International Journal of

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Accessibility is one of the important factors in public open space design and the creation of equitable neighborhoods. Limitations caused by physical disabilities should not be a barrier for accessing desired spaces and people must be able to live with the greatest possible independence regardless of mobility limitations. The purpose of this paper was to identify the inclusive criteria of pedestrian design and explore the physical characteristics of equitable neighborhoods in Iranian cities. People who experience disabilities have equal rights to have access to the physical environment, communication devices and different services for education, recreation, social participation, accommodation, health and employment. This study was based on the analysis of the morphological characteristics of the Iranian traditional towns (Yazd and Nain), the socio-historical information, and the direct observation of the spaces, and interviews. The findings of the research showed that social equity and shaping an inclusive community are among the problems of developing countries. Based on the findings related to physical limitations of people with special needs and their attitude toward the varied problems they face, some key solutions have been proposed to guarantee better independent movement and achieve equity of access. People with disabilities should be equal to others in terms of their access to urban spaces, regardless of gender, ethnicity and type of disability. Safety and convenience are some ways for promoting public health especially its mental aspects. Finally it can be said that inclusive pedestrian networks will provide the people especially those suffering from physical disability and moving limitations with more accessible routes and help them participate in personal and social spheres of life more effectively.

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The condition that varieties of cities including Iranian cities are confronted makes the creation of successful public space a necessity. It is clear that for creating suitable public space first we should understand the influencing factors on space and simultaneously solve and improve the problems through understanding the environment. For achieving the factors that influence the success as a main goal of this research, important theories of the successful public space such as White, Montgomery, Jacobs, Gehl, Carr, Oldenburg and the experience of the famous international institutes are reviewed. finally a model for space evaluation based on place game model of PPS institute was presented. The main method of research because of its experimental-theoric orientation for identifying the most influencing factors on success of space is testing theory Method. In order to verify theory the Correlation Test is used. At first based on place model, place game checklist of PPS institute and theoretical framework presented in this paper, the factors influencing the success of public space are categorized as comfort-activity-access- socialability dimensions. By means of deep observation, questionnaire, Llewlyn Davies's scale and field survey techniques data was collected to complete the data requirements of the place evaluation model. In order to spatially analyze the success level at Imam st, interpolation model of GIS software was used. The result showed that Abresan Street is the most successful section, Saat, Mansoor and Golestan sections were followed respectively. The results of investigation about the theory in our case study (Imam Khomeini street) show that between following factors: comfort-activity-access- socialability, factors of comfort and image are the most important condition for place success.

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Land use characteristics affect social behavior and Social Capital (SC) among humans. Due to the different physical dimensions of the dense city neighborhoods, the type of ongoing social interactions in different locations will not be alike. In order to understand Kerman city’s historical quarters, we must analyze the transitions that occurred in the past few decades, and the formation and reshaping of various neighborhoods. The question we must ask is: What is the relationship between mixed land-use (MLU) and Social Capital (SC) in older and newer neighborhoods? In order to answer this question, we must apply the Structural Equations Modeling (SEM) to determine the relationship between the variables, and to measure the amount of MLU and SC, the criteria of "Diversity and Accessibility"; and "Collaboration and Interaction, Neighborhood ties, Trust, Sense of belonging, Participation, Awareness". Based on the findings, the amount of SC and MLU is different in old and new neighborhoods. In all sample neighborhoods, the level of SC is lower than the theoretical average, and the new neighborhood of Pansad-Dastgah is at a higher level than other neighborhoods. In general, there is a causal relationship between SC and MLU in the surveyed neighborhoods. This relationship is direct and incremental in some indicators of "diversity and accessibility" criteria and it is reversed and decreasing in other indices. Also, with increasing MLU, the amount of SC in neighborhoods is amplified. To determine the relationship between LMU and SC, the length of time residents live in a neighborhood and its social context, as well as the assessment of SC, have been considered. The model of old Iranian neighborhoods that have more SC and MLU, and theories of urban planning with MLU in their set of principles, can be a good basis for planning/re-planning in new and existing neighborhoods.