There has not been any other city where all of its buildings have been systematically wiped out in a short time (and then re- placed by ugly and defective buildings), had its building density multiplied, turned into a huge car park, and had its physical and monetary assets wasted. It can be calculated how much pollu- tion, including noise, is created in the process of each demoli- tion and rebuilding: an infernal symphony of hammers, drills, and shouts that has become the natural background sound in Tehran.
— Roger K. Lewis, Shaping the city, Jan 16 2010
Modernist Tehran block under demolition.Period building with a gold cornice band, awaiting clearance.Half-demolished brick building, with new high-rises rising behind.Four scenes of the ‘infernal symphony’ — drills, machines, raw concrete frames, and rubble.Western corner of Jomhouri and Si-e Tir — original ceramic mosaics.‘Eduard Brown’ street sign in front of a cleared Tehran lot.A demolished plot left as a deep scar between party walls.Exposed stair and rubble where a building used to stand.Park strip lined with new construction — looking west to the Western highway.
