A Critical Analysis of Urban Development Using the Application of Genealogy over Metropolitan City of Mashhad Iran

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to explain how and why to use the genealogy approach in order to understand the evolution of the role of cities over time with special emphasis on the city of Mashhad. "The role of the city" and its developments can be analyzed with different approaches such as the economic approach or the urban geography approach. But in this research, Foucault's genealogy was used, and the city and its role were investigated under the influence of the power of governance and its mutual relations with space and knowledge. The basic questions are: Regardless of the initial formation and the geographical and political background of the city of Mashhad, what is the dominant role of this city now? How have these roles been formed over time and what discourses have been effective in creating these roles? Does this city have new power and capacity for development? Based on Foucault's theory of genealogy, the analysis of the development process of urban roles can be done using power-related tools and knowledge products. Based on this, the dominant role of cities has been formed during historical periods and between historical breaks, and new spatial links of manifestations of power and knowledge have been created in the urban space. The urban space of Mashhad and its historical, physical and social developments have been formed under the influence of an interconnected network of knowledge and power.