Multi-level analysis of management challenges in residential excavations in decayed urban fabric (case study: Seyyed al-Shohada excavation, Tehran)

Ahani, Somayeh; Riyahi, Motahareh; Yousefi, Reyhaneh

doi:10.22034/uep.2025.548451.1718

Multi-level analysis of management challenges in residential excavations in decayed urban fabric (case study: Seyyed al-Shohada excavation, Tehran)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Somayeh Ahani ¹

Motahareh Riyahi ²

Reyhaneh Yousefi ²

¹ Faculty Member, Department of Urban Planning, Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

² Department of Urban Planning, Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

10.22034/uep.2025.548451.1718

Abstract

This study aims to provide a multi-level analysis of managerial challenges associated with residential excavations within deteriorated urban fabrics, with a particular focus on the Seyyed al-Shohada sunken settlement in Tehran. The necessity of this research arises from the increasing complexity of managing critical urban spaces in metropolitan areas and the persistent lack of coordination across different tiers of urban governance. Employing a mixed qualitative–quantitative methodology, the research analyzed data collected from institutional, organizational, and local levels. The qualitative findings revealed the architecture of crisis through three key themes: the dysfunctional cycle of triple vulnerability – the intersection of structural poverty, physical decay, and institutional collapse; parallel social worlds – the emergence of active identity gaps and the paradox of solidarity; and three-layer institutional disjunction – the erosion of trust across communicative, operational, and perceptual dimensions. The quantitative analysis further extracted three major factors: institutional inefficiency, low social resilience, and spatial–physical dysfunction, which empirically validated and quantified the tripartite structure identified in the qualitative phase. The innovation of this research lies in proposing an integrated framework for multi-level urban management that emphasizes the dynamic interaction among macro-, meso-, and micro-institutions. Accordingly, a network governance model was developed to enable three fundamental transitions: from insular to networked governance, from symbolic to structured participation, and from single-speed to multi-speed strategic action. The results can serve as a foundation for urban policy-making and for strengthening structured stakeholder participation toward breaking the self-perpetuating cycles of urban crisis.

Keywords

Decayed Urban Fabric

Informal Settlements

Multi-Level Governance

Residential Excavations

Seyyed Al-Shohada Excavation

Urban Management

20.1001.1.28212118.1405.7.3.4.4

Subjects

Urban planning

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