Volume 3, Issue 9 (2-2026)
JORS 2026, 3(9): 48-63 |
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Majidi M, Afzali A. Façade as the Narrator of Power: A Case Study of the Historical Fabric of Qom. JORS 2026; 3 (9) : 5
URL: http://jors-sj.com/article-1-90-en.html
URL: http://jors-sj.com/article-1-90-en.html
1- Department of Landscape of Architecture, NAZAR Research Center for Art, Architecture, and Urbanism, Tehran, Iran
2- Department of Landscape Architecture, School of Architecture, College of Fine Arts, University of Tehran, Iran.
2- Department of Landscape Architecture, School of Architecture, College of Fine Arts, University of Tehran, Iran.
Abstract: (1119 Views)
Over the past decades, rapid transformations in urban construction—particularly in building materials and architectural styles—have intensified the need for effective regulation of urban façades. As central visual elements of the cityscape, façades play a pivotal role in shaping residents’ perceptions of the urban environment. A clear distinction must therefore be made between the “city image,” as the physical manifestation of urban form, and the “urban landscape,” as the experiential and perceptual dimension of citizens. This distinction highlights the critical importance of façade design quality. Qom, with its historical and religious significance, has recently undergone substantial physical changes driven by development projects. These interventions have produced both positive and negative impacts on the city’s image and, consequently, its urban landscape—particularly within the historical fabric. Existing regulations intended to improve façade management in Qom, however, have proven largely ineffective in practice. As a result, visual disorder, identity loss, and incoherence have become evident in the cityscape. This study employs a qualitative approach, drawing on document analysis, previous scholarship, field observations, and open-ended questionnaires, to assess the current condition of façades in Qom. Findings demonstrate that the urban landscape is shaped through the interaction of political, economic, and social forces. The inability of municipal institutions to recognize and effectively manage these forces is identified as the main source of disorder. Accordingly, empowering urban governance to better identify and appropriately redistribute such forces is considered a necessary condition for improving the quality of Qom’s city image and, by extension, its urban landscape.
Article number: 5
Editorial: Original Research Article |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2025/12/22 | Accepted: 2026/02/9 | Published: 2026/02/20
Received: 2025/12/22 | Accepted: 2026/02/9 | Published: 2026/02/20
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40. Alishah, M., Ebrahimi, A., & Ghaffari, F. (2016). The role of buildings facades of on urban landscape (case study: old context of Sari). The Turkish Online Journal of Design Art and Communication, 1347-1356. https://doi.org/ 10.7456/1060AGSE/019 [DOI:10.7456/1060AGSE/019]
41. Atarod, F. & Kashi, H. (2018). Constituent Elements of Urban Facade. Armanshahr Architecture & Urban Development, 10(21), 173-192. https://www.armanshahrjournal.com/article_58605.html
42. Atashinbar, M. (2009). The Continuity of Identity in Urban Landscape. Bagh-e Nazar, 6(12), 45-56. https://www.bagh-sj.com/article_32.html
43. Benkovičová, L. (2024). Sustainability, Beauty, and Power in Architecture. International Journal of Architecture, Arts and Applications, 10(3), 54-63. https://doi.org/ https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijaaa.20241003.12 [DOI:https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijaaa.20241003.12]
45. Bourdieu, P. (1984). Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgment of Taste. Harvard University Press.
46. Carmona, M., Heath, T., Oc, T., & Tiesdell, S. (2021). Public Places, Urban Spaces: The Dimensions of Urban Design (3rd ed.). Routledge.
47. Cullen, G. (1961). Townscape. Architectural Press.
48. Dovey, K. (2016). Urban Design Thinking: A Conceptual Toolkit. Bloomsbury.
49. Esmaili, F., Charehjoo, F., & Hoorijani, N. (2020). Analyzing and Evaluating Facades with a Special Approach to Visual Aesthetics Using the Grid Method (Case Study: Enqelab Street in Sanandaj). Bagh-e Nazar, 17(82), 65-78. http://doi.org/10.22034/bagh.2019.165147.3934 [doi.org/10.22034/bagh.2019.165147.3934]
50. Foucault, M. (1977). Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. Vintage.
51. Gehl, J. (2010). Cities for People. Island Press.
52. • Ghiabi, M. (2022). نقش نما و جداره ها در منظر شهری با تاکید بر زیبایی شناسی محیط [The role of facades and walls in the urban landscape with emphasis on the aesthetics of the environment]. Journal of Urban Design Studies and Urban Research, 5(2), 67-75. [In Persian]
53. Harvey, D. (2008). The Right to the City. New Left Review.
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55. Jacobs, J. (1961). The Death and Life of Great American Cities. Random House.
