Tehran’s municipality has established a bicycle venue “in one district of the city as part of an experimental program to help ease traffic congestion, improve air quality and cater to the desires of increasingly health- and fitness-oriented Iranians.” I have always admired similar programs in European cities (e.g., Paris, Barcelona, etc.), but never thought Tehran’s landscape and culture was bike friendly. I was wrong:
[By SD] I went to a very interesting seminar yesterday at Berkeley on the preliminary reconnaissance of the tragic Haiti Earthquake. You can watch the entire webcast on:
http://peer.berkeley.edu/publications/haiti_2010/related_events_haiti.html.
You can find the photo collection of the speaker (Eduardo Fierro) at:
http://peer.berkeley.edu/publications/haiti_2010/images/haiti_photo_gallery_jan16/album/index.html
My overall impression was that:
1) This disaster was tragic, but unfortunately not unique. Similar to many developing countries, the tragedy was not caused by the earthquake, but by bad construction and related policies
2) We, as engineers, can help Haiti through grassroots actions, organizations, and networks, such as Build Change or GeoHazard International Read the rest of this entry »
Tehran has been going through many shakes in the last few months following the presidential elections. These shakes, have, of course been non-seismic! This blog is meant to address the critical issues facing Tehran’s infrastructure and vulnerabilities, so it stayed quiet. However, although, during this sensitive time, infrastructure and role of engineers may seem to many of us as un-important or the last item on our list of priorities, it is in fact a fundamental step toward the common goals of all Iranians, regardless of their political agenda or crises.
Tehran remains to be highly divided and the government seems more divided than its subjects. But that is not my concern, as I’m sure many others are working on that. I am actually concerned about that part of us responsible for our own daily actions. I hear that construction projects are more or less dead in Tehran these days but are starting to move forward gradually. In the past few months, we have all been shaken hard by the wave of excitement and tragedies of our fellow Iranians. We all feel like we’ve been hit in the head a few times every day, watching the news or video clips of new stories. It’s draining, I know. But I also know that we always have a tendency to criticize others and not ourselves – the easiest job in the world.
Let me start with myself: I am trying hard to, as we say in Persian, not forget my mirror when I want to criticize others, including my friends, parents, teachers, and leaders. Read the rest of this entry »
[By SD] I came across this link yesterday and thought it might be interesting to TehranShake: www.tdmmo.ir
[By Shideh] My thoughts on the concept of “incentive”…
What do you think would give Tehranians enough incentives to do what’s good for their city? What would give any person enough incentives to care about her surrounding? To cheat less whether in school or in trade, to respect the rules, to drive properly, to keep her/his street clean, to use public transportation, to turn off the lights when not used, to respect order in lines, to build ethically, and finally to come out in the morning with a smile and a loud “good morning, isn’t it a beautiful day” to the neighbors?
Photo courtesy of Hamed
Why do I see this attitude in some cities, and the opposite in others? Is there something in our genes that make us care and cheat less? Is it cultural, deeply rooted in our training as we grow up and if so, can we change that? Or is it purely a matter of the circumstance? I hear my economist friends talk about the fact that there is little evidence to prove that it is a matter of culture or genes (I’m sure some would disagree). Some believe that most people cheat when they can, any where they can, with any background. What is it then that makes a city like Berlin or Tokyo so clean and progressive in public awareness and that makes Tehran and many other cities (i.e. New York City, Mexico City, Cairo, Istanbul, downtown Los Angeles,… the list goes on forever…) the way they are?
I would argue that “incentive” is the main factor. Incentive is what makes me evaluate the cost/benefits of my actions and make a decision on whether it’s worth perusing and taking the risks. This automatic cost/benefit analysis that takes place in my head is not only economic (money related). Much of it has to do with my fear of social embarrassment, punishment of various degrees, and my own social awareness of the influences of my actions on my own future and that of others,…
[By Shideh] Pakistan suffered from a magnitude 6.4 earthquake today: about 500 people were killed and thousands were left homeless. I want to offer my condolences to the people of Pakistan and particularly to those who were affected. It is truly heart-breaking and it’s a shame that we still witness such losses in a century of information technology and knowledge.
Photo courtesy of Daily Nation
The tremor is reported to have flattened entire villages (click here for more detail). The earthquake struck southwest Pakistan before dawn as people were preparing for the first prayer of the day. Many evacuated their homes after the first, smaller tremor shook their houses, went outside and waited for awhile but returned back in because of cold weather. It is reported that about 20 minutes later the large earthquake hit, flattening many houses and killing hundreds.
The earthquake was located about 60km northeast of the provincial capital Quetta. Timber and mud with heavy walls are common construction materials in the area. The challenge now is to provide food and shelter to those who survived – in this cold weather. The ability of the government to respond effectively to the people’s urgent needs is questionable. Click here for news.
