Analysis of the Role of Urban Spaces Production Factors the Case Study of Urmia City

Document Type : Research article

Authors

1 Urban Planning Department, Faculty of Architecture, Urban Planning, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran.

2 Department of Urban Planning, Faculty of Architecture, Urban Planning and Art, Urmia University.

3 عضو هیات علمی

4 urbanism department, Islamic university of art , Tabriz, Iran

10.22059/jurbangeo.2024.370183.1902

Abstract

ABSTRACT
Space and how to organize it is one of the challenging problems that different sciences have paid much attention to for a long time. Looking to space as a base to show economic and social inequality is very important. Urban space can be produced and consumed like other social productions. Therefore, cognition and analysis of social processes are necessary to introduce space. In this research, according to the rule of capitalism in the cities of Iran, the impact of the capital economy on the process of Urmia urban space production is considered. The aim of this research is to consider the impact of capitalism on Urmia urban space production and the effective factors of extraction on it. This research, as the aim of method research, is practical. Also, this research is qualitative in terms of nature and method. The analytical method of this research is the Lefebvre dialectical method, which is tied to the historical-analytical method. So, in this research, different historical eras from "Ghajjar" are now considered. Documental tools like library sources, websites, maps, pictures, and programs, as well as field tools like view and interview, are also used to collect data. This research concluded that the space is not fabricated, and the urban spaces of Urmia are formed based on the necessity of capital. The results of this research have the obvious view that city managers, decision-takers, and planners should solve the difficulties of urban spaces, especially in Urmia city. Also, controlling and guiding the space development of Urmia city based on justice is the other practice of this research.
 
Extended Abstract
Introduction
Space and how to organize it is one of the challenging problems that different sciences have paid much attention to for a long time. Looking to space as a base to show economic and social inequality is very important. Urban space can be produced and consumed like other social productions. Therefore, cognition and analysis of social processes are necessary to introduce space. Given that the dominant mode of production in Iran, and by extension, in all its cities, is a capitalist mode of production, undoubtedly, the formation of spaces is also based on the needs and necessities of this mode. The inequality of urban areas in Urmia in terms of sustainable development indicators and the lack of spatial balance has led to the city's deviation from the index of sustainable urban development. Undoubtedly, the reasons for spatial inequality between different zones and neighborhoods in Urmia are strongly related to the capitalist mode of production and the logic of profit maximization. In this research, according to the rule of capitalism on the cities of Iran, the impact of the capital economy on the process of Urmia urban space production is considered. This research aims to consider capitalism's impact on Urmia urban space production and extraction effective factors on it.
 
Methodology
This research, as the aim of method research, is practical. Also, this research is qualitative in terms of nature and method. The analytical method of this research is the Lefebvre dialectical method, which is tied to the historical-analytical method. So, in this research, different historical eras from "Ghajjar" are now considered. Documental tools like library sources, websites, maps, pictures, and programs, as well as field tools like view and interview, are also used to collect data. In this research, the primary index of urban space production in capitalist societies has been studied and extracted as a historical process. The working principles are designed based on the threefold dimensions of Lefebvre's space production. All indices have been collected based on theoretical foundations and these three dimensions. Additionally, in this study, some indices are recognized based on Harvey's accumulation cycles.
 
Results and discussion
The‌ essential components of the space created during the Qajar period in Urmia were the manifest religious, ethnic, and national diversity in the context of biodiversity, various livelihood practices, urban spaces, and a dense urban texture with a complex network of narrow roads and winding alleys. The essential components of the space created during the First Pahlavi era in Urmia were the creation of streets, a central square, widening traditional passageways, establishing the groundwork for the entry of automobiles into urban spaces to address the new urban and industrial life needs, hasty and rapid street development, and transforming streets into a new concept of urban space. The essential components of the space created during the Second Pahlavi era in Urmia were the formation of marginal settlements lacking a land use system, the establishment of multiple important and main boulevards in the city, the influx of migrant populations to Urmia following land reforms and its direct and indirect effects, migration of Kurdish-speaking communities to Urmia, and the establishment of suburbanization rural complexes such as Tarzloo. The essential components of the space created during the Post-Islamic Revolution and the War in Urmia were unprecedented growth of the city limits of Urmia, implementation of numerous urban development activities in cities, such as street construction, asphalt paving of alleys and roads, city pipework, construction of new buildings and offices, the establishment of parks, and more by the government. The essential components of the space created during post-revolution and structural adjustments in Urmia are the intense stratification of the five quadrants of Urmia in recent years and the disparity in urban facilities and services among them, intensive monetization of the use of urban spaces and the high cost of living in the city, intense privatization of urban spaces, particularly in expensive neighborhoods and streets, horizontal growth of residential spaces in Urmia, and increase in suburban development in Urmia.
 
