Informal Settlements and Urban Management in Iran

This chapter chronicles the history of informal settlements (Sokoonatgah haye- Gheir Rasmi in Farsi) and the policies addressing them in Iran. While tracing its recent history to the Post-World War II period, it explores the reasons why informal settlements are expanding rapidly in Iran, and briefly outlines five sets of constraints (physical, national, supply and demand, and institutional) that, according to the World Bank, are its contributing factors. This discussion segues into the World Bank’s $80 million loan toward the physical upgrading of informal settlements in five Iranian cities (Bandar Abbas, Sanandaj, Kermanshah, Zahedan, and Tabriz). It also briefly touches on the National Enabling Document, which since its adoption and government approval has played a key role as a robust national initiative toward enabling informal settlements in Iran. The chapter provides some examples of a significant change of heart among the government officials by gradually moving away from a “hardware” or “project-oriented” attitude to a “software” or “program-oriented” attitude in enabling informal settlement populations.