This month’s blog has been written by our former intern Negar Maydanchi, who came to work with us for a month earlier this summer and, we’re delighted to say, has since been offered a job as a planner. Before starting her new job though, Negar has been visiting family in Iran, and has shared her reflections on what shopping centres here in the UK might learn from the traditional bazaars there.
In what is becoming an annual tradition, this month’s blog has been written by our former intern Negar Maydanchi, who came to work with us for a month earlier this summer. We’re delighted to be able to say that Negar has since been offered a job as a planner, and we wish her all the best with that! Before starting her new job though, Negar has been visiting family in Iran, and has shared her reflections on what shopping centres here in the UK might learn from the traditional bazaars there. Here’s what she has to say…
Lessons from the Persian bazaar
Every year upon my return to my hometown, Hamedan back in Iran, I find myself strolling through the local ‘bazaar’ for hours. The bazaar brings all my childhood memories back, along with many memories associated with the time I was studying architecture. During my study, I spent days in the bazaar, sketching, photographing and exploring every corner, corridor and covered hall accommodating a series of commercial and social activities.
Exploring the bazaar gets my five senses stimulated by seeing a mixture of natural lights and colours in perfect harmony, hearing the loud voices of sellers advertising their goods, sensing the smell of different food seasonings, flavours and fresh fruits, and touching the materials of architecture.
And, as I know from my own experience, the bazaar’s ability to stimulate the senses and the memories it brings for people are key elements bonding the people to the place.
So in visiting shopping centres here in the UK – recognised as the main public spaces in our towns and cities, but many of which are struggling in the face of changing shopping patterns – I have reflected on whether we could create more attachment between people and those places and add extra roles to them (other than retail purposes), learning lessons from the Persian bazaar.
‘Bazaar’ is an old Persian word, strongly linked to Iranian culture, with the concept of the bazaar dating back to 3000 B.C. It has always been about a busy and crowded marketplace in Iranian cities. There are several factors which make the bazaar a unique and charming place, including the presence of a wide range of people with respect to their professions and social backgrounds, its beautiful architecture, which has maintained its originality over the years, its thriving communicational functionality, a collection of ‘timches’ (covered halls), ‘saras’ (courtyards), ‘rastes’ (covered streets), ‘dalans’ (alleys and pathways) and a variety of interconnected professions settled within a specified location, which echo the concept of ‘an end to end supply chain’.
Apart from its economic significance as a marketplace, similar to the plazas of the pre-industrial European cities, the bazaar is a dynamic place holding social, cultural, educational, religious, political, environmental and recreational activities side by side. This is then reflected in the social class of the society, for instance today, the people who work at the bazaar are named ‘bazari’, a class of people involved in trading and economic activities.
The bazaar also has a political power, due not only to its key role in shaping the commercial structure of cities, but also in serving as one of the main public spaces for daily socialisation. For traders and visitors to the bazaar mosques, courtyards, tea houses, caravansaries, bathhouses and squares are main focal points for socialisation. The commercial power of the bazaar is in its influence on the cities’ key decision-making processes; while its strong socialisation network enables news to be spread around the city at the greatest pace.
The architecture of the bazaar is also significant in keeping the place live and dynamic. Primarily, the structure of the bazaar is inspired by sustainable architecture, cultural heritage and climatic (environmental) factors. The bazaar has a linear structure which acts as one of the key elements of spatial organisation in Iranian cities. Walking through different sections of the bazaar also gives visitors different feelings and tastes, due to the sequence of open and covered spaces.
Establishing a public place that possesses functions similar to the bazaar, where social, cultural and commercial aspects combine with an innovative attitude, could play a significant role in regenerating the UK’s town and city centres and contribute to a healthier and happier lifestyle.
Thanks for reading!
Negar
It just remains for us to say thanks for Negar for sharing this with us – some very interesting food for thought! On which, if you would like to find out about how aurora planning can assist you in any aspect of the planning process, please visit www.auroraplanning.co.uk or email info@auroraplanning.co.uk. If you would like to keep up to date with our blogs and bulletins, sign up using the form below.