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khezri F. (2026). Top-Down Development and the Social Decline of Tehran's Historic Neighborhoods. Social Problems of Iran. 17(1), 39-78. doi:‎ ‎ 10.61882/jspi.17.1.39
URL: http://jspi.khu.ac.ir/article-1-3905-en.html

Evidence indicates the social decline of the historic core of Tehran and the concentration of various social issues in this area. Accordingly, the aim of the present study is to analyze the process of this decline. The research adopts a case study methodology with a historical approach, focusing on three distinct periods: the Qajar period, the first Pahlavi period, and the second Pahlavi period. Data were collected from historical sources and analyzed using pattern matching and time-series analysis. The findings indicate that, at the macro level, the model of dependent development planned by authoritarian governments, particularly during the second Pahlavi period, led to profound inequalities. In this process, the benefits of development were predominantly allocated to the industrial and service sectors, as well as to groups affiliated with the state in the city of Tehran. This, in turn, initiated a wave of migration to the city. Simultaneously, urban development programs -which emphasized development towards the west and north of the city while neglecting the historic core- alongside the gradual encroachment of the market into residential spheres, reinforced the process of spatial segregation. Consequently, as a result of this process, the native residents of the central neighborhoods gradually relocated to newly developed areas, and their place was taken by migrants from the lower strata of society. This replacement led to the social decline of the city's historic core and weakened the residents' capacities to organize their living environment, including the capacity to solve local problems.

Extended Abstract
1. Introduction
The Iranian society and, in particular, the metropolis of Tehran, in pursuing engagement with the modern world and implementing top-down modernization programs, have encountered various forms of imbalance, including inequality. The effects of these imbalances at the level of the city and its neighborhoods in Tehran, especially within the historic fabric of the city are manifested as social decline, that is, the collapse of norms, social networks, and forms of social control derived from them. The historic fabric of Tehran, which expanded during the Qajar period and had long served for decades as the central locus of all economic relations and social life in the capital, has, in contemporary times, come to face the deterioration and intensification of a wide range of social problems. Accordingly, the purpose of this article is to study the historical factors and mechanisms that have led to the social decline of this portion of Tehran.
2. Methodology
The methodology of this study is historical case study. In this approach, what is of primary importance is the construction of appropriate theoretical concepts for understanding the reality under investigation. Accordingly, the study endeavors to examine the subject matter in depth. The cases of this research are constituted by three historical periods: the Qajar era (1210 to 1344 AH), the period of first Pahlavi (1304–1320 SH), and the period of Second Pahlavi (1320–1357 SH). These three periods are examined at two levels: the macro level and the meso level. At the macro level, the study addresses the principal characteristics of the socio-economic order in each period. The aim here is to understand macro-level factors particularly industrialization, inequalities, migration, and urbanization. At the meso level, the study analyzes the major factors in Tehran, with an emphasis on spatial inequalities, segregation in settlement patterns, the characteristics of specific neighborhoods, and ultimately the decline of the historic core of the city.
3. Findings
The findings of the research indicate that the economic and social order during the Qajar era was accompanied by profound inequalities among various social strata. During this period, the underprivileged classes were exploited through mechanisms such as usury, heavy taxation, unequal exchanges, and forced labor. These unequal class relations also assumed spatial dimensions, establishing a unidirectional relationship between urban and rural areas, whereby surplus production was transferred by large landowners to urban centers, particularly Tehran. In addition to this, the integration of Iran’s economy into the global economy and the government’s economic policies became significant factors in intensifying and deepening inequality and poverty. In this process, a small group comprising merchants, wealthy families, and foreign traders emerged, due to their control over exports and imports. On the other hand, economic integration led to the collapse of traditional industries and the destruction of workshop-based manufacturing. The consequence of this was the bankruptcy of many artisans and small to medium-sized merchants, which, in turn, exacerbated poverty and inequality. At the city level of Tehran, with Tehran becoming the capital, its population increased due to various reasons, including migration. Following population growth and space constraints, the old city wall was demolished and a new wall was constructed, with the city’s development primarily expanding towards the north. As a result of migration and urban policies, a significant gap emerged between Tehran’s neighborhoods in terms of social and economic status, with migrant and tenant classes predominantly settling in the southern parts of the city.
During the first Pahlavi period, alongside an increase in oil revenues, the process of industrialization accelerated. In this period, the majority of investments in industries and services were concentrated in Tehran, and this concentration of investment triggered a new wave of migration to the city. Population increase doubly necessitated urban renewal, and similar to the Qajar period, the city expanded, more than anything else, towards the north. The consequence of these modernization efforts and the way industries and services were established was the functional segregation of the urban area, while the central fabric of the city was damaged. The development of the city towards the north and the placement of new facilities and land uses in these areas intensified the process of spatial segregation based on economic and social characteristics, to the extent that a portion of the upper-class households relocated to the northern neighborhoods, making way for low-income migrants and the poor.
During the second Pahlavi period, the increase in government revenues, mainly from oil income and the planning of these revenues through development projects, brought about significant changes in the country. The implementation of development programs rapidly decreased the share of the agricultural sector while increasing the importance of the industrial and oil sectors. Substantial investments were also allocated, particularly to urban areas and specifically to Tehran. Furthermore, the land reforms and their implementation deepened the gap between cities and villages, intensifying the wave of migration to Tehran. In Tehran, the approval of the first comprehensive urban plan prioritized the linear development of the city, focusing on the western regions, while this plan restricted the development of the southern and central areas. As a result, low-income migrants largely settled in the central and southern parts of the city, which led to higher population density and the formation of ethnic/identity-based neighborhoods. At the same time, migration away from the native residents in the central areas intensified. The market gradually expanded from commercial activity into residential spaces in the central urban areas, thereby strengthening different patterns of land use and exploitation in those neighborhoods.
4. Conclusion
The findings indicated that the decline of Tehran’s central city areas resulted from a combination of macro and meso-level causes, processes, and mechanisms. At the macro level, the dependent development pattern, planned by authoritarian governments, particularly during the second Pahlavi era, led to the deepening of widespread inequalities. Consequently, the benefits of development were mainly accrued by the industrial and service sectors, as well as groups close to the government in Tehran. This trend fueled the intensified migration flow to the city. At the urban level, development plans emphasizing westward and northward expansion, while neglecting the historical core, coupled with the gradual encroachment of the market into residential areas, reinforced the process of spatial segregation based on economic and social characteristics. As a result, the original residents of the central neighborhoods gradually migrated to newly developed areas, and migrants from the lower strata of society took their place. This displacement led to the social decay of the city’s historical core and weakened the residents’ capacity for self-organization and problem-solving within their living environment.