Subject of the research

The research in MIS found that modern housing in Iran has a firm connection with the history of industry in Iran, so the most important modern housing was located near key economic projects and production centers before the beginning of the revolution in 1979.

A small amount of available information about the history of industry in Iran is available, but the study of housing developments can show how companies provided for their workers. The homes, which the companies owned, lodged employees. These huge economic projects and small factories are no longer in good condition because of shifts in the Iranian government’s priorities, which allow both large and small industries to die out. There has been no research up to now about these modern housing projects.

 

Relevance of the Research

There are a lot of reasons why the research of Iran’s modern housing is important.

1. The history of modern housing development illustrates the rise and continuation of Iran’s shortcomings in housing policies, planning, and ability to provide housing.

2. To date, little research that specifically addresses modern housing in Iran exists. One reason for the lack of research is a lack of information. Another reason is an apparent lack of enthusiasm for the study of modern urban development by Iran’s architectural community. Most architectural research enters the realm of archeology, focusing on buildings that are centuries-old. There is therefore no research on modern development today, and little prospect for future study of this subject.

3. Modern housing has a potential to excite, and is an honest subject perfect for this kind of research.

4. Old, larger private houses are demolished and replaced with smaller apartments that can house more people, and existing examples of older, modern housing are in danger of not being preserved. Compounding the problem of conservation, companies sell off their employee housing in bad economic times. The new owners modify the homes, or even pull down and replace the entire structure. Private owners modify and tear down homes in MIS and other housing projects featured in the study.

 

Aims of the research

The first aim of this research is to draw attention to the existence of Iran’s housing and work towards conserving key examples of modern housing, which is currently unprotected from arbitrary demolition. At the same time, this study is a new interpretation of historic building and maintenance of the cities and culture in Iran. In addition, this research will help with the academic study of urban planning, architecture, and settlement.

Finally, the history of modern housing is a starting point for other relevant subjects of architectural studies in Iran. Ultimately, this study of modern housing can culminate in the history of modern architecture as a field of study in Iran.

 

Method of research

The first industry-related housing at the beginning of the 20^th century was not company-sponsored housing, but homes built near the factories by employees. Russia, which had a good relationship with Iran, provided housing materials and workers. The houses still exist on the Caspian Sea.

These houses were concentrated on the eastern and western sides of the Caspian Sea. After Tehran, the most important examples of modern housing were located in the province of Khuzestan. The most important cities in this region are MIS and Abadan, but similar housing exists in other cities as well.

One of the other economic centers was located in the province of Azerbaijan in northwest Iran. The main cities of this province, Tabriz and Oroumieh (Rezaieh), were home to several industries.

On the shore of the Caspian Sea are forestry and agricultural industries, with heavy industries, such as manufacturing and metal processing, concentrated in Central Iran in places like Isfahan.

An American university is ideal for this study, as its method will be making use of oral history. We can preserve modern housing in Iran, and document it by working on-site. The current occupants of the study’s sample will be a source of information about problems with this housing. Because of the relatively young age of modern housing in Iran, an oral history is a suitable method of study.

 

Time Planning

It is difficult to say how much time this research will require, but research will focus on modern housing near important industrial centers in Iran. Due to the size of the country and the amount of time that surveying sites would require, the study would take at least five years.