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Urban development transformations surrounding sacred sites extend beyond mere physical interventions, profoundly impacting the spatial structure, social identity, and economic systems of the host cities. As a major religious epicenter in Iran, the city of Qom has witnessed extensive interventions in the immediate environs of the Holy Shrine of Fatima Masumeh over recent decades. While primarily driven by the objective of enhancing pilgrimage capacity and streamlining service provision, these interventions have precipitated multi-layered consequences for both the spatial structure and the lived experiences of local residents. The core problem addressed in this study is to elucidate how Qom’s urban development trajectory has influenced the spatial structure surrounding the shrine, analyzed through the lens of a place-based development approach. Employing a qualitative and interpretative methodology, this research relies on the comprehensive analysis of historical and contemporary documents, spatial maps, approved master plans, and existing urban studies. The theoretical framework is anchored in three primary pillars of place-based development: socio-cultural, physical-spatial, and economic-functional dimensions. The analytical process was conducted in three phases: reconstructing historical trajectories, correlating findings with theoretical indicators, and identifying the dominant intervention paradigms. Findings indicate that the prevailing development orientation in the study area has disproportionately prioritized the expansion of physical capacity and pilgrimage-related services. Consequently, the equilibrium among social, spatial, and economic dimensions has been severely disrupted. The most critical consequences of this trend include demographic shifts, the erosion of local social networks, the replacement of fine-grained urban morphology with large-scale developments, and a transition from a neighborhood-centric economy to a capital-driven paradigm. The results emphasize that the continuation of such interventions—without recalibration based on place-based principles—risks further diminishing the historical identity and the quality of the spatial experience. Accordingly, fostering resident participation, supporting endogenous economic models, and prioritizing the human scale in spatial design are proposed as essential imperatives for recalibrating development policies within historical-religious urban contexts.

Keywords: Urban Development, Place-Based Development, Pilgrimage Cities, Place Identity, Qom

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