This earthquake affected a few villages in Pakistan, but it is yet another warning to every village and city in the region where active faults are present. All these cities will face the same fate sooner or later when the next earthquake hits (in Pakistan, India, Iran, Turkey, etc.). Why does it remain to be a challenge to understand the risks that we are facing and to act promptly? Read the rest of this entry »
[By Shideh] Tehran mayor, Mr. Qalibaf, has been trying to learn from and collaborate with other big cities in the world to improve Tehran in many ways. I find his attempts promising and in the right direction: http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=180227
Tehran can learn a great deal from Tokyo in terms of pollution reduction and earthquake safety. Perhaps Japan is one of the few remaining nations that has not paid much attention to the US attempts to impose international sanctions on Iran – up to debate. This is a great start for Qalibaf to attract Japanese investment and collaborate with the mayor of Tokyo to improve Tehran’s infrastructure. However, an important part of the problem in Tehran and Iran in general is not related to technical expertise and lack of knowledge. The main problem seems to be deeply rooted in social awareness and culture. It takes a great number of local experts on the social psychology of Tehranians to solve the essential problems that are unique to Tehran and do not apply to Tokyo. Japan in particular has a culture vastly different from those of Iranians and I hope that their solutions and policies will not be blindly applied to Tehran. Iran has a history of blindly following policies of developed nations to improve its system (i.e. education, infrastructure, architecture, city planning, etc.) and my impression is that these attempts have lead to disastrous results and confusion on our own social/cultural identity.
[By Shideh] Another interesting article for TehranShake readers:
To view the full article: click here
[By Shawhin] My friend just sent me a nice article on urbanism, planning, gentrification trends, etc in North American cities. It’s a great read – but be sure to also read the comments and arguments:
http://tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=264510ca-2170-49cd-bad5-a0be122ac1a9 (Thanks, Mei!)
For good complimentary reading, check out Robert Putnam’s (Professor of Public Policy at Harvard) article on social capital:
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~hyper/DETOC/assoc/bowling.html
Or listen to an interview with Prof. Putnam, at:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1074874
[By Shideh] I am sitting inside a round building with a big centrifuge and my model that has become like a friend (sort of like Tom Hanks and the Volleyball named Wilson in the movie Cast Away!) I am here to run an experiment as a part of a research project. I have stayed over night monitoring this model (for the past week) and get to rest for a few hours during the days while someone else covers for me. In the process, this little model has taught me a lot! It’s interesting how a lifeless thing can teach us important lessons some times. Or perhaps it’s me being alone at nights having the opportunity to think and reflect… Who knows?
My model and I are sitting in this big round building right now in the middle of no where and are thinking about the significance of the word “patience”. This experiment cannot happen without lots and lots of patience. It seems it’s an important lesson as we all mature. When it’s dark and scary outside, my model and I think about what songs can make us feel better and how funny it is that life has brought us here! We get depressed some times, frustrated at the world for long hours of work and no sleep. Then we start to smile at each other again and think about how I am being trained to be patient.
My model is sitting here quietly as it is slowly filled with water and as I prepare some of the instrumentation and learn about the electrical system here. I sing to it sometimes and I wonder if anyone can hear me. The person who cleans this building arrives at 7am and every time he is startled to see me here!
While I work at nights over my beloved model that I have created from scratch, I think a lot about everything that I don’t normally have time to think about. Most recently, I have been thinking about the concept of creativity. I read a book called “Jame’e Shenasi Nokhbeh Koshi” in Persian many years ago which is about the historical failure of Iranians to encourage reforming minds (like Hasanak Vazir, Amir Kabir, or Mossadeq). According to this book, not only don’t we encourage creativity and reform, we also kill motivation in anyone who has the slightest desire to improve the system. Among many other things, this book argues that Iran became a “user” society at some point in history and has been copying the west ever since. I wondered then if there was much hope for a society with such a fate. I wonder today…
[By Shideh] My mind has been preoccupied with a number of events lately. I am busy with my last experiment while the world around me seems to have turned upside down. I usually worry a lot about the state of practice in earthquake engineering and am passionate in thinking that I can make a difference in this field, in Iran and perhaps other developing countries. Here I am though, sitting in front of the TV watching CNN in my hotel in Davis, tired of hard work all day, witnessing the world turn upside down once more. What is going on? Are Israeli authorities really planning to bomb Iran’s nuclear power stations (and other things)? Is Iran’s government really showing fake or real movie clips of its military maneuvers to threaten Israel back, to bluff, to defend itself, or to scare others? Are American politicians really open to the military option against Iran? Does it seem like a video game to them or do they actually realize it’s people’s lives they are so easily taking? Am I wasting my life trying to solve a tiny technical problem in earthquake engineering hoping to make cities safe, wishing to save lives, while our governments can blow up the whole world in one second? Who am I trying to save?
