Volume 3, Issue 9 (2-2026)
JORS 2026, 3(9): 8-23 |
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jafari S. Multidimensional Core: A Driver of Urban Sustainability Assessing the Transformation of Qom’s City Center in Consolidating Urban Identity and Function. JORS 2026; 3 (9) : 2
URL: http://jors-sj.com/article-1-89-en.html
URL: http://jors-sj.com/article-1-89-en.html
1- University of Tehran
Abstract: (47 Views)
Adopting a framework grounded in the theory of spatial organization of Iranian cities, this study offers a historical–interpretive analysis of the conceptual and functional transformations of Qom’s city center. The central question addresses the systematic disintegration of the spatial structure of the city core, which has transformed it from an organic, historically unified nucleus into a fragmented and dualized configuration in the contemporary period. Historically, Qom’s city center—through its cohesive linkage between the sacred force of the Shrine and the socio‑economic vitality of the bazaar—produced a radial, multifunctional structure that intertwined religious, commercial, and social uses, thereby defining the city’s spatial identity.
The study argues that this systemic cohesion was disrupted in two critical stages. The first rupture emerged during the Pahlavi era with modernist interventions and the imposition of a cutting‑through street network, which broke apart the cohesive urban fabric. The second stage, following the Islamic Revolution, saw the dominance of a pilgrimage-oriented development discourse, institutionalized in urban planning documents, which further intensified the fragmentation. By privileging supra‑national and pilgrimage scales, this approach severed the functional and spatial link between the historical core and the everyday life of residents, diminishing both local and citywide scales.
The research’s novelty lies in its systemic analysis of these transformations through examination of documents and maps across six historical periods, moving beyond the single‑dimension analyses of prior studies. Findings reveal that this process has generated outcomes such as “spatial–perceptual rupture,” erosion of urban identity, and the emergence of a “dual city,” where the center increasingly functions as a place for the pilgrim while the surrounding areas remain the living domain of the citizen. Ultimately, the paper concludes that the decline of Qom’s city center constitutes a crisis in both its spatial organization and its identity legitimacy, underscoring the necessity of redefining the “center” as an interactive, shared space for both pilgrims and residents.
The study argues that this systemic cohesion was disrupted in two critical stages. The first rupture emerged during the Pahlavi era with modernist interventions and the imposition of a cutting‑through street network, which broke apart the cohesive urban fabric. The second stage, following the Islamic Revolution, saw the dominance of a pilgrimage-oriented development discourse, institutionalized in urban planning documents, which further intensified the fragmentation. By privileging supra‑national and pilgrimage scales, this approach severed the functional and spatial link between the historical core and the everyday life of residents, diminishing both local and citywide scales.
The research’s novelty lies in its systemic analysis of these transformations through examination of documents and maps across six historical periods, moving beyond the single‑dimension analyses of prior studies. Findings reveal that this process has generated outcomes such as “spatial–perceptual rupture,” erosion of urban identity, and the emergence of a “dual city,” where the center increasingly functions as a place for the pilgrim while the surrounding areas remain the living domain of the citizen. Ultimately, the paper concludes that the decline of Qom’s city center constitutes a crisis in both its spatial organization and its identity legitimacy, underscoring the necessity of redefining the “center” as an interactive, shared space for both pilgrims and residents.
Article number: 2
Editorial: Original Research Article |
Subject:
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Received: 2025/12/21 | Accepted: 2026/01/30 | Published: 2026/02/20
Received: 2025/12/21 | Accepted: 2026/01/30 | Published: 2026/02/20
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