Abstract:
Problem Statement: it seems that in current times, many of the urban designs and plans in Iran have
totalitarian, centralized, and monopolistic essences. This condition is predictably originated from the absence
of deliberative and collaborative democracies; in light of the foregoing, the inefficiencies of the stages of
presentation and implementation have led to neglecting the citizenship rights and the public preferences.
Hence, citizens have little social responsibilities for the negative consequences of inefficient urban practices.
In addition, an appropriate context is not provided for them to affect the various steps of urban processes,
claiming their rights to the city, and expressing their opinions. In this spirit, the urban projects lose their
basic figures in providing stability and promoting the role of people in urban development and management.
Hence, the impetus behind this study is to improve the urban democracy in the process of urban planning
and design.
Purpose: this study attempts to investigate the reasons for the lack of democratic involvement by the citizens
in the process of urban development and management, as well as to find some solutions to remove this
widespread deep-rooted social dilemma.
Research hypothesis: the realization of democracy and actual participation of citizens in the process of
developing the urban spaces can lead to more accurate and efficient decision makings, as well as more
successful implementation of urban plans and projects.
Research method: this article was conducted through content analysis and comparative methods. While
studying the pillars of the democratic system, the methods of democratic participation of citizens in the
processes of urban development and management in Iran was studied regarding the Principles of the Critical
Theory. In fact, an effort was made to provide a platform for presenting the findings and suggested solutions
through the process of criticizing and analysing the current situation of the Iranian urban plans and designs
along with comparing them with the necessary elements for the realization of democratic and people-friendly
urban processes. This should be stated that the data collection method was based on interviews with people,
studying documents, and also field observations.
Conclusion: results indicate that Dilemmas in the Iranian urban system have been originated from the nondemocratic
factors, such as the lack of participation, the lack of all-inclusiveness, the violation of citizenship
rights and urban justice, illegitimate urban laws, inflexibility, the downfall of pluralism, and etc. Hence, through
scheming criteria such as the diversity of opinions, all-inclusiveness, flexibility, forming NGOs, the citizen
education and discourse, diversity and respecting the citizen’s rights, etc., these processes can be democratized
and also a platform for the emergence of a comprehensive type of a democratic urban planning and design
would be materialized; a process which strengthens the urban democracy and honors the position of people,
not as the problem but as the solution, by creating equal opportunities in a disinterested fashion.