URBAN REVITALIZATION IN KASHAN, IRAN:

AN EXPLANATION THROUGH ASSEMBLAGE THEORY

Abstract

After decades of gradual deterioration in the historical neighborhoods of Kashan, Iran, many historic buildings have now been repurposed as tourist facilities. This article examines the various actors and factors that have contributed to the urban revitalization of the neighborhoods in Kashan. Utilizing assemblage theory, this article constructs a relational, multiplex, and multiscalar explanation of the process of urban change. Rather than relying on the conventional understanding found in most existing gentrification studies, the aim of this study was to offer a localized interpretation of urban transformation processes. The research findings demonstrate that assemblages of human and non-human factors are shaping and reshaping the historical center of Kashan. Additionally, the findings suggest that the transformations of the historical neighborhoods of Kashan are not only due to the result of a single process but multiple urban processes occurring simultaneously within and outside the historical neighborhoods. These processes include heritage conservation (or requalification), incumbent upgrading, soft forms of revitalization, the initial stages of tourist gentrification, as well as suburbanization and urban sprawl. These dynamics are influenced by a variety of factors at political, economic, cultural, and legislative levels, operating at local, national, and global scales. We suggest that the assemblage approach can be effectively applied to study urban transformations in non-Western cities.