Redevelopment of urban brown−fields with social aspect of place making procedure (Case study of Abkuh Sugar Factory in Mashhad)

Document Type : Scientific Research

Authors

• faranak hassani
• Mahlla Aftabi
• Haneh pouyafar

University lecturer of khayyam, Mashhad, Iran

Abstract

Highlights

 Today, more than 47% of the world's population lives in urban areas, and about60%  of the population will be part of the urban population by 2030. Therefore, the role of sustainability in the planning and design of urban areas has become a vital issue. The development of urban areas, which is defined by the interactions between the three dimensions of sustainability (environmental, economic and social), can be considered as a way to combat problems and promote the advantages of cities. Urban construction is one of the biggest components of using environmental resources and one of the biggest causes of environmental and natural pollution.

Improving the urban structure with respect to the social environment, in fact, creates more environmental responsibility and creates value in welfare conditions for future generations. In this regard, social evaluation of stakeholders and participants will provide an opportunity to identify design factors. In addition, the views of stakeholders and stakeholders are reflected in the flexible stages of project location. Based on the current situation of Mashhad urban structure, the old industrial site of Abkooh sugar factory is classified as one of the brown fields. After World War II, many cities developed rapidly, taking over old industrial sites. These old industrial sites created unused gaps with a valuable location within the city, so there were good opportunities for redevelopment under the name of Brown field. These sites need to be recognized, indexed, and redeveloped to help local communities prepare for action to address social problems. However, land redevelopment, redesign, and reuse.

Urban redevelopment and redesign can be considered as one of the types of planning for the future and therefore it can also take on the dimensions of futurology. Futurism is not a prediction of the future, but an attempt to build a perspective of the future with different approaches such as possible, reasonable, probable, preferred or desirable futures. But the newer approach to futurology, called futurism, is a participatory and, of course, critical approach to previous positivist methods of the future and is an attempt to facilitate the empowerment and transformation of planning areas through interaction and participation. To take advantage of such an approach, researchers can use several qualitative and quantitative methods as tools to achieve the goal, which usually include future surveillance, Delphi, trend analysis, drive analysis, scenario writing, visioning, roadmap, game theory, and so on. Among the tools mentioned in this research, the main focus is on screenwriting. Now the main purpose of this study is to redesign the site of Abkooh Sugar Factory as one of the brown lands of Mashhad, based on the social aspects of location technique and using scripting tools to describe the desired future. This planning for redevelopment to Mashhad Municipality and the environment. This planning will help Mashhad Municipality and the urban environment to redevelop by providing a safe and healthy environment in the future.

In the present study, the main data preparation process is based on the social aspect of the location survey technique, which is performed using the survey method. One of the key elements of social assessment in spatial planning is the social analysis of the views of different population groups using a questionnaire, because social and participatory planning is a practical method for determining the validity of environmental and social issues in the planning process. In this regard, the evaluation of the questionnaire usually includes three structural measures that include design factors, type of social activity and users' perception. In the present study, the questionnaires included a dual scale of pros and cons. In the present study, the questionnaires included a dual scale of positive and negative statements. To assess the reliability of the questionnaire, Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used, which was obtained through SPSS software analysis of more than 0.7. Then, from the statistical population of about 62,000 people living in the inclusive area on the site of Abkooh sugar factory, a sample size of 380 people was selected based on Cochran's formula. In Cochran's formula, a significant value of 0.05 was considered using 95% confidence level.

In this regard, the location technique was considered using field research and obtaining the participants' opinions. Then, the script writing method was used to predict the scope of the study area. The process of writing a script generally involves determining the environmental impulses, designing the scenario, evaluating the scenario, and completing the details first presented by the marker. Therefore, in the first step, the two main drivers of social perspectives and design factors were considered as social and technological driving forces. In the second step, with a deductive reasoning from the conclusions drawn from the questionnaires and determining the main design requirements, an attempt was made to formulate three minimum, intermediate and maximum scenarios to strengthen the propulsive forces. Therefore, three scenarios of redevelopment and redesign were generated to create favorable futures in a suitable environment. In the third step, to evaluate the scenarios, three main criteria for evaluating form, body and meaning with a set of sub-criteria were considered as vital factors for future scenarios. Finally, in the fourth step, after selecting the scenario, the details are usually completed. In this study, only descriptive variables were used to express the selected scenario.

In conclusion of the present study, in order to show a redevelopment program in the factory of Abkooh Sugar Factory in Mashhad as one of the main brown lands of Mashhad, the social dimensions of the location technique were considered which was examined using a questionnaire. Based on the main results of the questionnaire review, almost more than 60% of the local residents had an acceptable agreement to remove the industrial user from the site, redesign and restore the required user and increase secure access. According to the needs assessment for land use extracted from questionnaire forms and common land use per capita in the scope of studies, a certain amount of each level required for land use in planning the redesign of the study site was estimated.  Then, using the scenario writing method for futurism of the study area, the two main drivers of social perspectives and design factors were considered and based on that, three minimum, medium and maximum scenarios were developed. Accordingly, three redevelopment plans were generated to create a suitable environment. Then, based on the three main criteria of physical, functional and perceptual evaluation as vital factors in the realization of future scenarios, the second redesign scenario was selected as the optimal design for Abkooh sugar factory. Because its design for land use distribution and pedestrian network had more flexibility, accessibility and security than other scenarios. However, all scenarios for the redevelopment of the Abkooh sugar factory site could create potential synergies for the site in the future, as well as paving the way for leisure and sports facilities, leisure and entertainment, and educational and social infrastructure. In general, it seems that brown lands may be considered as a potential opportunity to reprogram the built environment in many old industrial sites in Iranian cities. However, the best strategy to improve the location mechanism on brown lands should be supported by experienced local participants and national stakeholders.

Keywords

• Redevelopment
• Brown−field
• Place Making Technique
• Abkuh Sugar Factory

Main Subjects

• Urban Development