The fifth volume of the book An Introduction to Planning Methods and Techniques, with special reference to urban planning, authored by Dr. Zohreh Abdi Daneshpour, Professor Emerita of the Department of Urban Planning (Department of Urban and Regional Planning) at the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Shahid Beheshti University, has been published.
For the first time, Volumes I to III of this book were published in 2021, Volume IV in 2022, and Volume V in 2024, comprising a total of 1,330 pages in two volumes and offered at a price of 8,100,000 IRR.
An Introduction to Planning Methods and Techniques, with its emphasis on urban planning, addresses the tools of description, analysis, forecasting, estimating the need for integrated urban spaces, prescribing and designing urban programs or alternative scenarios, evaluating and selecting the optimal or desired option responsive to urban planning vision statements and goals, as well as the principles of implementing the selected program or scenario, supervision, and review.
The book aims to define the urban planning process comprehensively and unambiguously, so it can serve as a practical guide for genuine urban (and supra-urban) planning. It strives to prevent the many misunderstandings and misinterpretations that arise within theoretical, technical, and practical frameworks of urban planning and to make this body of knowledge and order widely accessible. Ultimately, the work seeks to reinforce and organize the relationships among all elements of the urban system and the urban planning system, enhancing the effectiveness of mechanisms for guiding and controlling cities and peri-urban environments.
This book is structured in five volumes, each containing sections dedicated to the main thematic and policy areas of urban planning and to different phases of the “grand process of urban planning.” Each volume addresses foundational principles, the nature of methods, techniques, and models relevant to urban planning in these domains.
The five volumes are outlined and described as follows:
Volume I: Comprising five sections, this volume covers: the introductory research methodology of the book (Sections 1 and 2), the macro system targeted by urban planning (Section 3), models of the urban planning process (Section 4), and models applied in urban planning (Section 5).
Volume II: Consisting of four sections: Section 6 focuses on research methods related to the city and urban planning; Section 7 discusses decision-making and decision-taking in urban planning; Section 8 explores policy and policymaking in urban planning; and Section 9 addresses problem identification and problem-solving in urban planning.
Volume III: Containing three sections: Section 10 examines models and modeling in urban planning; Section 11 covers the development of statements of mission, agenda, vision, values, and macro and micro goals of urban planning; and Section 12 discusses data and information gathering, accumulation, processing, description, and analysis in urban planning.
Volume IV: Composed of three sections: Section 13 provides analytical descriptions of the spatial system of the target city; Section 14 delves into foresight and scenario-building in urban planning; and Section 15 focuses on estimating requirements for various activities and integrated urban spaces. Volume V: Published in two volumes and comprising three sections: Section 16 (in Volume V–1) focuses on designing the urban program in the prescriptive phase of the urban planning process, which is a critical stage in any “grand urban planning process”; Sections 17 and 18 (in Volume V–2) cover evaluation in urban planning, and implementation, supervision, and review in urban planning, respectively.
Additionally, five appendices have been included at the end of Volume V, addressing several key issues related to specialized terminology and concepts in urban and regional planning, as well as the broader subject of this five-volume work—methods and techniques of planning with an emphasis on urban planning.
Students and those interested can purchase the book at the Sales Office of the Scientific Publications Center of Shahid Beheshti University, located on the ground floor of the Information Technology (IT) Building, or place an online order through the Center’s website. Electronic versions of the book are also available via Fidibo and Taghche.