The theory-practice gap in urban management and planning in Iran, particularly in Tehran, has led to urban management and planning theories remaining largely theoretical while urban management practices are often implemented without adequate support by these theories, resulting in costly, time-consuming trial-and-error processes. This study tries to identify relevant research addressing the theory-practice gap in urban management and planning, utilizing an epistemological pathology approach, proposing solutions for the accurate redefinition and reformulation of the issue concerning the theory-practice gap within the context of Tehran. The research methodology was chosen in alignment with the established objectives and research questions, employing a critical evaluation grounded in a synthesis of the evaluation frameworks proposed by Jung and Solomon, as well as Alvesson and Sandberg. The statistical sample for this study encompasses all research conducted regarding the theory-practice gap in urban management and planning in Iran and Tehran. A sample comprising 38% of the statistical sample, equivalent to 15 documented research works, was selected for critical evaluation. The findings of this study indicate that studies within this domain have not succeeded in establishing new methodological and epistemological frameworks to bridge the gap. This shortcoming arises from a failure to critically interrogate the theoretical assumptions inherent in dominant urban management paradigms as well as from a lack of theoretical comprehensiveness and intellectual diversity which has led to inconsistencies in the presentation of evidence and results.