Safe City

Safe City

A study on the process of physical changes in renovated housing after the flood of Neka city in 1378

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Samira Hosseinzadeh 1
Leila Sadat Hamidiyan Divkali 2
Arezoo KHoram 3
1 Master of architecture, Department of Architecture and Urban Planning, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
2 Faculty member, Department of Architecture and Urban planning, Technical University, Tehran, Iran
3 Faculty member, Department of Architecture and Urban Planning, Technical University, Tehran, Iran.
10.22034/ispdrc.2022.701248
Abstract
The flood of Neka occurred in the morning of August 5, 1378, following the rains that started the day
before in Neka city. Heavy rains caused the rise of the level of Neka river and consequently, the
flooding of the river that passes through the city. In this incident, about 80 people of the river dweller
lost their lives. After this incident and during the rehabilitation, Housing Foundation of Mazandaran
province bought a land (known as Arab Garden) with an area of about 10,300 square meters in the
outskirts of the city and started to rebuild the housing and move the flood victims to this area.
Although considerable length of time has passed since the flood of Neka and the completion of
renovation in the region, it is possible to evaluate the policies and programs of reconstruction in the
displacement of suburbanites and its physical manifestation. It seems that in moving the flood victims
of Neka in 1378 to the garden known as "Arab", the government's policy has been supportive resulting
in unprincipled and incomplete construction in the region. In this paper, the investigation and
comparison are based on the qualitative method and SWOT table has been applied for analysis. The
process of housing changes, the factors affecting them, and knowing how to meet these needs are part
of the goals of the research, which is obtained by completing the questionnaire through the residents.
Conducting interviews, and field studies, observing the library documents and in-depth interviews
with officials are other methods of collecting information in this paper. Compilation of the theoretical
foundations associated to the research is mainly possible through the study of relevant texts and
information collection by library studies and internet resources and connection with active scientific
and research centers.The evidence indicates that gathering of suburbanites in one area, regarding their
economic and social conditions before the flood, has created a poor neighborhood where the
indicators of poverty and deprivation have continued throughout these years. This has let to the
physical urban decay due to the reasons of not handling, repairing, maintaining and ignoring the basic
principles of construction. 
Keywords
Neka flood
housing reconstruction
informal housing
emprowement
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