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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Environment in Megacities: Tehran Waterscapes

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Defining contemporary urban paradigms is the challenge of this time, especially when the urban dynamics are so fluid they spread uncontrollably in overextended and overpopulated territories. This is the case for megacities, metropolitan areas with more than 10 million inhabitants, which place the emphasis on how to manage energy consumption in such filled places. In this frame, the city of Tehran, the capital of the Islamic Republic of Iran, scene of political and cultural disputes, administrative and economic headquarter of the country, with its nearly 15 million residents and a daily traffic of more than 20 million people, is currently one of the most populous cities in the world and represents an interesting case study, in order to explore the urban dynamics in the use of public space, aiming to an environment protecting-oriented approach. Tehran’s urban landscape is a metaphor for its duplicity: on one side, to the north the majestic Alborz mountain range, from which seven water streams flow; on the other, to the south, the desert. The attempt of this paper is to make a historical, urban, and landscape analysis of this controversial city in order to understand how the water system of the city could enhance the public space design processes with a sustainable approach.