabil City Hall with Social Sustainability
Approach by Alireza Kharazmi Nezhad under supervision of Iman Raeisi (Ph.D.) which has been successfully
defended on March 08,2010 at the faculty of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Islamic Azad University of Qazvin,
Qazvin, Iran.
Design Principles and Practices: An International Journal
Volume 4, Number 5, 2010, http://www.Design-Journal.com, ISSN 1833-1874
Common Ground, Iman Raeisi, Alireza Kharazmi Nezhad, Maryam Hafezifar, All Rights Reserved,
Permissions: cg-support@commongroundpublishing.com
is trying to create solutions for achieving balance with environmental, economic and social
goals in a holistic approach, to provide high life quality for the current generation and
maintain that heritage for the next generations (Ahmadi, 2003). Based on these definitions,
the triple objectives of sustainable architecture can be briefly classified in physical and
non-physical sectors: environmental and economic goals relate to the physical part and
social goals put forward the non-physical sector in sustainable architecture. Main
concentration of this research which is called social sustainability is in fact, the nonphysical part of sustainable architecture which follows social goals of sustainability. In spite of
the studies conducted in urban areas with regard to this topic (Dempsey et al, 2009; Bramley
et al, 2009; Mitlin et al, 1996; Yiftachel et al 1993) unfortunately, in architectural scale,
there has been less attention paid to the non-physical part of sustainable architecture.
Recently most researches and even accomplished projects in sustainable architecture have
focused mainly on the environmental and economic goals (physical part), whereas, long
time before announcement of sustainable architecture manifestos, researchers were
studying human social behavior in architecture (Rapaport, 1969&1989&1977; Oliver,
1969&2007; Gifford, 1981&1985&2005&2007). So, nowadays, it has been proved to all
that space and society are clearly related: it is difficult to conceive space without social
content and, similarly, to conceive society without spatial components (Carmona, 2003).
Although it was expected that such topics should gradually be highlighted in recent years,
raising sustainable architecture and its social goals, rarely motivated researchers to study
such issues in architectural theory and practice.
On this basis, in the present article, what has been focused on is defining social sustainability in architecture with regard to the efficient factors in designing public buildings as
small-scale public spaces. Considering that social sustainability in architecture could be
defined differently in each geographical region owing to socio-cultural differences, in this
research, Ardabil city in Iran has been selected for regional considerations and offering
some effective factors in architectural design of public spaces based on the theory of social
sustainability.
According to what mentioned above, this article investigates the answer to this question:
How can we determine the principles of architectural design in public spaces in terms of
social goals of sustainable architecture?; In order to answer this question, the hypothesis
raised as: it seems that a method of the architectural-urban design has direct impact on
non-physical stability of spaces, so that proving this hypothesis responses the main
question of the research.
There is a comprehensive list of social aspects of sustainable development in Agenda 21 that have been approved
in 1992 in Rio conference.
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value by himself and others; self-dehiscence needs, representing the desire to fulfill ones
capacities; and cognitive and aesthetic needs, such as the thirst for knowledge and the desire
for beauty for its own sake (Lang, 1987).
B) Human Behaviors and Activities :
Human beings do something to meet their needs which is called Activity; and the way of
doing the activity is called Behavior. Indeed, behaviors are formed for satisfaction of
needs. Greatly simplified, outdoor activities in public spaces can be divided into three categories, each of which has very different demands on the physical environment: necessary
activities, optional activities, and social activities (Gehl, 1987). The circumstance of these
activities creates the behavior. Individuals behavior is a function of his or her motivations,
the affordances of the environment, and the images of the world outside direct perception
and the meanings those images have for the individual (Lang, 1987). It is claimed that human
behaviors are separate from human activities because of the special features of behavior such
as objectivity, flexibility (convertibility), crossing the psychological space of human3. Behavior is not only the product of rational, deliberative and individual evaluation, but is based
on customs and cultural tradition, emotional impulses, the influence of family and friends
and social norms as well as wider trends. Moreover, while values and attitudes are clearly
important in influencing behavior, values and attitudes are not formed in a social and cultural vacuum. They are embedded, nurtured and emerge from a social context, such as class,
gender, ethnicity, and environmental settings, resulting in specific everyday cultures (Uzzell,
2009). May be this is the main reason of various definitions of social sustainability of architecture in the different regions.
