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Introduction
Man entered the third millennium with the hope of achieving permanent peace on
earth, sustainable development and equality for all human beings. Frustrated by all the miseries of the 20th century, he
opened the gates of the
twenty first century by naming the year 2001, as the Year of Dialogue Among
Civilizations. The idea proposed
by the president Mohammad Khatami of Iran was unanimously approved by members
of the United Nations. According to the new theory, dialogue and understanding
replaces confrontations and wars and global development would
be materialized by better realization of
individual cultures and world civilizations with emphasis put more on
similarities than differences.
Mission
The International Center
for Dialogue Among Civilizations has recently embarked on projects concerning
intercultural relations in architecture and urban development. New trends in
the fields of information technologies (IT) and globalization have profound
impacts on urban life and on the way future cities relate human communities to
each other. The Department of Architecture and Urban Planning within the
framework of the Centre’s activities tries to establish basis for
cooperation among people and organizations for better understanding of the
role of architecture in bringing people together
and closing gaps between distanced civilizations. Cities, undoubtedly,
will play the major role in cultural relations among nations and form the
foundation upon which political, social and economic development will be
established.
Objectives
and Activities
The
Architecture and Urban Planning Department aims to promote the theory of
dialogue among civilizations by focusing on research and studies on relevant
subjects. Architects and city planners ,designers and managers , from all over
the world, are encouraged to participate in our research programs, attend our
seminars and conferences and present books and articles on related issues. The
main goal is defined as the study
of thoughts, schools, designs, forms, techniques and cultural behaviors, in
the past and at present, the elements and their influences and effects, the
process of the diffusion of these elements and effects and their changes vis-à-vis
other cultures. The ultimate aim
would be to rediscover the shared bases of interest and to find a common
language to begin dialogue among people and nations.
Generally,
the objectives and activities of the Department of Architecture and Urban
Planning can be outlined as follows:
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Drawing up fundamental
issues and scientific-analytical researches on architecture and urban
planning
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Defining the language
of dialogue in architecture and urban planning (past, present, future)
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Conducting research on
the exchanges between the culture of architectural and urban planning of
Iran and ancient civilizations, specifically in the Islamic era
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Reviewing different
architectural sites built in different historical eras
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Conducting research on
the culture of architectural dialogue
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Studying the reciprocal
impact of architecture on different cultures
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Reviewing the
architectural and urban planning commonalities between Iran and the world
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Architectural exchanges
between Iran and the world
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Modernism and its
impact on the architectural and urban planning culture
- Organizing
conferences and seminars
Committees
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Research
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Language of dialogue
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Historical comparative
study
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Gatherings
Staff
| Director |
Dr.
Mohammad Taghi Razavian (Ph.D., London)
Professor of Urban Geography (Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran)
Chairman, Department of Urban and Regional Planning
(Islamic Azad University, Tehran)
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| Associate
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Amin
Yarzadeh (M.A., Urban & Regional Planning)
Lecturer, Islamic Azad University
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| Assistant |
Zahra
Moghaddam (B.A.) |
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