Abstract:
Fast and unplanned city growth, has effects such as isolation of village societies, threatening urban cores and centers and small and weak societies, destruction of open spaces and open and natural regions. Smart growth offers a sustainable way for urban developing with appropriate use of available sources, increase of urban services, developing neighborhoods with different uses, making public transportation available and integrated designing in human scale. Green belts idea,at first was based on controlling the growth between cities, preventing from merging cities and separating specifications and details of city and village from each other. Although according to the fact that, there was not an agreement regarding the possible outcomes of green belts and controlling cities growth process among city experts, some with conservative ideas, believed that green belts are stopping barriers and negative factors in natural growth process of cities and some others, thought that it is element of separating urban and non-urban habitats.In first approved comprehensive plan of Tehran (2006), suburban ranges were recognized as protected range for future city developing. This definition has no more places according to the problems of Tehran. In this article based on the natural and environmental potentials of Tehran protected areas (Green belt) and many threats for its exposure to residential construction, there are offered strategies and protecting rules with smart growth approach and green belt definition.
Machine summary:
"Smart Growth Principles Smart growth strategy will lie on these principles, which Table 1: Difference between smart growth strategy and sprawl in development of city (Source: Victoria Transport Policy Institute, 2005) Density Index Urban Sprawl Low density, scattered activities and constructions in urban and suburbs areas Smart Growth Central compact developmentGrowth pattern Mixing uses Scale Public services (stores, schools and parks) Transportation Accessibility and connections Public spaces Programming process Developments in suburbs areas homogeneous, similar, and single- function land use Big scale, buildings, big blocks, wide paths Regional, solid, bigger, needing cars accessibility Transportation based on cars and land use patterns without paying attention to pedestrian-oriented standard spaces Hierarchical road network with lots of rings and vast streets and unconnected sidewalks, existence of obstacles on non-motoring trips Emphasis on private areas ( malls, closed spaces) Not programmed Development within the context Mixing land use Human scale, buildings, blocks, small paths Local, smaller, compatible with pedestrian accessibility Providing different transportation ways and land use patterns that lie on using bicycle and pedestrian-orientation Sidewalks and paths suitable and connected to each other which makes it possible to have journeys cars or elseby Emphasis on public areas (sidewalks environment, parks and public services) programmed different communities can adapt with according to their special geographical and economic-social conditions with some of these principles.
These principles are; (Ghorbani & Noshad, 2008) Mixing uses; Spreading compact and concentrated central context; Inner and outer urban pedestrian-oriented areas; Creating distinguished and attractive communities with intense emphasis on place concept; Protection of open spaces , agricultural lands , vulnerable environmental elements; Empowering and reviving abandoned lands in proportion with smart growth pattern; Creating selection opportunities of transportation system of inner and outer areas of city; Encouraging citizens to participate sustainably in decisions related to development."