56. Jones, P. (2011). Architecture, Power and Identities: Surveying the Field. Liverpool University Press.
57. Kasravi, R., & Hashemizadegan, S.A. (2023). A Comparative Study of Sima, Manzar, and Chesm Andaz as Persian Equivalents of Landscape in English. Manzar, the Scientific Journal of Landscape, 15(64), 54-59.
58. Khakzand, M., Mohammadi, M., Jam, F., & Aghabozorgi, K. (2014). Identification of factors influencing urban facade's design with an emphasis on aesthetics and ecological dimensions Case study: Valiasr (a.s.) Street -Free Region of Qeshm. Motaleate Shahri, 3(10), 15-26. https://urbstudies.uok.ac.ir/article_8763.html?lang=en
59. Khosravi, S. (2010). Young and Defiant in Tehran. University of Pennsylvania Press.
60. Lefebvre, H. (1991). The Production of Space. Blackwell.
61. Lynch, K. (1960). The Image of the City. MIT Press.
62. Majidi, M., & Hashemizadegan, S. A. (2025). Landscape and Politics (Conceptology of the Nature and Political Aspects of Landscapes). Bagh-e Nazar, 21(141), 15-26. https://doi/10.22034/bagh.2025.500586.5745 [doi/10.22034/bagh.2025.500586.5745]
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64. Martinelli, P.M. (2019). Inside the Façade: The Inhabited Space between Domestic and Urban Realms.
65. Nezhadbahram, Z., & Jalili, S. M. (2021). Explanation of "Urban Power" and Its Effects on the Development Process of Tehran City. Armanshahr Architecture & Urban Development, 13(33), 269-280.
66. Parker, S. (2003). Politics, people and power. In S. Parker (Ed.), Urban theory and the urban experience: Encountering the city (pp. 120-137). Routledge.
67. Porta, S., & Renne, J. L. (Eds.). (2019). The Routledge Handbook of Urban Design Research Methods. Routledge.
68. Pula, D., & Perna, V. (2023). Architecture as Metaphor: Politics and Aesthetics in the Modernist City. ArchiDOCT, 11(2). https://iris.uniroma1.it/retrieve/5bc2059f-863f-4d17-bf66-17f7f25a15e9/Perna_Architecture-Metaphor_2023.pdf
69. Rahimi, M. (2018). An Investigation and Analysis of the Elements of Urban Power in Historical and Contemporary Periods. Journal of Iranian Studies, 17(33), 155-176.
70. Relph, E. (1976). Place and Placelessness. Pion.
71. Rodger, R. (2023). The facade of power and the power of the facade: memory and meaning in Victorian cities. Urban History, 50(4), 703-738.
72. Trancik, R. (1986). Finding Lost Space: Theories of Urban Design. Van Nostrand Reinhold.
73. Yeang, K. (2006). A vertical theory of urban design. In M. Moor & J. Rowland (Eds.), Urban design futures (pp. 135- 140). Routledge.
74. Zandieh, M., & Goodarzian, Sh. (2014). Landscape approach, the success factor of urban tourism. Bagh-e Nazar, 11(30), 59-66. https://www.bagh-sj.com/article_6498.html?lang=en
75. Zarif, A., Alborzi, F., & Sohili, J. (2022). Investigating the Views of Urban Streets in terms of Citizens' Perception (Case Study: Pedestrian May 15, Tehran). Journal of Applied Researches in Geographical Sciences. 22(66), 325-341.
76. Zukin, S. (1991). Landscape of power. University of California Press.
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