I am helplessly writing to you, my governments, the authorities or decision makers of the world, you who think you can make decisions on my behalf to kill others, I am writing this letter to you hoping to make you realize that I am disappointed in how you have all used my tax money toward propaganda against each other, to promote our differences, and to create hatred. When are you going to stop fighting and start solving conflicts without actual conflicts? Read the rest of this entry »
[By Shideh] A 7-story building in Tehran collapsed today, sadly killing at least 3 people. The design engineers and contractors have been arrested and they currently face trial. The mayor of Tehran, Mr. Qalibaf, has blamed the engineering community (Nezam e Mohandesi) for failing to properly oversee the design and construction practice and has requested the judiciary branch to penalize the responsible parties severely.
Photo courtesy of BBC
According to the ISNA news, the city of Tehran has evacuated the buildings around the collapsed structure until they are closely evaluated.
I’m glad that the media is giving this event proper attention and the responsible agencies are under the magnifying glass of national and international news sources. It seems to me, however, that the city of Tehran, under the supervision of the new mayor, has improved to respond to such failures with a higher sense of authority and strength.
I personally hope that the responsible parties, either engineers, contractors, or owners who did not design the building properly or did not completely evacuate the building on time after noticing the excessive settlement of the column, will be penalized with no room for bribery. This is a fundamental step in training the engineering community toward ethical and responsible practice where negligence can lead to such life-threatening disasters. This event reminds me of an old post in which I wrote about a quote by one of my professors here in Berkeley: “you have the power of God in your hands as engineers, you can save lives and can take lives.”
My fellow aghaayoon va khaanoom haye “Mohandess”, let’s remember that with such power, comes great responsibility.
[By Shideh] Mr. Alireza Sarvi kindly sent us his article on the earthquake risks that Tehran currently faces; to download the complete article, please click on: earthquake prone tehran
If you have difficulty downloading the entire file, please try downloading one page at a time as: part_1, part_2, part_3, part_4, part_5, part_6
It’s a great overview of Tehran’s geological and construction history and the risks involved; an insightful and critical study which you may find helpful.
We are heading to Iran this weekend to attend a very exciting and special conference on Zagros Tranditional Settlements in Sanandaj, Kurdistan, organized by the International Network for Traditional Building, Architecture, and Urbanism. We will write much more about the lectures and sites; but please let us know if there is anything specific that you want us to pay attention to, take pictures of, or ask the experts attending and/or presenting at the conference.
Photo courtesy of International Network for Traditional Building, Architecture, and Urbanism
[By Shideh] During my last years in Iran, 1998-1999, Tehran Metro seemed like a dream that would never come to reality. We knew that the plan for its construction had begun a long time before the revolution but was stopped during the war and that the construction had finally started after all those years but there was no hope as it seemed to take a long time. Tehran’s traffic continued to worsen, the pollution lead to numerous social/economical/health problems, and the need for metro was at its peak. On march 7th, 1999, Tehran-Karaj express electric train finally started a limited service of 31.4 km between Azadi square in Tehran and Malard in Karaj with one intermediate stop. The construction works of stations, tunnels, and bridges on a few subway lines were eventually finished and a great number of Tehranies use the Metro every day now to get to their destinations.
Iran khodro with an annual production of over 1,000,000 vehicles continues to contribute to the congestion of cars in Tehran and other cities, while there is an ongoing parallel attempt to increase public transportation and metro lines in Tehran and complete construction of metro stations/tunnels in other major cities (i.e. Shiraz, Tabriz, Mashhad, etc.). The limits imposed on the amount of gas available for each driver last year seemed to be successful in reducing traffic for a short time, but people have found a way around the limitations and selling gas on black market has become a common scene in Tehran.
Photo and map courtesy of TehranMetro
[By Shideh] I came across the official website of the city of Tehran, while looking for some information regarding the duties and power of the Mayor. This site provides detailed information on different aspects of life in Tehran ranging from history, policy, and urban planning to education, tourism, and much more, which you might find useful: http://www.tehran.ir
[By Shawhin] Yesterday I heard a great lecture from UCBerkeley on iTunes. It was a guest lecture by Professor of Public Policy, Robert Reich in a political science class. In one part he talks about the importance of overcoming four things (“the four horseman of the apocalypse”) that keep the public from taking action on things which should be done:
+ Denial: saying that problems don’t exist, e.g. saying there is no global warming, there is no poverty, etc
+ Escapism: “there may be problems, but where I am, it’s not an issue: in my home, job, and my community, I am fine and there is no need to worry”
+ Scapegoating: “we may have problems, but they are all because of a certain group or concept”. Scapegoating is a substitute for thought and genuine reform in social change.
