Preparation of Urban Environments in Terms of Creating an Ecological Balance Between Humans and Animals: A Proposal for the Coding of Animal-Spatial Zones for the City of Tehran, Case Study: Ekbatan Settlement

Document Type : Science - Research

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Urban Planning, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.

2 MSc., Department of Geography and Urban Planning, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.

3 MSc. Student., Department of Geography and Urban Planning, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Modern cities, due to their inherent modernity, have largely overlooked the presence of various animal species in their management and planning structures, focusing primarily on human-centric design. This perspective has precipitated a crisis in urban livability and disrupted the ecological equilibrium of cities. The conservation of biodiversity eases the preservation of the ecological infrastructure utilized by humans. This aligns with the emergence of new viewpoints and cultures, such as animal rights and pet care among urban residents. This research endeavors to integrate the cohabitation of humans and animal species into the planning structure by comprehensively examining various animal species and diverse perspectives on their presence in cities, thereby facilitating the conservation and rejuvenation of biodiversity and ecological balance in urban areas. The current study is application-oriented and adopts a mixed-methods approach. The qualitative section of the study employs the grounded theory method. The target population comprises experts in urban planning, urban ecology, and veterinary medicine who specialize in incorporating animals into the urban planning process and maintaining ecosystem balance in Iran. The data obtained have been analyzed using MAXQDA and Esri ArcGIS Pro software. The results yielded strategies in the dimensions of planning and management, education and culture-building, organization and physical preparation, and environmental improvement and promotion. These strategies have been proposed for the redesign of the Ekbatan neighborhood, which was selected as a case study.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

Alahyari, H., Nasehi, S., Parak, M., & Zebardast, L. (2018). Ecological approaches in planning for sustainable streets (Case study: Azadi Street). Geography (Regional Planning), 8(31), 123-134. (In Persian). DOR. 20.1001.1.22286462.1397.8.3.30.1
Animals. (2022). Special Issue: Conflict and Coexistence: Human–Wildlife Interactions in Cities. Animals.
Apfelbecka, B., Snep, R., & et al. (2020). Designing Wildlife-inclusive Cities that Support Human-animal co-existence. Landscape and Urban Planning, 200. https://doi.org/10.1016
Aronson, M., La Sorte, F., Nilon, N., & et al. (2014). A global analysis of the impacts of urbanization on bird and plant diversity reveals key anthropogenic drivers. Proceedings. Biological sciences, 281(1780). DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2013.3330
Atkins, P. (2012). Animal Cities Beastly Urban Histories. Durham: Routledge.
Azerrad, J., Carleton, J., Davis, J., & et al . (2009). Landscape planning for Washington’s wildlife: Managing for biodiversity in developing areas. US: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281109892_Landscape_Planning_for_Washington%27s_Wildlife_Managing_for_Biodiversity_in_Developing_Areas
Bibri, S. E. (2020). The eco-city and its core environmental dimension of sustainability: green energy technologies and their integration with data-driven smart solutions. Energy Informatics, 3-4. DOI:10.1186/s42162-020-00107-7
Breuste, J. (2020). The Green City: General Concept. Urban-Rural-Sociology, 1-15. DOI:10.1007/978-3-030-37716-8_1
Bruskotter, J. T., & Wilson, R. S. (2022). Reframing urban “wildlife” to promote inclusive conservation science and practice. Conservation Science and Practice.
Carter, S. (2016). Planning for Dogs in Urban Environments. for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning The University of Melbourne.
Cengiz, Canan. (2013). Advances in Landscape Architecture: urban ecology. Bartın University, Faculty of Forestry, Department of Landscape Architecture.
Dabiri, M., & Masnavi, M. R. (2015). From Urban Development to Landscape-oriented Ecological Urbanism. MANZAR, the Scientific Journal of landscape, 7(32), 66-73. (In Persian).
Dell'Angelo, S., & Marzluff, J. M. (2021). From urban sprawl to ecological corridors: Reconnecting urban ecosystems for biodiversity conservation. Urban Ecosystems, 24(3), 883-890. DOI:10.1641/0006-3568(2002)052[0883:UBAC]2.0.CO;2
Elmqvist, T., Seto, K. C., Daily, G. C., & et al, (2013). Urbanization, biodiversity and ecosystem services: challenges and opportunities: a global assessment. Science, 1-11. DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-7088
Fischer, J., & Lindenmayer, D. B. (2024). Urban planning for biodiversity conservation: A review of the evidence. Ambio, 53(5), 1012-1025.
Forman, R. (2008). Urban regions: Ecology and planning beyond the city. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Guerry, A., Smith, J., Lonsdorf, E., & et al. (2021). Urban Nature and Biodiversity for Cities. Washington DC: The World Bank Group.
Information and Communication Technology Organization of Tehran Municipality (1401), Statistics of Tehran, https://www.tehran.ir.
Knight, R. L., & Temple, S. A. (1997). Balancing human needs and wildlife conservation in urbanizing landscapes. Environmental management, 21(6), 821-834.
Liu, J., Chen, C., & Ma, Q. (2023). Spatial-animal zones for biodiversity conservation in urbanizing landscapes: A review and perspectives. Landscape Ecology, 38(3), 605-619.
Manhoobi, N. (2016). An attitude on urban ecology in line with the realization of a sustainable city.International Conference on Research in Civil Engineering, Architecture, Urban Planning and Sustainable Environment. (In Persian)
McDonnell, M. J., & Hahs, A. K. (2008). Urban ecology: Science of cities. Springer Science & Business Media.
Mofidi, M. (2020). Research advanced methods in architecture. Tehran: Simayedanesh. (In Persian)
Movahed, Sepideh, & Tabibyan, M. (2018). Analysis of Attitudes and Use of Urban Ecology Science In Urban Planning with Concentration on National to Local Plans. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, 20(2 (77) ), 169-189. (In Persian).
Naughton-Treves, L., Holland, M. B., & Brandon, K. (2003). Spatially explicit conservation planning. Science, 302(5652), 1665-1668.
Parsons, A. W., & Harris, S. (2022). It Is a Wild World in the City: Urban Wildlife Conservation and Communication in the Age of COVID-19. Urban Ecosystems.
Pew Research Center. (2020). Urban Wildlife Report. https://www.pewresearch.org/
Saunders, D. A., Hobbs, R. J., & Margules, C. R. (1991). Biological corridors: linear habitats in a fragmented landscape. Landscape ecology, 6(3), 187-202.
Soulsbury, C., Gray, H., &  et al. (2020). The welfare and ethics of research involving wild animals: A primer, Methods in Ecology and Evolution. 11, 1164-1181. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.13435
Steiner, F., Young, G., & Zube, E. (1988). Ecological planning: retrospect and prospect. Landscape journal, 7(1), 31-39. DOI:10.5822/978-1-61091-491-8_9
Threlfall, C., Soanes, K., & Ramalho, et al. (2019). Conservation of Urban Biodiversity: a National Summary of Local Actions. Melbourne: CAUL.
Weisser, W., & Hauck, T. (2017). Animal-Aided Design – Using a Species’ life-cycle to Improve Open Space Planning and Conservation in Cities and Elsewhere. Terrestrial Ecology Research Group, Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Management. bioRxiv 150359. DOI:10.1101/150359

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 28 October 2023
  • Revise Date: 16 August 2024
  • Accept Date: 08 December 2024

Share

How to cite

Statistics