Urban sites affected by terrorist events are arenas of contestation over meaning, memory, and collective identity. However, contemporary urban governance often adopts a merely functional (surveillance-policing) approach toward such spaces, overlooking the potential of representing collective memories to heal psychosocial wounds, recreate collective memory, and enhance urban resilience. This applied-developmental qualitative study, drawing upon Maurice Halbwachs' theory of collective memory and thematic analysis, aims to develop a framework for urban memory policymaking in terrorist site-events, using Tehran Railway Square as a case study. Data were collected through documentary analysis and semi-structured interviews with 15 experts, and analyzed via semiotic physical analysis, content analysis, and MAXQDA-assisted thematic analysis.



Findings reveal that memory-oriented policymaking is an essential component of resilient urban governance. The policy governing Tehran Railway Square across three periods—"marginalization of collective memory" (1980s–1990s), "absolute surveillance priority" (2000s–2010s), and "continuous neglect" (2020s)—has lacked any coherent memory-oriented approach. Key obstacles include the absence of a master document, lack of a single responsible authority, institutional overlap, and the dominance of a surveillance-policing approach over a participatory identity-based approach. The research proposes physical, institutional, and policy-level strategies to transform Tehran Railway Square into a space that regenerates collective memory and fosters urban resilience.