An empirical investigation of Azadi Street in Karaj, Iran, published by urban researchers Shima Rahbari-Shishvan and Arefeh Karamipour in City, Territory and Architecture, documented an overall user satisfaction rate of only 37.3 percent across combined functional, physical, and environmental variables. The applied descriptive-analytical study investigated how behavioral patterns and urban space interact along one of the city’s busiest commercial corridors. The authors evaluated the street after identifying an absence of behavioral and human considerations in the Gohardasht district’s spatial planning. Detailed statistical breakdowns revealed that functional variables attained an average satisfaction rate of 40.71 percent, while physical design variables scored 38.70 percent. Environmental conditions registered the lowest rating at 32.54 percent. According to the research team, these low satisfaction percentages demonstrate prevailing weak conditions along the street, signaling inadequate design quality and a failure to adhere to foundational urban design principles and criteria.
Analysis of individual survey variables exposed pronounced disparities in how users experience the corridor. Among all surveyed factors, the active presence of women recorded the highest individual satisfaction rate at 61.8 percent, representing the most favorable condition identified in the study. The authors suggested this relatively high score may reflect recent municipal efforts to enhance safety in public spaces, though broader environmental conditions remain deficient. In sharp contrast, traffic conditions received the lowest satisfaction score across all evaluated metrics, falling to 24.1 percent. Questionnaires indicated that users were completely dissatisfied with vehicular traffic, the scarcity of designated rest areas, and inadequate service uses. Furthermore, survey respondents assessed the presence of suitable sitting furniture, feelings of traffic safety, opportunities for holding regular and occasional events, spaces for public gatherings, spatial sense of invitation, and facade conditions regarding visual pollution as very poor. Conversely, spatial readability, traffic signage quality, and diverse street uses were rated relatively good.
The geographic focus of the research centered on a 1.7-kilometer stretch of Azadi Street in Gohardasht, spanning from the first square of Gohardasht—also designated as the first square of Rajaei Shahr—to Moazen Boulevard. This commercial corridor serves as a vital focal point for social concentration and population gathering in Karaj, containing diverse retail outlets, commercial functions, and public activities. To contextualize the physical setting within its demographic reality, the researchers incorporated official figures from the 2016 national census conducted by the Statistics Center of Iran. The immediate surrounding zone, extending from Moazen Boulevard to the first square of Gohardasht and from Esteghlal Boulevard to Islamic Republic Boulevard, contained 34,303 individuals distributed across 11,321 households, with an average household size of 3.03 people. Demographic records cataloged 16,615 male residents and 17,688 female residents. The investigators noted that this dense population foundation generates heavy pedestrian movement that continually engages with the street’s physical infrastructure.
To capture user assessments with statistical rigor, Rahbari-Shishvan and Karamipour structured their survey methodology around the Cochran formula to determine an appropriate sample size from the 34,303 residents in the surrounding zone. This calculation yielded a final sample size of 193 individuals. The research team employed stratified sampling to ensure representation across distinct user segments, incorporating local residents, commercial shopkeepers, shoppers, and general pedestrians. The survey instrument consisted of a comprehensive 60-item questionnaire rated on a Likert scale examining physical, functional, and environmental variables. Statistical analysis was executed using SPSS software to evaluate construct validity and internal consistency. Factor analysis with Bartlett’s test and the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure supported data suitability, yielding a KMO index of 0.851 and a Bartlett’s test significance of 0.00. Furthermore, reliability testing demonstrated high precision, with Cronbach’s alpha reaching 0.949 across the questionnaire items, confirming the measurement framework’s overall empirical dependability.
Complementing the quantitative survey data, the researchers conducted direct field observations and systematic photography over a one-month period to observe spatial behaviors under real-world conditions. Field visits were scheduled across two weekdays and one weekend day each week, capturing behavioral differences between routine working days and leisure periods. Direct observation and photography were executed at three standardized one-hour time intervals each observation day: morning from 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM, midday from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM, and evening from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM. The authors mapped their movement routes and established specific photography locations along Azadi Street using Google Earth software, integrating spatial data with Geographic Information System maps and institutional organizational information. This observational methodology enabled the research team to systematically document resident presence, record pedestrian movement pathways, and analyze observable behaviors such as walking, standing, pausing, and informal social gathering across varied times of day.
Statistical modeling within the study revealed an empirical association between urban spatial enhancement and community social vitality. Linear regression analysis evaluating the effectiveness of urban space enhancement versus social life produced a coefficient of determination of 0.52, indicating that physical space improvements explain 52 percent of the variance in social vibrancy along Azadi Street. The researchers interpreted this regression outcome as demonstrating favorable conditions for targeted spatial intervention. A corresponding regression model analyzed the relationship between behavioral patterns and functional and semantic variables in urban spaces, establishing that behavioral activities are structurally linked to environmental quality. Rahbari-Shishvan and Karamipour observed that unfavorable behavioral patterns on Azadi Street have directly led to unfavorable conditions across functional, physical, and environmental metrics. The authors noted that observable activities—specifically walking, standing, sitting, socializing, and attending public events—do not develop independently but remain fundamentally constrained by the physical and functional layout of the built environment.
