Celebrating diversity: A framework for urban discourses

ABSTRACT

This study aims to see how Iranian cities urban discourses are celebrating diversity. The comprehensive plans of the five most diverse cities of Iran are analyzed based on six diversity policies categories through a content analysis methodology. Results indicate that Iranian cities comprehensive plans are prone to celebrate diversity. Still, they are not designed based on the whole idea of diversity and “diversity in planning” is more considered than “planning for diversity”. Hence, plans must consider policies in a way that they contribute to the recognition of diverse people and their needs, make their voices be heard and redistribute goods and services based on diverse individuals’ needs. Through their policies, they should predispose sociocultural and physical environments to welcome different socioeconomic households and provide socio-cultural inclusion. Finally, they are expected to facilitate encounters and social interactions to create cohesion and trust by making people know others and their differences better.

KEYWORDS:

• Diversity
• comprehensive plan
• planning
• content-analysis
• Iran

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. Mehr housing is an affordable housing policy which was enacted in 2007 and invalidated in 2016. It aimed to provide housing for low-income groups who are usually living in slums and impoverished areas of great cities and control the rising price of housing, especially in Tehran. It also tended to reduce the prime cost of housing by allocating and renting lands for 99 years to eliminate land price from housing price.