Historic Religious Identity, Ray Urban Dignity: Searching Planning perspective at the neglected historic religious district to revive the local quality as a promoter of urban cohesion in different scales

Ray as the most historic city in Iran is an example of the neglected district that today religion shaped its identity and spatial configuration. In Fact the rapid growth of urbanization and migration in Tehran after the modernization, resulted polarization that affected on Ray, physically and socially and led to separate Ray from the rest of Tehran in higher scale. In addition, due to environmental changing, a fragmentation has happened inside the district socially and physically. The Abdol Azim Holy Shrine is located in the centre of the old radius nucleus of the district which has more than 10 million pilgrims per year. The district has witnessed rapid growth in the last two decades, mostly because of its free lands, agricultural lands, land price and industries that migrants, working class and middle class people have settled. As a result, this unplanned growth has led to change Ray’s identity. Ray have been defined as the main religious-historic centre in Tehran master plan which has attracted the attention of planners and investors. The aim of this project is find out important factors for integrated spatial development of Ray as a segregated district in order to reinforce Ray identity and quality first in local level and then in metropolitan scale. On the other word, Improving the local structure within the metropolitan structure is the aim of the project. In order to achieve this goal, Ray should be analysed in different aspects and a multiscales strategies are needed. Generally, the project searches planning perspectives in the neglected district to revive the local quality as a promoter of urban cohesion in different scales. The proposed plan provides more urban cohesion and synergy in the district and improve the life quality of its residents and visitors. In this thesis all steps from literature review to planning, design and evaluation of the plan are explained extensively.Chair of Spatial Planning & Strategy Complex Cities Graduation StudioUrbanismArchitecture and The Built Environmen