Abstract:
The integrity and harmony of historic towns are mostly perceived as the result of gradual growth and accumulative-restorative developments. However, enough evidences indicate that macro-scale urban projects were not unknown in the past, and some magnificent historic towns have been totally or partially formed by large interventions in the urban fabric. The old city of Kerman is such a place. The history of Kerman is the repetition of the same story of raid and destruction and rising from the ruins. One of the worst disasters in the long history of Kerman is no doubt the invasion of the city by Âgâ Mohammad Khân Qajar resulting in total destruction of the city and the massacre of its people. However, after a while, during the reign of Fath Ali Shah, the reconstruction of the city was taken into consideration and Ebrâhim Khân Zahir-o-Dole was appointed the governor of Kerman. What this man did in order to revitalize the demolished city depicts not a series of constructive-restorative projects but a comprehensive master plan which had taken into account very different aspects which make a city run properly. His plan for Kerman involved policy making, demographic renovation, and reconstruction of urban infrastructure.... This paper would give an analysis of the developments of Kerman in this period as a complete example of a comprehensive plan for urban development in the traditional society of Iran, which in the meantime provided the integrity and harmony of the old town.
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