Successful public places: A case study of historical Persian gardens

Abstract

Public open spaces today are considered important urban environmental elements that offer a positive contribution to quality of life. They are vital ingredients of successful cities that can help to build a sense of community, civic identity and culture, and facilitate social capital, economic development and community revitalization. Accordingly, the perceived values and qualities of successful public places are acknowledged as crucial. Efforts have been made to evaluate public space conditions (i.e., physical, spatial, visual, social, functional, and etc.) for users and a series of indicators – physical–environmental qualities (i.e., scenic beauty, seating, lighting, paths, amenities, etc.) and subjective qualities (i.e., being comfortable, passive and active engagement, and etc.) – have been demonstrated. Using the case of historical Persian gardens, this paper examines how and why these gardens as the first examples of Iranian green spaces are still being actively used by contemporary urban dwellers. Accordingly, the research investigated the popularity, diversity, distinctiveness, attractiveness and comfort of the gardens as success indicators through applying mixed method approaches. Obtained results suggested that historical Persian gardens could be categorized as successful public places due to their historical, natural, functional (social and recreational) and emotional related aspects. The results have direct implications for urban planners and policy makers, landscape architects and environmental designers and provide guidance for planning, improving and designing successful public places.