A proposed Method for Sustainable Qualitative Assessment of Water in Townscape; Case of Zirab River

摘要

Among the most influential elements on the shape and form of the city, such as physical factors & non-physical elements & activities, natural factors like water, vegetation, and natural features of the land have a more fundamental role compared to other factors. This basic role originating from it is vary nature is a factor which has a great influence on the birth and development of the environmental landscape. Water as a special phenomenon, with its special characteristics like transparency, fluidity, and its visual diversity, plays a distinguishing role on the beauty, vitality of the city appearance. This paper aims to mention the importance of water's role on creating people-friendly and sustainable environment. Findings of this paper shows that the presence of the water on the one hands, caries liveliness of the natural environment and on the other hand, influence on the improvement of sustainable environmental qualities in townscape specifically. Therefore, those specific approaches of urban design towards the importance and influence of the water on the improvement of the qualities of urban design considering factors like vitality, comfort, legibility, climate comfort, and city (urban) health are the main purpose of this study. The final part of the article, some recommendations are given to improve the quality of sustainable features of water in public realms. At the end of the article, we have tried to identify the environmental conditions dependent on water and the ways in which they can be promoted in public spaces, and to represent the results in an applicable way in a townscape. Consequently, as an example, the quality conditions for the river of Zirab (one of the northern cities of Iran) have been studied and the related design has been introduced.