The investigation situated its empirical observations within established spatial theory, conceptualizing public space as an interactive social construct. The authors drew upon Henri Lefebvre’s unified spatial theory from The Production of Space, which dissolves traditional separations between mental abstractions and physical forms by integrating physical space, mental representations, and social space. The study also engaged Doreen Massey’s three fundamental spatial dimensions: space generated by social interactions, space as a dimension of dynamic simultaneity accommodating multiple trajectories, and space as an ongoing product of interrelations. To conceptualize how physical settings acquire human meaning, the researchers referenced Ali Madanipour’s formulation of place as space embedded with conceptual meaning, alongside Edward Relph and Yi-Fu Tuan’s experiential definitions of place. Additionally, the theoretical synthesis incorporated Kevin Lynch’s principles regarding legibility and mental maps, Anthony Giddens’s view of space as a medium for social interplay, and Dear and Wolch’s framework outlining how space creates, constrains, and mediates social relations.
The authors detailed concrete architectural and spatial mechanisms through which the built environment shapes everyday behavioral patterns. They explained that observable behaviors—such as walking, standing, sitting, reading, and observing—are heavily influenced by commercial land use patterns and micro-scale physical design elements. Adequate sidewalk width is essential for supporting pedestrian transit volumes, while basic street installations like public benches determine whether individuals can pause and engage in stationary social interactions. Facade architecture serves as another crucial behavioral catalyst; the authors underscored that unit segmentation, the distribution of active versus inactive storefronts, and architectural facade details such as the frequency of door openings, structural projections, and wall recesses govern visual interest and public engagement. The researchers distinguished their approach from deterministic assumptions by embracing the theory of subcultures, arguing that when individuals with shared characteristics congregate in urban spaces, they naturally form distinct social groups with autonomous norms, provided the surrounding environment offers appropriate spatial accommodations.
Contextualizing their empirical findings within Iranian and international urban literature, the authors noted that while sociologists have examined social dimensions of public life, empirical evaluations of physical environmental influences on behavior remain scarce in Iranian metropolises like Karaj and Tehran. The findings from Azadi Street align with earlier Iranian studies, such as Hataminejad and Alikhani’s comparative street evaluations in Mashhad showing marked behavioral differences across street types, and Paknejad and Latifi’s research demonstrating that behavioral patterns are shaped by functional-activity, environmental-physical, and cultural-social factors where land use plays a crucial role. Borumand’s ecological modeling in Tehran similarly emphasized the gendered nature of urban behavior, showing that cultural norms and security perceptions strongly mediate how women and children access public spaces. Internationally, the authors connected their work to Debnath’s cognitive road safety modeling in Bangladesh, Teixeira’s findings on green space configurations, Paukaeva’s analysis of temporary urban design in winter cities, and Hidayati’s investigation of urban form and mobility in Kuala Lumpur.
In their concluding evaluation, Rahbari-Shishvan and Karamipour argued that urban designers and municipal planners in Iranian cities must prioritize pedestrian accessibility and convenience above vehicular transit networks. Emphasizing that social vitality depends on pedestrian comfort along natural movement paths between desired origins and destinations, the authors recommended widening sidewalks, introducing green infrastructure, installing resting furniture, and supporting functional diversity to create inclusive spaces across different age groups, genders, and social classes. They also urged incorporating community participation programs and culturally sensitive design practices. Regarding research boundaries, the investigation was confined to the 1.7-kilometer corridor of Azadi Street in Karaj, relying on cross-sectional questionnaires from 193 sampled respondents alongside timed direct observational cycles. The authors noted that future research should examine specific design interventions like pedestrianization programs and comparative regional analyses across Iranian cities. Finally, the researchers stated that their primary survey datasets remain confidential due to privacy considerations but are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Subject of Research: Behavioral patterns and urban design evaluation on Azadi Street in Karaj, Iran
Article Title: Impact of behavioral patterns on urban space in Iran: the case study of Azadi Street (Gohardasht)
Article References: Rahbari-Shishvan, S., & Karamipour, A. (2026). Impact of behavioral patterns on urban space in Iran: the case study of Azadi Street (Gohardasht). City, Territory and Architecture, 13(1), Article 16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40410-026-00304-z
Image Credits: AI Generated
DOI: 10.1186/s40410-026-00304-z
Keywords: urban design, behavioral patterns, Karaj, Azadi Street, public space, pedestrian behavior, environmental psychology, urban planning, Impact, behavioral, patterns, urban