C ) Human Relationship with the Environment (Space) and Vice Versa :
Man for his or her special abilities can change or control his or her living environment. Such
environment that is made with humans direct interference is called the Built Environment;
also the built environment has some features and properties that James Gibson called them
Affordance of the environment. The concerned properties of Gibson are the physical
properties of the configuration of an object or setting that allow it to be used for some overt
activity (Lang, 1987). The concept of affordance is a simple yet powerful one. It is fundamental to environmental design theory. Different patterns of the built environment afford
different behaviors and aesthetic experiences. The affordances of the environment thus limit
or extend the behavioral and aesthetic choices of an individual depending on how the environment is configured. People have changed and continue to change the natural and the artificial environments to alter set of affordances they possess (Lang, 1987). These changes
have been made so that the terrestrial, animate, and cultural environments should better serve
an individuals or groups purposes. The changes reflect the beliefs and attitudes and resources
of a time and help provide a pattern for the future (Lang, 1987). So it can be resulted that
understanding the affordances of the environment is in touch with the human characteristics
3
The human relationship with outdoor environment is not direct and he or she used a filter between himself or
herself and outdoor space that named psychological space. This space contains different layers such as knowledge,
experience, custom, value, memory and etc. the human activity by crossing from this space converts to behavior
(Pakzad, 2007)
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and stimulations, and this requires examining circumstance of individuals perception from
environment and studying the interaction of human and environment.
One of the most important factors that lead to perception of the meaning of
environment is Schemata. In fact, the schemata are the same imagery and imaginations
of person that obtain from surrounding environment based on his or her experiences and
information. There are different theories about the meaning of environment. The built
environment can convey different meanings such as symbolic meanings, unity meanings,
and even emotional and affective meanings. In this respect, empirical and experimental
research suggests that there are three primary emotional responses: pleasure, arousal, and
dominance. Pleasure has to do with feelings of liking and disliking; arousal has to do with
the interest-evoking qualities of the environment; dominance has to do with the
individuals feelings of freedom of action (Lang, 1987). In each cases, learning and past
experiences (memories), culture, beliefs and values are effective, and because of this, for
instance, variety of cultures can caused different responses by individuals and consequently
can led to change the meaning of the environment in the various cultures. This can be
particularly perceived about symbolic meanings. So, the role of learning and thus of
cultural differences is particularly important in dealing with symbolic meanings and the
development of likes or dislikes of artifacts and patterns of the world (Lang, 1987).
The environment has an important role in how the human behavior is4. This is interpreted
in the environmental psychology to the terms such as Environmental Determinism,
Physical Determinism, and Architectural Determinism. Architectural determinism or
comprehensively, physical determinism contains the meaning that the human behavior, especially in the level of social behaviors, can be altered by creating changes in architectural
elements of environment and its affordances (Motallebi, 2002). In fact, the terms [mentioned
above] all refer to the belief that changes in the layout of the environment will lead to a
change in the social behavior and (when they are considered at all) in the aesthetic values
of the persons involved (Lang, 1987). Environmental determinism should be used broadly
to reflect the belief that it is nurture within the setting of our geographical, social, and cultural
environments, rather than nature, our heredity, that shapes our values and behavior (Lang,
1987). The words fit, afford, synomorphy, and congruence have all been used to describe
the relationship between a pattern of behavior and a pattern of the physical environment.
They can all be used in a qualitative sense (Lang, 1987). Furthermore, it should not be forgotten
that the individuals have to be competent enough to perceive the environmental affordances.
If there were differences between individual competency and environmental affordances,
the psychological comfort or psychological press will be influenced5.
Thus, about the relationship between human and environment it can be resulted that: the
human and the environment has mutual affect on each other. This depends on competencies
and capabilities of both. Most of environmental affordances and personal competencies appear
due to the culture, beliefs, and social values. It can be also resulted that like the human behaviors, the built environment can be impressed by culture and social relations. Culture, by
this way, effects the built environment or behavioral setting to force the individuals to do or
not to do of their treatments. In this case, the environment may induce a behavior to the
4
Jon Lang has considered four approaches in this respect: free-will approach, possibilistic approach, probabilistic
approach, and deterministic approach (Lang, 1987)
5
See the Lowetons proposed model for competency (Lowton, 1973)
103
people or prevent it. In other words, the built environment controls the human behavior in
terms of the cultural rules of society. Social and socialization forces are strongly coercive
people are socialized also to carry out behaviors in particular places. They select a behavior
setting because they have the ability and the desire to conform to the standing pattern of
behavior taking place there. This occurs because the pattern has the potential to fulfill either
the instrumental or the symbolic ends of the people who choose it (Lang, 1987). Therefore,
the environment controls the behaviors.
