This study examines the consequences of high-density urban development within Iran’s urban planning system, addressing a critical gap in domestic research on population density impacts. The research employs qualitative analysis and documentary studies, utilizing fishbone diagrams and inductive content analysis to investigate how capitalist-driven high-density growth has surpassed optimal thresholds, creating multifaceted challenges. Findings reveal 27 primary factors and 111 sub-factors of harm across seven key dimensions: economic-functional, spatial-physical, socio-cultural, political-institutional, perceptual-psychological, visual, and environmental.
The socio-cultural dimension emerges as the most significant, containing the highest concentration of identified issues, followed by spatial-physical and environmental concerns. These problems manifest as infrastructure deficiencies, lifestyle disruptions, and erosion of cultural values, particularly threatening the preservation of Islamic-Iranian urban identity. The analysis demonstrates how unregulated density intensifies systemic pressures, creating compound effects where physical overcrowding exacerbates social tensions and environmental degradation.
The study highlights the urgent need for localized density frameworks that respect Iran’s climatic diversity and cultural specificities. Current approaches, often imported without adaptation, fail to address the unique interaction between environmental capacities and socio-cultural norms in Iranian cities. The research proposes context-sensitive strategies for redefining density standards, emphasizing place-based solutions that balance development needs with cultural preservation.
Key recommendations include: (1) developing regional density thresholds based on environmental carrying capacity, (2) integrating cultural impact assessments into density planning, and (3) establishing multi-stakeholder governance frameworks involving policymakers, urban planners, and community representatives. The findings underscore the necessity for coordinated action across management levels to prevent further erosion of tangible and intangible urban values while accommodating population growth. This research contributes a systematic analysis of density-related harms specific to the Iranian context, providing a foundation for culturally-grounded urban planning strategies that could inform similar developing contexts facing rapid urbanization pressures.
