Perception of Place (A Study of Visitors to Tehran’s Modern Malls and Grand Bazaar)

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

1 Department of Social Sciences, College of Literature and Humanities, Gilan University, Rasht, Iran.

2 Department of Social science, College of Literature and Humanities, Gilan University, Rasht, Iran

10.22059/jisr.2023.351227.1357

Abstract

As in many other places, the urban landscape of Iran is undergoing rapid transformation. In this paper, we examine the effects of rapid urban transformation from the perspective of citizens and how these changes affect their perception and interpretation of urban spaces. This article focuses on consumers in modern retail malls and the traditional "Garand Bazaar" in Tehran.
Inspired by the methodology of phenomenology, which explores facts through people’s lived experiences, we use in-depth interviews and observational methods to investigate the experiences of contemporary urban residents. Forty residents of Tehran were interviewed for this purpose. All of them were mall shoppers younger than forty years of age.
Despite the undeniable role that contemporary shopping centers play in the lives of many of these individuals, none of them feel a sense of belonging in shopping malls. Residents have difficulty recalling and imagining any other dimensions of a modern shopping mall, including a place for social interaction, rest, and aesthetic qualities that remind them of their cultural heritage; consequently, these malls do not meet their expectations. In contrast, the fact that Baazar is a place where visitors can purchase goods, spend their leisure time, and appreciate the architectural beauty based on their culture and history renders it a multifunctional location that provides greater consumer comfort and familiarity. As a result, individuals visit modern shopping malls to satisfy their routine requirements and the Grand Bazaar to eat, drink, stroll, and spend time while shopping for necessities. In other words, they consume commodities in shopping centers while filling cultural voids at the grand bazaar.
As long as city planners disregard citizens’ cultural and social needs while constructing new shopping centers not only do consumers feel an attachment to any shopping malls due to their disregard for individuals’ historical and cultural heritage, but these economic monuments will not accommodate their constructors’ desire, which is earning profits, because these buildings may lose their appeal to those who have visited the mall multiple times.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