In the study of the relationship between the environment (space) and the human behavior,
perceiving spatial qualities has an important role. The behavioral setting (built environment)
with its specific design, can lead to perform or omit some of the human behaviors and thus
encourages some particular senses in the users of a space. In this manner, all individuals in
the behavioral setting deduce a quality (e.g. security and beauty and etc.) from that environment or space. These are Spatial Qualities. Spatial qualities are topologic qualities of space,
meaning that the spatial qualities do not depend on spatial geometry (i.e. the size of the
components, quantitative distance between the components and so on), but they pertain to
some factors raised from geometrical relations such as how adjacent elements and their order,
segregation and integration (Pakzad, 2007). In fact, how the spatial elements and relations
between perceived elements in the space lead to create some qualities that lonely or together,
provokes some senses in the observer. It should be noted that these senses are not spatial
qualities but they are the effect of qualities called spatial qualities. For example, the quality
of intelligibility creates readability feeling in individuals. In this regard, researchers such
as Jane Jacobs (1961), Kevin Lynch (1981), Francis Violich (1983), Ian Bentley et al
(1990), Allan Jacobs and Donald Appleyard (1987) and Francis Tibbalds (1989). have
suggested various factors to promote the qualities of built environment.
According to what mentioned in this part of the article, it can be extracted some components
for the social sustainability of architecture. These components would potentially be the
main items for situating social sustainability in a building. This will be discussed in the
next section.
The expression social sustainability exists in the fields such as social science, sociology, urban planning and
the other related fields. The definition of the expression is not the same in all of them, and each field has its own
definition. It is also clear that in this article social sustainability defined in terms of architecture.
104
On the other hand, it was mentioned that the spatial qualities are defined based on the
human needs. In other word, spatial qualities may emerge somehow by reflecting these
needs in space designing. Table 1. provides a translation of Maslows hierarchy of needs
to the qualities that potentially may emerge in designing.
Table 1: Translation of the Human needs to the Design Qualities (Source: Golkar, 2001)
Human Needs
Safety Needs
Safety of passage
Stewardship and Care
Privacy
Permeability and flexibility
Belonging Needs
Social facilities
Sense of place and Identity
Intelligibility and Visual proportions
Esteem Needs
Place attachment
Personalization and Belonging to groups
Physiological Needs
Self-Actualization Needs
Beauty Needs
According to the Table 1. there are some qualitative factors for every need. It means
while a designed space possesses the mentioned qualities, it can establish a long-term
relationship with the users.
In addition to what stated, there is another component that is associated and intertwined
with such discussions and also has a big influence on social sustainability. It is the
compatibility of behavioral patterns and physical patterns in a building7.
Based on these discussions it can be resulted that the establishment of social sustainability of
architecture depends mainly on:
1.
The latest method that argued about the compatibility of behavioral patterns and physical design patterns in architecture and urbanism, is the method of Space Syntax.
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2.
3.
Promoting the quality of space and prioritized the qualities concerning the space
function (based on highest and fine human needs)
Considering the compatibility of the behavioral-biological patterns and the physical
patterns in design
A Case Study
In this article, the city of Ardabil in Iran is selected for the study. Ardabil is one of the
Azeris cities in northwest of Iran, located in the near of Azerbaijans border, and it is
counted as one of the coldest cities of Iran contains so many natural attractions. The
population of Ardabil is about 550,000 that speak in Turkish (Azeri). Also the
majority of people are Muslims. According to the urban context of Ardabil, this city is
one of the ancient and historical cities in Iran that it is about 5000 years old. The
name of the city on the muddy tablets of Summers inscribed as Aratta sets back
to more than 5000 years ago (Amiri, 2005). According to the geographical and
strategic position of the city and also Ardabils location in the passage of the Silk
Road, this city has been the capital city of governments in different historical periods
even at present remains of historical features are seen in the city so that one can admit
the city has kept its traditional texture. This point is obviously reflected in the
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behavioral characteristics of the citizens. Since the modernity ideas have entered to the
public, people are experiencing the contradictions between tradition and modernity. Naturally
architectural and urban spaces have impressed by this opposition and at the present time
their social sustainability study (according to the papers definition) is of more importance.
For instance, buildings or areas can be found that had social sustainability for many years
and by the passage of time and the changing of peoples thought, they have lost their
validity; on the contrary, spaces can be found of more socially sustainability. In other
words, the citys architecture is experiencing sensitive time that happens in the passage from
tradition to modernity, and thus, appropriate principles for social sustainability of
architectural spaces are demanded. This is the main reason for choosing Ardabil city as
the case study of the paper and it could be a proper sample for examining the definition of
social sustainability in this article. So, it was necessary to collect some information about
the public behavior of the citizens and also about their relationship with the urban spaces of
the city. Therefore, at first, two types of open-ended questionnaires were designed: the
questionnaire (A) to study the social and behavioral characteristics of the residents,
according to the research aims; and questionnaire (B) to study residents relationships and
general expectations from architectural and urban spaces. Then the questionnaires were
filled out by a number of residents who were among the young and middle-aged
population as the major age-group of the city8. In fact the aim of formulating these
questionnaires, is investigating citizens requirements, in order to reach the corresponding
spatial qualities of their needs; in addition, collected answers can be helpful in the
studying of third component of social sustainability i.e. the compatibility of the
behavioral-biological patterns and the physical patterns.
