International Journal of

---

Iran is located in a high-risk seismic zone of earthquakes. It has thousands of valuable historic buildings, mostly made of unreinforced masonry, which is quite vulnerable to natural hazards, especially earthquakes. The conservation and seismic upgrading of these buildings is vital for their survival. However, resources are limited and some sort of prioritization is needed in order to allocate the budget. There are several factors, which should be considered when ranking heritage buildings, but this paper mainly focuses on the values of historic buildings and describes a survey undertaken to find out whether it is possible to rank them. The method applied is choosing a particular group of people and determine whether they can classify buildings into a hierarchy? The results showed that most people could perform this task, so some sort of hierarchy exists, although different groups might choose different hierarchies.

---

Political stability and economic security have led to forming small and independent agricultural units in different regions of Iran in a period. They were shaped by combining water with residential, religious, service, and agricultural elements and are referred to in local communities as the "Farmstead" The historical documentation recorded their presence from the 4th century AH until the Safavid era from an economic and jurisprudential approach. Then, domestic and foreign elites introduced them in the form of books and travelogues in the Qajar era; however, they did not mention the architecture of the farmsteads and their features.  in 2008, for the first time, some Farmsteads are introduced by field surveys in Niasar, and the qualities of their formation and structure are considered by publishing papers. The Landlords have built them with two types of agricultural castles and agricultural complexes. In addition, they have determined the location of farmstead by water resources, and their formation was subject to economic and security equations.
The main research problem is insufficient knowledge of the historical farmstead of Iran in the national and international communities. These monuments are ruined due to various reasons in a period, and eventually, the people have forgotten their names.The current study aims to introduce the historical farmsteads of Iran by investigating their past and present status and A main question in this research is: What are the physical and functional characteristics of Iran's historical farmsteads? according to this,The interpretive-historical method is used to read the written documents and survey their historical propertise to reach the research aim  and question. Thus, interviews with farmstead dwellers observation and review maps of historical monuments, and library studies to examine written documents constitute research tools.
These farmsteads were studied in the central plateau of Iran, especially in the cities of Kashan, Qom and Yazd. Some of them were known as castles until now. But in this article, by examining their physical and functional characteristics, it has been determined that they are farmstead and in addition to agricultural land and water, they have physical elements such as Castle, mills, water reservoirs, baths and mosques. Thus the Castle has been a part of the farmstead-related elements. they also have social, cultural, and economic systems. The current research can help to register farmsteads in the list of national monuments of Iran as an independent collection.

---

One of the most famous historical squares of Iran is the Naghsh-e Jahan Complex, of which many studies have been done about its features and its effects on the urban space of Isfahan. The measurement of the geometric system governing the physical structure of this complex is considered an important part, of which no comprehensive research has ever been conducted. Accordingly, this study, aiming at analyzing the impact of the geometric organization and its order on the structure of the Square, and in particular on the location of its multiple accesses, seeks to evaluate this topic by using the relative measuring system based on the geometric rules as a process for the regularization of the space. The relative measurement system is one of the first ones, resulting in the application of geometry to the physical structure of the city and architecture. Its valuable benefits can be the application of dimensions and sizes with the identified coefficients in the cited plan. The present study is classified in the category of historical research, and descriptive and exploratory methods have been used in the historical research. Also, research on library data has provided the basis for analyzing the geometric structure of the Square and its dependent buildings. The research question can be formulated as follows: What is the relationship between the location of multiple entrances to the Naghsh-e Jahan square and its geometric system? The research findings indicate that the structure of the Naghsh-e Jahan Complex is following a geometric system with relative lengths based on the square shape, so the accesses location and the organization of the peripheral elements have all been subject to the mentioned system. Also, the results emphasize the benefit of a continuous process in planning the structure of the recent urban space, including its components, and considering it based on rational and inferential thinking, which, according to the geometric rules, is forming the hidden and revealed relations between the elements of the Safavid city.
 

---

In today's global market, products that meet users' emotional needs are more likely to succeed. Emotional design involves designers incorporating affective thought and user emotions to create a strong emotional connection between the user and the product. Culture plays a significant role in emotional design and user interaction. This study focuses on redesigning dinnerware based on Iran's tradition and cultural heritage. From the viewpoint of design parameters, five historical pottery periods, namely the Samanid, Seljuq, Ilkhanid, Timurid, and Safavid periods, were analyzed, and results were collected. A cultural design model was then created using Kano's questionnaire, which was distributed to thirty participants, both male and female, who were presented with questions related to the redesign of dinnerware. Kano's questionnaire included 16 questions about glazes, colors, patterns, and some of the design ideas used in the vessels from each historical period. A graphical image representing the outstanding pottery of each era was prepared and shown to participants. The results were analyzed using statistical approaches, revealing the cultural-emotional needs of users when interacting with the product. The results indicate a higher preference among Iranian users for ceramic features from the Timurid period. Additionally, the findings suggest that incorporating Sasanian patterns and simple arabesques into the vessels will better attract Iranian users. This approach helps create a more effective and engaging product for users.
 

---

Preserving the Natural Environmental Cultural Heritage (NECH) and improving the urban Quality of Life (QOL) are crucial urban planning issues that play critical roles in cities. The modernization and expansion of cities due to population growth, lifestyle changes, and improved quality of life are inevitable movements in developing and developed countries. Although the new progression has brought many opportunities concerning socio-economic aspects, it has also caused some challenges for urban planning, particularly in conserving cultural heritage. It reaches a point where it is possible to visualize the link between heritage conservation and sustainability, which will enhance the development of future cities. The present study investigates how the NECH and QOL have evolved to be implemented in urban strategic planning to upgrade the NECH and QOL values. The research time scope covers 1920, when the first use of “standard of living” (before QOL) was proposed, until 2023. By reviewing and analyzing texts and documents of historical transformation of the NECH and QOL, tracing and overlying common fields of the NECH and QOL concepts (historical-structural analysis and comparative analysis), and organizing sequential cause and effect relations between milestones and evidence of NECH and QOL historical transformations (timeline diagram), the authors explained the strategic planning approach to support the (NECH and QOL) using the adaptive analysis method and extracting both substantive and procedural components for urban spatial, strategic planning process. The research results presented an urban spatial strategic planning model according to the NECH and QOL components (substantial and procedural). Due to the nature of urban spatial strategic planning (focus on uncertainty in planning; probability of planning process; need to expand the scope of planning in the broader political, social, economic, and environmental fields; focus on paying attention to diverse shareholders; and ability to support urban planning models based on description, analysis, and prescription); a cyclical-continual steps (1) assessing the current situation, (2) problem finding, (3) cause and effect problem analysis, (4) producing a final statement of significant issues and goals, (5) presenting decision options and suggestions (problem-solving), and (6) sharing strategic planning related to cultural and natural heritage among key shareholders and residents, with special content in each step, configured. The achievement of this spatial strategic planning model is bridging between the quality of life and the natural environment cultural heritage concepts and applying its principles of substance and procedure adapted to local conditions in such a way that the capacities of the natural environment heritage of the cities are coextensive with upgrading the resident’s quality of life.