Prioritization of Attention to the Factors of Sense of Place in Jamaran Cultural Tourist Zone applying the ISM-MICMAC-TOPSIS Model

Tehran, the 200-year-old capital of Iran, is a young city with a complex political and social structure compared to many other cities in the country. Therefore, creating a sense of place and the formation of social relations in this metropolis has faced complexities, and the partisan and modernist view of urban planners has reduced the sense of belonging in the residents and, consequently, has reduced the vitality of this city. In the comprehensive plan for organizing and developing cultural spaces in the metropolis of Tehran, an area called the cultural zone of Tehran has been determined. The purpose of choosing this zone was to give the Tehran Space Organization an outlook for the development of cultural spaces. The boundaries of this zone are designated in accordance with the natural-historical structure of Tehran and is located in the north-south and east-west. Using the combination of three models –Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM), Micmac, and Topsis– this paper attempted to prioritize attention towards the factors influencing the sense of place based on the views of experts and residents of Jamaran cultural tourist zone, an area located in the cultural zone of Tehran. The results of the interpretive structural modelling in 5 stages showed that the most important factor that influence the sense of place is the concept of territory. This was determined based on the first stage questionnaire of Delphi from the perspective of urban planners and design experts. Based on the output of the Micmac model, in explaining the sense of place in the cultural zone of Tehran, three categories of "drivers", "dependents" and "autonomous" was identified but there was no "linkage" factor. At the end, in order to provide suggestions and prioritize attention towards the sense of place in Jamaran cultural tourist zone, the overall result of the three models was used, and it was found that the top priorities that needs attention to enrich the sense of place in the study area, are the sense of presence, level of security, the concept of territory, and social amenity.