Developing a contextualised framework for culture-led urban
sustainable development through creative hub concept
(a case study of Iranian free zone)

Moezoddin, A

Abstract

Regenerating cities and adapting them to contemporary life circumstances is essential for improving cities' economic, social, and cultural situations. In order to regenerate cities, we, therefore, need to pay more attention to the cultural aspects of how they were developed and maintained.
The research aims to examine the possible use of the creative hubs, based on their cultural context, to regenerate cities and regions based on social, economic, environmental, and cultural innovations.
The creative hub concept aims to build strategies for achieving a new sustainable development model that is consistent with the spirit of the time in response to the following question: How can cities achieve sustainable development through the concept of a creative hub? Moreover, how can we use the interaction between Art & Culture, Knowledge-based organizations, and Community projects in our path to regenerate the economy of our cities?
With the increasing share of cultural products, services, and intellectual property in global exchange and the challenges to cultural diversity and cultures raised by contemporary globalisation, the field of culture has gained importance in global development in cities. Furthermore, there is an increasing awareness that cultural understanding and cultural diversity must be preserved and promoted to protect fundamental human rights, democratic freedoms, and genetic and biological diversity. This standpoint is based on the fact that sustainable development can only be accomplished if cultural diversity and social justice, environmental accountability, and economic viability are all in harmony. This study examines culture as the fourth pillar of urban sustainability and its social, economic, and environmental aspects.
The thesis examines both the culture of sustainable development in terms of its evolution as a global agenda and how sustainable development can facilitate the cultural arena. This way, the thesis creates a contextualised framework for sustainable urban development through the creative hub concept, allowing developing countries like Iran more policy space and choice. Because of the importance and opportunities that Kish places on the concept of culture in its sustainable growth, this thesis uses Kish (one of Iran's Free Trade Zones) as a case study.

This research builds on the relevant literature to demonstrate the importance of the links between local culture and its expectations and the urban sustainable development process. Meanwhile, this thesis looks at a global report to examine the contribution of culture to urban sustainability. Furthermore, Kish Island has been chosen as a case study in this thesis because the emergence of special economic zones (SEZs) and Free Trade Zones (FTZs) has become a significant focus of many developing countries such as Iran for culture-based strategies for achieving sustainable urban development. In this thesis, information is gathered using mixed methods to collect and analyse data in order to develop a contextualised framework for culture-led sustainable urban development in Kish.
Culture-led sustainable urban development encompasses multiple steps that may include complementary quantitative and qualitative criteria and multiple decision-makers. Therefore, in this research, a hybrid Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) approach is used for identifying and choosing alternatives based on the values and preferences of the decision-makers. The MCDM model integrates the fuzzy Delphi method (FDM)", fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), and fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method for identifying the priorities of factors that affecting and challenging sustainable development and meanwhile finding the best strategies to overcome these challenges in Kish Island in Iran as a case study.
Following these processes, several key recommendations emerge. These recommendations are based on existing problems and opportunities in Kish. These suggestions demonstrate the importance of strategic planning for long-term development on this Island. They also believe that preserving and fostering culture is a prerequisite for achieving this urban growth.
In addition, this study's results provide concrete guidelines for Iranian governments to integrate culture into urban policies as a unique resource for urban regeneration and innovation and social, economic, and environmental development.

Citation

(a case study of Iranian free zone). (Thesis). University of Salford

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Oct 5, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 5, 2021
• Award Date: Apr 7, 2021