Conclusion
The production of space in every society follows its unique production methods, and each city's distinctive features will differ from any other society or city. Therefore, space is not predetermined, and various factors play a role in shaping it. Also, space in Urmia is not fabricated, and the urban spaces of Urmia are formed based on the necessities of capital. The footprint of capitalism in Iran can be traced back to the late Qajar period. As explored in this research, the Pahlavi era marked a significant and fundamental period of extensive changes in preparing Iranian society to accept capitalism. In the Second Pahlavi era, the initiatives of the first era were continued. Furthermore, after the Islamic Revolution, various governments, influenced by the political economy of space, also demonstrated the gradual dominance of capitalist production in Iranian society within urban spaces.
 
Funding
There is no funding support.
 
Authors’ Contribution
Authors contributed equally to the conceptualization and writing of the article. All of the authors approved thecontent of the manuscript and agreed on all aspects of the work declaration of competing interest none.
 
Conflict of Interest
Authors declared no conflict of interest.
 
Acknowledgments
We are grateful to all the scientific consultants of this paper.

Keywords


  1. Abas Begay, A. (2014). repeating the myth of primitive accumulation, www.thesis11.com.atricles.aspx: 1-20. [In Persian].
  2. Abedini, A., Sobatsani, N., & Golshani, M. (2019). Assessment of the Impacts of Physical Changes on the Urban Spatial Structure in Urmia Historical District by Space Syntax and GIS. Human geography research Quarterly, 51 (1), 79-96. [In Persian].
  3. Adel, M. (2000). Urban and regional political economy. Ghatreh publisher, Tehran. [In Persian].
  4. Afrakhteh, H., & Hajipour, M. (2016). The political economy of space and Iran's regional balance. Space economy and rural development, 4 (4), 87-110. [In Persian].
  5. Aghaei, P., Tavakolinia, J., Kalantari, M., & Fanni, Z. (2020). Production and Reproduction of Space in the Second Cycle of Capital Accumulation; A Critique of Everyday Life in Lived Space. Bagh-e Nazar, 16 (80), 29-40.
  6. Amirhajlou, E. (2008). Explanation of Production of Urban SpaceCase Study: Tehran Metropolitan. Doctoral dissertation, Kharazmi university, Tehran. [In Persian].
  7. Ashouri, K., Irandoost, K., & Khaleghpanah, K. (2018). Conflict in the Unofficial Production of Space in Sanandaj city. Geography and Urban space development, 5 (1), 211-242. [In Persian].
  8. Balaban, O. (2010). Capital accumulation, the state and the production of built environment, the case of Turkey. Doctoral dissertation at Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences of Middle East Technical University, Ankara.
  9. Bryson, A., E. Clark, A., Freeman, R., & Green, Colin P. (2016), Share capitalism and worker wellbeing. Labor Economics, 42. 151-158.
  10. Butler, Ch. (2003). Law and the social productions of space. Doctoral dissertation at Griffith university,Brisbane, Australia.
  11. Cohen, G. (1978). Karel Marx’s Theory oh history. Oxford, Oxford university press.
  12. Das, R. J. (2009). International Encyclopedia of Human Geography. S.V. "capital and space".
  13. Douglass, M. (1998). A regional Networks Strategy for Reciprocal Rural- Urban Linkage: an agenda for policy research with reference to Indonesia, Third world planning review, 20 (0).
  14. Elden, S. (2004). Understanding Henri Lefebvre;Theory and the Possible. Continuum, London and New York.
  15. Esmaeilzadeh, H., Salehpour, Sh., Ghasemian, Z., & Mazaheri, A. (2018). Identification of Effective Factors Creating Space in Periphery of Cities (Case Study: Urmia City). Georaphical urban planning research, 6 (1), 23-54. [In Persian].
