Urban Design Documents in the Planning System in Iran and England: A Comparative Study

This research provides a comparative analysis of procedural aspects, types and statutory role of urban design documents in the planning system in Iran and England. It argues the fundamental institutional, structural and procedural similarities and differences between two countries, focusing on recent changes and trends.
In current planning system of Iran, in which development documents defined, there is no clear vision of proper function, procedure, implementation and formal status of urban design documents. The poor quality of much of the contemporary urban environment, and lack of concern for overall quality, are functions of the processes by which the environment is produced. In a similar vein, focusing on the product than the procedures of urban design, urban quality has drastically been degraded. Recent attempts in clarifying urban design role in planning system have positively contributed in design development processes, but have not faced with great success nonetheless. In 2009, two important acts approved by Shoray-e-A’li Memari va Shahrsazi ()high council in architecture and urban planning)( have underpinned the urban design recognition in the future.
Contrary to Iran, urban design documents have substantial weight in the form of supplementary planning documents [SPDs] in England and have taken a significant role in improving and enhancing the quality of life, through a full understanding of the conditions under which decisions are made and development is delivered. England Planning System provides the means to encourage good design and showed its commitment by placing greater emphasis on urban design in number of good practice guides, particularly planning policy statements []PPSs][, government’s national and overarching policies on different aspects of land use planning in delivery of sustainable development. Local planning authorities’ [LPAs] role in preparation of development plan documents DPDs][ and setting out design policies included in the plan are key elements of achieving design quality and proper design development processes.
The main approach in this study is based on descriptive methodology. Analysis of secondary data is also of crucial importance in preparation of theoretical framework. Universalizing and variation-finding comparative analysis methods are also used as key components in research strategy, a holistic and context-embracing approach to understand the present circumstances of planning system and urban development in both countries.
This research work concludes that functional fragmentation in agencies arrangements including executive, main legislative and agencies responsible for preparation of the urban design documents within the planning framework, ()resulting in lack of integrated policy-making with no appropriate cooperation, coordination and collaboration)(; lack of design policies in the development plan documents; negligence in role of public participation with a lack of cohesive monitoring and review program on prepared urban design documents; and failure in achieving dependency in government’s advisory agencies in order to policy-making, are the procedural challenges urban design documents in Iran are facing with. These influential factors are also identified as the key differences in institutional, structural and procedural features of urban design documents in the planning systems between two countries.