AN EVALUATION TO IDENTIFY THE BARRIERS TO THE FEASIBILITY OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT PLANS: FIVE DECADES OF EXPERIENCE IN URBAN PLANNING IN IRAN

The rapid urbanization in many developing countries has indicated several challenges in different aspects. This is due to inefficient urban planning approaches towards managing the development process. Similar to many other developing countries, Iran has experienced rapid urbanization in recent decades. Although over the last few decades, urban planning processes have been applied to develop Iranian cities, urban planning has failed to tackle the challenges facing the cities. This paper seeks to identify the barriers that have prevented Iranian cities from achieving the goals of urban planning. The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review of the current literature on the concept of urban planning and to assess the urban development plan process in Iranian cities. The required data were collected through a review of international theoretical studies, Iranian experimental research and governmental reports. The findings of this study reveal five major barriers to the feasibility of the urban planning process, including the urban plans context, structure of urban planning, related law and regulations, public participation, and financial resources.