According to the results form questionnaire A, a number of more important behavior
specifications of Ardabil residents are as follows:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
According to the national statistics, this age-group is populous in the city; see the Headcount of the Residents of
Ardabil City, 2006
107
7.
8.
People are mostly interested in luxurious shopping centers and prefer to buy what they
need in such places rather than common ones.
Considering the fact that the city is located in the mountainous region and the lack of
special facilities in different seasons in the city causes immobilization, so that people
just go out for their necessary work.
According to the results from questionnaire (B), The Residents Facing the
Architectural Spaces can be listed as follows:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
In the architecture and urban development, in this city, facades and exterior views of
buildings are of more importance to the public.
People are interested in flexible spaces which are capable of accepting new forms, furniture and diverse appearance.
In this city changing the form of known places (spaces that have became familiar for
people and have accustomed to them) is not welcomed and they think that the function
will turn these places in to unpleasant and isolated places in case of change.
The residents need a place capable of reminding their history and reminiscences. They
also need spaces creating the sense of place attachment for them.
Because of the culture, the residents like the places capable of showing off with their
opulence and wealth. The main reason, for this, problem is a type of wrong rivalry in
the current culture.
Citizens tend to come together in some places; they also need streets for walk arounds
and public relations.
Most young people in the city tend to be in touch with others in friendly atmospheres,
meanwhile, they demand social safety in this kind of places. (Especially for women).
Considering old city texture, easy access to public spaces and easy vehicle flow in the
city are important and should be noticed; meanwhile, because of their economic problems, they would like to have free parking for their vehicles.
People do not like to be watched by the dwellers of higher neighborhood buildings facing
their private living areas and even public part of their houses.
Through analyzing the given results, effective factors in the architectural designing of
public buildings and the relevant spatial qualities in Table 2 could be considered. In this
table, effective design indicators have been arranged using the collected answers form
questionnaires A and B; on the other side, each row shows the necessitating spatial
quality9. On the other hand, these factors and their corresponding qualities have been
arranged and collected based on the requirements of individuals.
The spatial qualities in Table 2. have been suggested globally because of having generalization ability.
108
Spatial Qualities
Visual richness
Distinctiveness
Flexibility
Diversity
Visual richness
Place attachment
Distinctiveness
Concentration
Vivacity
Self-sufficiency
109
Conclusion
It is argued that the social sustainability in architecture, can be generally defined over
three components, the first one is paying attention to the fundamental human needs in design,
the second is to promote the spatial qualities and the third one is considerations of the
compatibility of behavioral patterns (activity systems) and the physical design patterns of
the buildings.
Paying attention to the fundamental human needs can be manifested in buildings design
through the observance of physical and architectural standards in design. But, concerning
the second and the third components, it can be concluded that human and his or her way of
perception in environment is the starting point in architectural design based on social
sustainability approach. According to the various perception theories, the process is based on
learning, former experiences and also beliefs which forms the culture and social
customs. Thus, individuals with different cultures can perceive a space differently, on
the other hand, culture and social customs determine the non-physical qualities of a
space. Therefore examining the second and third components of social sustainability of
architecture may have different results in the various regions and areas. Thus, Ardabil city
(Iran) was selected as a case study in this paper, in order to examine the components more
accurately.
Based on the papers findings, the indicators such as concentration, diversity and
choice, self-sufficiency, and flexibility, belong to the general spatial qualities in architectural
spaces as in urban spaces. Through the regional studies, a list of such spatial qualities
which may affect the social sustainability of public buildings (Ardabil), were identified and
recommended. These include qualities such as visual richness, self-sufficiency, flexibility,
place attachment, livability, distinctiveness, and visual security that were mentioned with
their design obligatory guidelines. Consequently, identifying these qualities and promoting
them in public buildings, can strongly guarantee their social sustainability.
In order to study the compatibility of behavioral patterns and physical design patterns,
which concerns with buildings typology, number of considered building types can be
analyzed in the relevant area to reveal the spatial organization and physical pattern; so by
matching them with previously gained information as behavioral patterns, the third
component will be completed.
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Appendix
Questionnaires
Questionnaire A: For Extraction of a Part of Residents Social
Characteristics
(Questionnaire Type: Open)
1.
2.
3.
In your opinion, are there any special limits for men and women of the society? Please
consider their relationship with together and the societies to answer.
4. Do you intend your ordinary family relationships being easily accessed by strangers?
How much?
5. Do you prefer a continually changing or non-changing lifestyle? If you choose the first,
how much cost are you ready to pay for the changes?
6. What is your idea about the dominate people in the city? Which age-group are dominate?
7. Shopping is one of the daily works. Which shopping centers do you refer?
8. According to climate, what is your outdoor hobby in the cold and snowy days?
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
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EDITORS