Hamedan's Chaman; An Indigenous Neighborhood Center Model Integrating Green Space and Socio-Service Realms in a Cold Mountainous Climate

Document Type : Original Article

Author

1- Assistant Professor and Faculty Member, Faculty of Engineering, University of Qom, Qom, Iran. amirhosein.farshchian@Qom.ac.ir

Abstract
In the indigenous urban planning system of Hamedan, the "Chaman" has emerged as a unique type of neighborhood center in the cold & mountainous climate, integrating geometrically enclosed green spaces & water with socio-service functions within a coherent spatial system. Despite its climatic efficiency, social cohesion, & spatial justice, its design knowledge has been marginalized in contemporary urban development, & its role in new neighborhood centers remains undefined. This research aims to systematically identify the physical-functional characteristics of the Chaman & provide an analytical framework for its application in designing contemporary neighborhood centers. The central research question is: what are the key components of the Chaman model, & how can it be transformed into an operational model for neighborhood centers in cold-climate cities? Employing a mixed-methods approach; including library research, field surveys, semi-structured interviews, & comparative analysis of the three surviving Chamans in Hamedan (Kolpa, Kababian, & Haji); the findings reveal that the Chaman model is based on five key components: climatic geometry, enclosed walls, green space & water, socio-service functions, & spatial hierarchy. These components operate across three domains; climatic-local, socio-functional, & historical-identity; & have facilitated social sustainability & place attachment. This research redefines the Chaman as a "green-social infrastructure" & offers an analytical-operational model for designing contemporary neighborhood centers in cold-climate cities, applicable to the regeneration of deteriorated urban fabrics & the development of new neighborhoods. The analytical reinterpretation of the Chaman model within the horizon of contemporary urban design knowledge introduces this space not merely as a historical type but as a pioneering example of "sustainable multi-functional systems" at the neighborhood scale, shaped by the logic of "ecological-social compatibility."

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