  16. Fanni, Z., & Mahmoudi, L. (2018). Production of urban space in Lefebvre's triple discourse and Mumford's urban paradigm. Journal of the growth of geography education, 32 (3), 36-42. [In Persian].
  17. Feldman, M. (2015). The urban process under distinct accumulation regimes: a research strategy, Paper presented at Research & Regulation Conference, University of Paris.
  18. Ghadermarzi, H., & Ahmadi, A. (2018). Analysis of the levels of development of the space economy and its spatial effects in the surrounding areas of Sanandaj. Research and urban planning, 8 (31), 105-122. [In Persian].
  19. Gregory, P. (2013), Stuart, The Global Economy and its Economic Systems. South-Western College Pub.
  20. Harvey, D. (1978). Urbanization under Capitalism: a Framework for Analysis, International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 2, 101-31.
  21. Harvey, D. (1985). The Urbanization of Capital, Studies in the History and Theory of Capitalist Urbanization. New York: John Hopkins University.
  22. Harvey, D. (2007). the class of power, manifest after 150 years, Translation Hassan Mortazavi, Agah publication
  23. Harvey, D. (2008). The right to the city, New Left Review.
  24. Harvey, D. (2016). the Ways of the World. Profile Books Ltd, London.
  25. Hataminezhad, H., Abdi, N. (2007). Political economy and urban space. Political & Economic Ettelaat, 21 (237-238), 196-205. [In Persian].
  26. Heilbroner, R. (2008). Capitalism. New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics. Secound Edition.
  27. HossainulHaque, K. (2012). The Political Economy of Urban Space: Land and RealEstate in Dhaka City, Institute of Governance Studies, BRAC University, IGS Working Paper Series No.03/2012, July 2012.
  28. Hubbard, P., Kitchin, R., Bartley, B., & Fuller, D. (2002). Thinking Geographically: Space, Theory and Contemporary Human Geography. London: Continuum.
  29. Hunt, D. (2007). Economic theories of development, an analysis of competing paradigms. Ney publisher, Tehran. [In Persian].
  30. Imani Shamlou, J., Rafeian, M., & Dadashpour, H. (2014). Urban Speculation and Spatial Segregation (Analysis of Spatial Evolution of Tehran Metropolis in the Context of Oil-Based Economy). International quarterly of geopolitics, 12 (1), 104-135. [In Persian].
  31. Khan, D., & Karak, A. (2019). Urban development by dispossession: planetary urbanization and primitive accumulation. Studies in Political Economy, 99(3), 307-330.
  32. Lang, N.J. (1987). Creating architectural theory: The role of the behavioral sciences in environmental design. New Yourk: Van Nostrand Reinhold.
  33. Lefebvre, H. (1991).The production of space, Oxford: Blackwell.
  34. Lefebvre, H. (2009), State, Space, World, Selected Essays, Edited by Neil Brenner and Stuart Elden, Translated by Gerald Moore, Neil Brenner, and Stuart Elden, University of Minnesota Press.
  35. Lefebvre, H. (2010). The Production of Space. Tehran. [In Persian].
  36. Lefebvre, H. (2012). The Production of Space. Tehran. [In Persian].
  37. Majedi, H., Mansoori, E., & HahiAhmadi, A. (2011). Redefinition of urbn space, Case study: between Valiasr square and Charrah Valiasr. Urban management, 9 (27), 263-283. [In Persian].
  38. Manouchehri, A., Rahnemaie, M. (2019). An analysis of the process of producing the state capitalist space in Iran, Case Study: Tehran City. The journal of spatial planning, 23 (1), 85-116. [In Persian].
  39. Maroufi, H., & VahidiBorji, G. (2015). Space and the Realization of the Right to the City: Identifying the Spatial Components of the Right to the City for Analyzing and Evaluating the Navvab Project in Tehran and La Défense In Paris. Motaleate Shahri, 4 (16), 5-14. [In Persian].
  40. Masoumi asouri, H. (2006). Principles and basics of regional planning. Payamnour publisher. [In Persian].
