Design, Construction, and Management of Passages in Iran
The word passage has been in common use for decades in the Persian language. It is a collection of shops located in a building on a city street. The oldest passages in this sense are Teems and Saras in traditional bazaars or caravanserais.
A friendly and familiar environment regardless of size and location was a common characteristic of all commercial Saras built in Iran (as well as Europe, Turkey, and Syria). Men, women, children, traders, apprentices, buyers, sellers, rich and poor would socialize with each other in market places. Being in bazaars was a pleasant experience and no one was in haste to buy and go away. But unfortunately such atmosphere has completely disappeared from contemporary passages.
The passage should not be confused with the typical American mall. Shopping malls are large spaces, most often situated in the suburbs with large areas available for parking. Why is it that European passages have practically maintained their cultural and social characteristics but the ones in Iran have not?
Western societies in the last century and especially since the Second World War have enjoyed relative economic stability, social tranquility, and have avoided drastic population explosions. When Rome had a population of five hundred thousand, the number of Tehran residents did not exceed one hundred thousand, but today Rome population has reached two million and seven hundred thousand and Tehran has passed ten million. Obviously the same tranquility and continuity of European shopping centers cannot be expected in Tehran or other cities in Iran.
Today passages are not social nuclei for people from different classes to interact anymore; they are rather fast-return investment projects where the main concern is not the quality of design, customer satisfaction, or a long-term effective management plan. Investors maximize the least capital possible, ignore customers social and physical needs. Actually their main goal is providing as much space for sale as possible.
Furthermore, developers and investors disappear from the scene as soon as the last unit is sold to avoid the forthcoming complaints from individual buyers and leave the management and upkeep of the structure to a group of people who do not know each other. Multi-owner management systems have not been properly developed in Iran yet, and consequently the loser is always the customer of new shopping centers.
The Role of Municipalities in Iran
In some countries, municipalities hold absolute control over the commercial development lifecycle. In Iran, however, the role of municipalities is typically confined to issuing construction permits. They should be far more actively involved in regulating the ongoing quality and standards of commercial passages, from design approval through operational management.
Requirements for a Successful Passage Design
A successful passage design must consider several key factors: proper spatial organization with attention to customer flow and circulation, adequate natural lighting, comfortable climate control, an appropriate commercial mix, accessibility for all users, and sustainable management systems. The integration of cultural elements from Iranian architectural heritage with modern commercial needs remains the greatest challenge facing passage designers in Iran today.