Ahmadi, B. (2006). The dimension of today’s urban spaces and its impact on different aspects of the city. Journal of Architecture and Urban Planning, 2(8). (In Persian)
Beheshti Asl, A., & Ebrahimi, M. (2021). Citizens’ Sense of place and memories: Phenomenological analysis of sense of place in ancient urban gates (Case study: Tabriz city). Karafan Quarterly Scientific Journal, 18(1), 113-132. https://doi.org/10.48301/kssa.2021.128435 (In Persian)
Belanche, D., Casaló, L. V., & Rubio, M. Á. (2021). Local place identity: A comparison between residents of rural and urban communities. Journal of Rural Studies, 82, 242-252.         https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2021.01.003
Daneshpayeh, N., & H. F. (2018). The main factors affecting the formation of a sense of place in the new urban development zones (Case Study: Region No. 22 & Region No. 4 of Tehran Municipality). Urban Studies, 7(25), 17-30. https://doi.org/10.34785/J011.2018.021 (In Persian)
Del Aguila, M., Ghavampour, E., & Vale, B. (2019). Theory of place in public space. Urban Planning, 4(2), 249-259. https://doi.org/10.17645/up.v4i2.1978
Ghoreyshi, J., & Tajik, M. R. (2022). Representing the mythical of Milad Tower using Roland Barthes semiotics. Quarterly of Social Studies and Research in Iran, 11(3), 683-701. https://doi.org/10.22059/jisr.2022.334133.1261 (In Persian)
Habibi, L., & Mahmoudi Paty, F. (2017). From bazaar to shopping centers: Analysis of the evolution of modern commercial spaces in Tehran. The Monthly Scientific Journal of Bagh-e Nazar, 14(49), 45-56. (In Persian)
Hashemnezhad, H., & Heidari, A., & Mohammad Hoseini, P. (2013) Sense of Place and Place Attachment. (A comparative study). International Journal of Architecture and Urban Development, 3(1). (In Persian)
Kashi, H., & Bonyadi, N. (2013). Stating the Model of Identity of Place-Sense of Place and Surveying its Constituents* Case Study: Pedestrian Mall of Shahre Rey. Honar-Ha-Ye-Ziba: Memary Va Shahrsazi, 18(3), 43-52. https://doi.org/10.22059/jfaup.2013.51317 (In Persian)
Kazemi, A., & Rezaee, M. (2008). Dialectic of Distinction and differentiation. Iranian Journal of Cultural research, 1(1), 1-24. (In Persian)
Kazemi, A., & Mirebrahimi, M. (2021). Megamalls and large commercial complexes in Tehran; A sociological study. Study and planning center of Tehran city publication. (In Persian)
Kusumowidagdo, A., Sachari, A., & Widodo, P. (2016). Visitors’ perceptions on the important factors of atrium design in shopping centers: A study of Gandaria city mall and Ciputra world in Indonesia. Frontiers of Architectural Research, 5(1), 52-62.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2015.11.003
Lewicka, M., Rowiński, K., Iwańczak, B., Bałaj, B., Kula, A. M., Oleksy, T., Prusik, M., Toruńczyk-Ruiz, S., & Wnuk, A. (2019). On the essentialism of places: Between conservative and progressive meanings. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 65, 101318. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2019.101318
López Peláez, J. M. (2018). Kevin lynch: The image of the city. Proyecto, Progreso, Arquitectura, 19, 154-155. https://doi.org/10.12795/ppa.2018.i19.10
Mei, X. Y., Aas, E., & Eide, O. (2020). Applying the servicescape model to understand student experiences of a Norwegian academic library. Library & Information Science Research, 42(4), 101051. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lisr.2020.101051
Naderi, A., Akbari Golzar, M., & Fazeli, Z. (2019). Collective Memory and Its Impact on the Formation of Urban Identity (Case Study: Vahdat-e-Islami and Shahrak-e-Gharb). Quarterly of Social Studies and Research in Iran, 8(3), 533-556.     https://doi.org/10.22059/jisr.2019.279442.849 (In Persian)
Raziabadi, R., & Javan Foroozandeh, A. (2016). A review of the concept of place and attachment to it in performance spaces. 2nd International conference on research in Civil Engineering, architecture, Urban planning and sustainable environment. Istanbul, Turkey. (In Persian)
Safaeipour, M., & Rahimi Chamkhani A. (2018). Critical Analysis of Sampling Designs in Human Geography Research by Focusing on Selection Bias in Probability Samples. GeoRes, 32(4), 47-68. (In Persian)
Safarchi, M. (2021). Commercialization and consumerism- transformation of urban space and culture in Tehran. Tehran: Ney publisher. (In Persian)
Scannell, L., & Gifford, R. (2016). Place Attachment Enhances Psychological Need Satisfaction, Environment and Behavior, 4(49), 359-389. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916516637648
Seamon, D., & Sowers, J. (2008). Place and Placelessness (1976): Edward Relph. Key Texts in Human Geography, 43-52. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446213742.n6
Sheppard, E. (n.d.). David Harvey and dialectical space-time. David Harvey, 121-141.     https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470773581.ch7
Shim, C., & Santos, C. A. (2014). Tourism, place and placelessness in the phenomenological experience of shopping malls in Seoul. Tourism Management, 45, 106-114.        https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2014.03.001
Warnaby, G., & Medway, D. (2016). Marketplace icons: Shopping malls. Consumption Markets & Culture, 21(3), 275-282. https://doi.org/10.1080/10253866.2016.1231749
Yalinay, O., Baxter, I. W., Collinson, E., Curran, R., Gannon, M. J., Lochrie, S., Taheri, B., & Thompson, J. (2018). Servicescape and shopping value: The role of negotiation intention, social orientation, and recreational identity at the Istanbul grand bazaar, Turkey. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 35(9), 1132-1144. https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2018.1475277
Yazdani, M.,&, Alipour, E., & Mahmoodi, A. (2020). Analysis of Urban Neighborhoods’ Identity with Emphasis on Sense of Belonging to the Place Case Study: Thirteen Neighborhoods of the City of Ardebil. Journal of Sociology of Social Institutions, 6(14), 9-39. (In Persian)
 

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics