Namdari M R, gholampour S. Criticism of reductionism in the construction of intercity freeways and the invalidation of the semantic capacities of roads in Iran. مکتب نقدنظر 2026; 2 (7) : 2
URL:
http://jcr-sj.com/article-1-63-en.html
Department of Interior Architecture, Faculty of Art and Architecture, University of Science and Culture, Tehran, Iran
Abstract: (196 Views)
Roads in the Iranian-Islamic tradition were not merely corridors of movement but meaningful spatial experiences shaping cultural perception and collective identity. Contemporary highway construction in Iran, however, has largely reduced the concept of the road to a functional and technical infrastructure governed by efficiency indicators. Drawing on phenomenology of place (Heidegger, 1977; Norberg-Schulz, 1980) and Marc Augé’s concept of non-place (1995), this paper critically examines Tehran–Qom, Qom–Kashan, and Tehran–North highways. The findings suggest that technocratic planning has diminished perceptual, cultural, and existential dimensions of travel experience. Reconsidering highways as experiential landscapes rather than mere transit channels is essential for reconnecting infrastructure with territorial identity.
Article number: 2
Type of Study:
Research |
Subject:
Special Received: 2026/05/1 | Accepted: 2026/05/30 | Published: 2026/07/1