Presenting Strategies and Policies for Realizing Low-Carbon Neighborhoods Based on the Physical Characteristics of Various Urban Fabrics; Case Study: Selected Neighborhoods of Shiraz

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 PhD Candidate in Urban Planning, Faculty of Art and Architecture, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran.

2 Associate Prof., Department of Urban Planning and Design, Faculty of Art and Architecture, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran

Abstract

Given the increasing importance of environmental challenges and the urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, cities play an important role in mitigating climate change. Urban neighborhoods have taken shape during various phases of urban development, reflecting the knowledge and approaches characteristic of each era, and thus exhibit distinct physical features. Paying attention to the physical nature and typology of diverse urban fabrics in the design and planning of low-carbon neighborhoods is a topic that has received limited emphasis in previous studies. This study aimed to rank different urban fabric types based on their physical potential and propose practical strategies to achieve low-carbon neighborhood indicators. To this end, three neighborhoods in Shiraz, SangeSiah (historic/old fabric), Vesal (internal fabric), and Valiasre Qasre Dasht (new fabric) were selected as case studies.
Methodologically, this was an expert-oriented research. Data was collected from 7 urban studies experts using the snowball sampling method. The study employed a multi-criteria decision-making framework: the Circular Intuitionistic Fuzzy SWARA (CIF SWARA) approach was used for weighting the indicators, and the CoCoSo method was employed for ranking the different urban fabric types. The results highlight that, overall, the most impactful and fundamental indicators for achieving a low-carbon neighborhood are the public transportation system, the spatial adaptation of land uses to climatic characteristics, and the per-capita green space. Conversely, indicators such as strengthening high-speed internet infrastructure and avoiding the construction of public parking lots play supportive and complementary roles. Crucially, the research found that the priority of indicators varies significantly depending on the specific physical characteristics of the intervention area. Therefore, to propose effective strategies and implementation policies for realizing low-carbon goals, it is of critical importance to pay close attention to the unique capacities and distinctive features of each type of urban fabric (historical, internal, and new).

Highlights

  • The novelty of this paper is to evaluate the physical potential of different urban fabric types in achieving low-carbon neighborhoods. 
  • Internal urban fabrics demonstrate greater potential for realizing low-carbon neighborhoods compared to both old/historic and new fabrics. 
  • The application of the most recent extension fuzzy model, minimized uncertainty in criteria weighting. 
  • Public transportation, climate-responsive land use, and per-capita green space are identified as fundamental factors in low-carbon neighborhoods.

Keywords

References

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Iranian Urban Design Studies
Volume 2, Issue 2 - Serial Number 4
January 2026
Pages 75-102

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History

  • Receive Date: 10 May 2025
  • Revise Date: 22 June 2025
  • Accept Date: 08 July 2025
  • First Publish Date: 30 December 2025
  • Publish Date: 20 January 2026

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