Urban Development Policy Making

Urban Development Policy Making

Analysis of Urban Policy-Making Paradigms in Tehran in the Context of National Urban Policy

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Gholamhossein Mohammadi 1
Rahmatollah Gholipor Souteh 2
1 PhD in Public Administration, Department of Public Administration, Alborz Campus, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
2 PhD in Public Administration, Department of Public Administration, Faculty of Management, University of Tehran,Tehran,Iran
10.22034/judpm.2026.587096.1124
Abstract
Urban policy-making in the metropolitan city of Tehran has undergone fundamental paradigmatic transformations in recent decades; transformations that, in the absence of a coherent National Urban Policy, have been largely reactive, fragmented, and lacking institutional coherence. This study aims to identify and analyze the paradigms of urban policy-making in Tehran in the light of the concept of National Urban Policy. The research approach is qualitative and based on a critical-interpretive paradigm, and data were collected and analyzed through documentary analysis, semi-structured interviews with 12 urban management experts, and thematic analysis. The findings indicate that Tehran's urban policy-making is transitioning from the first paradigm (physical-spatial) through the second paradigm (growth management) to the third paradigm (network governance), although this transition remains incomplete and contentious. The core of this tension is the conflict between two opposing regimes, "city-selling" versus "city-preservation", rooted in the lack of sustainable urban revenues and the weakness of National Urban Policy. Accordingly, a conceptual model of Tehran's urban policy-making space is presented, which provides an analytical framework for understanding the complexities of urban policy-making and practical guidance for addressing urban wicked problems.
Keywords
Urban Policy-Making Paradigm
National Urban Policy
Urban Regime
Wicked Problems
Tehran
Subjects
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Urban Development Policy Making
Volume 3, Issue 3 - Serial Number 8
Autumn 2026
Pages 471-494

  • Receive Date 25 March 2026
  • Revise Date 05 May 2026
  • Accept Date 05 June 2026
  • Publish Date 23 September 2026