Embedded heritage: the role of information and communication technology (ICT) in urban placemaking (case study: Tehran's citadel)

Abstract

As young, active, creative, and authentic people tend to outmigration from the historical contexts of downtown Tehran, the question in this paper has dealt with the ways of place-making through ICT. Hence, the article seeks to find an urban design solution to attract people to the inner parts of the cities. The primary purpose of this study is to enhance public events in the historic zone of Tehran's Citadel by using ICT. In spite of the potentials of the heritage areas in empowering social interactions and nightlife entertainments, many of the historic urban spaces have now fallen into disrepair and decrepitude. The importance of this research is in recreating the morphological, economic, social and historical aspects of vast and sensitive areas in Tehran and other similar cities. Therefore, by studying the evolution of urban fabrics in three historical periods, the physical, social, and historic-cultural features of these periods have been studied and assessed through 3D modeling and fabrication. Volumetric envelopes of historic monuments, some of which are now destroyed, are to be made and virtually displayed in the original location of the buildings by using lighting techniques. The result of this paper indicates that in addition to its instrumental role of digital documentation production, ICT may enhance historical urban sites and aid people in three main place aspects including the functional aspect (enhancing safety, nightlife, and social interaction), the perceptual aspect (enhancing the identity of the place) and the physical aspect (redesigning urban places).