  41. Massey, D. (1987). New Direction in Space, Gregory &Urry (eds.).Social Relations &Spatial Structure. London: Macmillan Education LTd.
  42. Moreno, L. (2014). The urban proses under financialised capitalism.
  43. Moridian, A., Karamian, H., Mirzaei, H., & Naeimi, N. (2016). Investigating Capitalist Economic System, International Research Conference in Science and Engineering. Istanbul. [In Persian].
  44. Omrani, M., Masoumi, m., Nazmfar, H. (2019). The Temporal- Spatial Measurement of Urmia Urban Space with Emphasis on Urban Density Indices. Geoghraphical urban planning research, 7 (3), 629-653. [In Persian].
  45. Papoli Yazdi, M., & Rajabi Sanajerdi, H. (2012). The Theory of Urban and Surrounding, SAMT Publications [in Persian].
  46. Piran, P. (1990). Theoretical perspectives in the sociology of the city and urbanization: Developments of the Iranian currency and the exchange rate. Political & Economic Ettelaat, 51-52, 75-81. [In Persian].
  47. Pourmohammadi, M., Hekmatnia, H., & Safarlouyi, m. (2014). The Spatial Study and Analysis of Social Inequalities in Urban Zones of Urmia. Journal of urban ecology researches, 5 (1), 57-70. [In Persian].
  48. Rafieian, M., & Asgari, A. (2002). The elderly and the need to prepare urban spaces. International conference of the elderly, Faculty of Welfare and Rehabilitation. [In Persian].
  49. Rashidzaeh, E., Tahmasbi, A., & Habibi, F. (2019). Architectural Space Dominated by Capital: An Analyses of the Formation of Architectural Space Based on Lefebvre's Production of Space Theory. Journal of Architectural Thought, 3 (6), 204-220. [In Persian].
  50. Sadeghi, G. (2018). The Production of Urban Space in Kermanshah (1375-1395). Master thesis, Faculty of social sciences, Razi university, Kermanshah. [In Persian].
  51. Sadri, H. (2006). Examining the role of urban spaces in the development of democracy. 1st conference on superior city, superior design, Hamedan. [In Persian].
  52. Saunders, P. (1981). Social Theory and Urban Question. Hutchinson University Library.
  53. Sedighi, S., & Salek, R. (2019). Analysis of the factors affecting urban space commodification from citizens perspective (case study: Tabriz city). Geographical urban planning research, 6 (4), 791-807. [In Persian].
  54. Shafiei, M., & Alikhah, F. (2014). Space and reproduction of power (A study on the gender segregation in Tehran universities). Iranian Journal of cultural research, 7 (1), 95-122. [In Persian].
  55. Shafiei, N., & Sadighi, S. (2016). Explaining the quality of place commodification in the capitalist system. Journal of Evolution in Humanities, 4 (6), 34-6. [In Persian].
  56. Shahrivar, R., Rooshti Ahadnezhad, M., & Farrokhe Someae, M. (2015). Spatial evaluation of urban sprawl with an emphasize on landuse charges, using satellite imagery (case study of Urmia), Journal of Geography and Planning, 18 (50), 189-206. [In Persian].
  57. Statical centre of Iran. (2016). West Azarbaijan, Urmia city. [In Persian].
  58. Tarh and Amayesh Architectural and urban planning consulting engineers, (2007). Comprehensive plan Of Urmia city. [In Persian].
  59. -Thacker, A. (2003). Moving through Modernity, Space and Geography in Modernism. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
  60. Torkameh, A., Shirkhodaei, A. (2015). Henri LefebvreAndThe Production of Space, Journal of Society Culture Media, 4(14), 11. [In Persian].
  61. Urry, J (1987). Social Relations, Space & Time, in Gregory & Urry (eds), Social Relations and Spatial Structure, London: Macmillan Education LTD.
  62. Yousefi, A., Arghan, A., & Kamyabi, S. (2018). Real estate investment and space developments in the surrounding area of Shahedshahr. Journal space economy and rural development, 7 (3), 67-86. [In Persian].
  63. Zieleniec, A. (2007). Space and Social Theory, SAGE Publications.