Facilitating pedestrian circulation within neighborhoods through redesigning the main streets (Case of: Saghari-sazan Neighborhood in Rasht)

Introduction: The changes in transportation systems in the last century and growing rate of motor vehicles have led to increase the presence of cars in urban neighborhoods. The presence of cars in urban neighborhoods, along with many benefits, has resulted many undesirable consequences such as air pollution, rise in traffic rate, accidents, injuries and reducing pedestrian's safety in cities and neighborhoods. In recent urban planning theories proposed in the last of 20^th and first years of 21st centuries, the support and promotion of pedestrian movement in city as an economical and healthy mode of urban transportation has taken serious attention. Pedestrianization is considered as one of the main elements in sustainable urban transportation. New approaches in urban design have special emphasis on pedestrianization in cities and has prompted planners to consider walking as a desirable and original mode of transportation. At the same time, in accordance with the principles of sustainable development, it has been prioritized in the development or regeneration plans of cities. For this reason, concepts like walkability and pedestrian-oriented design found their way through urban design and urban planning.
Rasht is the largest city in the south of Caspian Sea and capital of Guilan province. Rasht has five main municipal districts that Saghari-Sazan neighborhood is located in central part of district two, right in the middle of the historical part of the city. Saghari-Sazan neighborhood was considered as the core of Rasht city in the past. It was the place where people lived and also worked together to make a type of shoe called Saghari. Today, Saghari-Sazan neighborhood, with narrow streets and old alleys and due to entry of cars into urban fabrics has turned to a place that is not suitable for pedestrians to walk. In Saghari-Sazan neighborhood, Mottahari Street and Shariati Street as border streets have very undesirable conditions and weak facilities. Some of these undesirable conditions are: bad lighting system, weak asphalt quality and unsuitable sidewalks. The heavy traffic in Mottahari street and Saghari-Sazan's internal streets is also noticeable. The internal streets of Saghari-Sazan neighborhood have narrow width and inadequate lighting system that makes it unsafe for pedestrians. Some streets in this area are not drivable due to their very narrow width and some dead-end roads even do not have specific name.
The Purpose of the Research: The purpose of this research is to provide strategies to improve the quality of life of the residents of Saghari-Sazan neighborhood by pedestrian-oriented Facilitation Strategies and improving the ability to walk in Saghari-Sazan neighborhood by redesigning the main internal streets.
Methodology: This research is an applied in of the goals and descriptive-analytical in method. First, a conceptual model for pedestrian-oriented is defined and then SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats) analysis is used to present strategies. At the end, Analytical Hierarchy process (AHP) model is used to prioritize them. Environmental analysis and modeling, has been taken by GIS and Sketch Up.
Findings and Discussion: In this article, the walkability of main streets in Saghari-Sazan neighborhood in Rasht city has been investigated and its potential to create a sustainable walkable environment has been identified. Creating strategies to facilitate pedestrian access and reducing car traffic is one of the measures that can improve the pedestrian conditions. These strategies include designing pedestrian crossings and reducing the speed of cars. Also, providing facilities such as benches, proper lighting and more security along ways can create more motivation for walking. Through analysis, it was found that the main strength of this area is the access to services and public spaces, and its main weakness is the lack of sufficient infrastructure and high volume of traffic. At the end, by using hierarchical analysis process, effective strategies for pedestrian-oriented Facilitation in this neighborhood, has been presented. Improving infrastructure and preserving historical identity will enhance the attractions of the Saghari-Sazan neighborhood and reduce flooding problems are some the other solutions for this neighborhood problems.
Conclusion: Optimizing the infrastructure and proper urban design can turn Saghari-Sazan from a neighborhood with many problems into a desirable place for pedestrians, which not only can help to increase the quality of life of the residents and pedestrians; but also could be considered as a model for other neighborhoods and cities.