Navid Haghighi studies and compares urban parks and recreational sites in Boston and Iran to understand how they function in two politically divided countries.  

Iranians’ bond with nature has long been rooted deep in their history, culture and climate. Throughout the country’s history, dynasties and governments have struggled to preserve limited water reservoirs. Little water must satisfy the needs of settlements, while sustaining their trees and plants. 

When the Qajar and Pahlavi dynasties were in power in Iran, a new, modern lifestyle was introduced. Masses of people moved out of villages in a relatively short amount of time to settle in major cities. The former villagers quickly felt the absence of green spaces. At the same time, Iran imported the European model for park design. In Mashhad, Mellat Park (the park of the nation) debuted in the mid-1960s as a holiday resort in the outlying countryside. The park’s architecture was inspired by British park design.

Since 50 years ago, Mashhad has experienced rapid growth; as a result, this huge, flat garden, once in the suburbs, is now located in the city center. Its function changed too from being just a natural holiday resort to a place which welcomed the new and complex expectations of its dwellers. 

However, the 1980s and the early 1990s were perhaps the darkest times for citizens of Mashhad. High crime rates, with the aging park design, brought fear and conflict to Mellat park. Many parks struggle to balance accessibility and safety. But as key elements of urban design, parks tackle air pollution and help citizens develop and spread local culture, form new identities and resolve social issues. Recently, parks in Iran have been political sites for protest against law and the regime. Demonstrators found in parks safe spaces, where trees and shrubs form barriers from identification. 

Parks today are a backyard for major cities; they create a green gateway to represent lifestyle, social values, micro cultures, and tensions within their boundaries.