Abbas Azari, Naser Barati, Mona Sedighi,
Volume 33, Issue 4 (12-2023)
Abstract
This study endeavors to explore the predicament associated with spaces lacking distinctive character and identity, ultimately resulting in the estrangement of shrines from their peripheral surroundings. Focusing on Mashhad, renowned as the holiest city in Iran and a site of numerous interventions, this research employs it as a case study. The central inquiry revolves around establishing a coherent nexus between the notion of polarity and the intellectual foundations shaping the development of environs surrounding holy shrines. The core objective is to discern the alignment of contemporary advancements around these shrines with their initial conceptual underpinnings. Employing a qualitative approach, this research adopts a descriptive method rooted in the case study framework. The outcomes derived from statistical analysis and the application of space syntax techniques reveal that extensive interventions encircling the shrine of Imam Reza have significantly disrupted the city's connectivity with the shrine. This disruption has led to the displacement of residents, severed emotional ties with the surrounding fabric, and a perceptible attenuation of the sense of place, culminating in the erosion of the genius loci or spirit of place. Furthermore, an examination of the fabric of this separation underscores an anti-Shiite intellectual basis, demonstrating incongruence with the ideal of human communion with "the perfect man." In light of these findings, it is proposed that development initiatives in Islamic cities should prioritize considerations aligned with the intellectual foundations governing city construction. This emphasis is crucial for sustaining the inherent character and spirit of the place amidst developmental endeavors.
Somaye Sabouri, Naser Barati,
Volume 35, Issue 4 (11-2025)
Abstract
The concept of place has long been regarded as a foundational notion in urban design, environmental psychology, and cognitive science. Yet, the mental and neural mechanisms underlying place perception have rarely been examined through an interdisciplinary lens. This study focuses on the role of the hippocampal neural structure in the mental representation of place, exploring the links between episodic memory, emotion, lived experience, and the semantic dimensions of place. Drawing on cognitive and semantic theories, prototypes are considered as primary, central configurations that shape individual perceptions of place.
The research was designed at both conceptual and empirical levels. Conceptually, the notions of “place,” “hippocampus,” and “prototype” were analyzed from the perspectives of neuroscience, environmental psychology, and phenomenology. Empirically, free word-association data were collected from 60 residents and pilgrims in the vicinity of the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad. The data were analyzed using content analysis, with internal validity ensured through theoretical saturation.
Findings reveal that mental associations with the term " place" fall into four main clusters: personal spaces, sacred and spiritual spaces, functional spaces, and value concepts of place. Due to early theoretical saturation and the limited diversity of responses, place-based experiences in the contemporary urban context appear restricted, with urban spaces often failing to evoke memory, meaning, or sensory engagement—particularly among residents. Pilgrims exhibit more intense emotional engagement but a narrower spatial focus, whereas residents experience a broader spatial range with less emotional intensity.
In conclusion, place perception is not merely a spatial or functional phenomenon but is deeply rooted in the interweaving of memory, emotion, and daily life, underpinned by the hippocampus. By integrating concepts from cognitive neuroscience with place theory, this study opens new horizons for understanding human experience of place and for developing urban design approaches grounded in memory and perception.