+ Cynicism: the belief that nothing will change or nothing can be changed. People use cynicism to hide from the burden of responsibility and disillusionment
Prof. Reich sees these each as a “burden to overcome to mobilize people to face the facts and to change the direction society is going in.”
I think cynicism is a big issue in Tehran, but at the same time, I think we have recent examples of when one leader can reverse a good amount of it and bring hope in its place. Many people, especially youth, seem to go with the flow on cynicism… I think.
[By Shideh] Today is voting day (Super Tuesday), when nearly half of the states in the U.S. pick their republican and democratic candidates for the November Presidential elections. The race has basically narrowed down to five candidates: Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama for democrats, and Mike Huckabee, John Mccain, and Mitt Romney for Republicans.
It is definitely an exciting day here in Berkeley, a wave of enthusiasm for voting is felt as you walk through the south gate of the campus. Mostly I hear Obama’s name on the student’s flyers and yes, they are hopeful for the future of their country. It seems many older people see something nobel in Obama, something that reminds them of America’s older heroes, like Martin Luther King, or John F. Kennedy. I like this feeling and atmosphere, and can’t get enough of it. It reminds me of the presidential elections in Iran, for Khatami’s first campain. I was a high school student then and one of his huge supporters at that time.
Photograph courtesy of New York News and Features
As an Iranian living in America, I naturally care a lot about the outcome of today’s elections and of course the November elections. If I could vote, I would vote for a leader who would concentrate on improving this country (in terms of education, health care, infrastructure, research,…) more than focusing on offense and war, a leader who would advocate tolerance and deep respect for all. I specifically want a leader who would unconditionally support direct dialogue (political, scientific, etc.) with Iran and many other countries that have found their way to the U.S. black list for one reason or another. I want change, a deep change in current U.S. foreign policies and in the budget spent on propaganda, racism, hatred, and offense. I want this all to end, yet is a president alone able to make all these changes? Is this country ready for change? Is the president really the one in power or is he really only a puppet in the hands of lobbyists, investors, bankers,…, you know those quiet powers that are behind the scene? Is this a game or does it somewhat matter who’s the president? If so, to what extent?
[By Shideh] Today is a national holiday in the U.S., dedicated to Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the great leaders of the American Civil Rights Movement. He is mostly known for his efforts to end segregation and racial discrimination through non-violent means. His birthday marks a day of hope for all African Americans here as well as for many others around the globe. This is one of my favorite holidays and I wanted to write a post here in his honor and in the memory of hope. Here is a video of his famous speech, “I Have a Dream”:
[By Shideh] I came across an interesting presentation by IIEES’ (International Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology) public education department in regards to earthquake safety and particularly children’s safety programs currently being developed in Iran:
http://www.iiees.ac.ir/English/Publicedu/school_safety_iran_case_study_davos.pdf
A few highlights: About 131,935 classrooms need to be reconstructed; 126,010 classrooms need to be strengthened; 39% of schools need to become safe…
Today, we received a message from one of the chairs of the 3rd International Conference on Integrated Natural Disaster Management scheduled in Iran for this February (2008). The main themes for the conference are: earthquakes, floods, droughts, landslides, and hurricanes. UNICEF, the City of Tehran, IAEM, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Shahid Beheshti University, York University, and Cranfield University are some of the sponsors of this conference.
The deadline for submitting abstracts and papers is passed but you can still register and attend the conference. If you have a paper that you’d like to submit, I personally suggest you send it even though the deadline’s past. For more information: www.indm.org. The image below is from their flash intro:
[By Shawhin] I just finished reading the transcript from an interview between the Financial Times and current Tehran Mayor, Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf, published on January 8th, 2008. There’s a lot of information in the transcript particularly regarding development, urban planning, transportation, etc. Dr. Qalibaf has been mayor since September 2005 according to Wikipedia.
I’ve summarized a few points from the article here – these are from quotes from the Mayor:
+ Development in Tehran is handled on three levels:
o Small projects are handled at the local/neighborhood level: via assisting councils (“shora yaari”, شورا یاری) – see details below,
o Medium size projects are handled by the Municipality’s representative offices in 22 zones, and
o Large projects (i.e. highways, Milad Tower, etc) are done at the national level Read the rest of this entry »
[By Shideh] On Sunday, Tehran woke up to a heavy overnight snowfall which ended up shutting primary and secondary schools, blocking major roads, and canceling all domestic flights. All government offices closed on Monday and Tuesday, according to IRNA news agency. All roads in the northwest of the country were closed to traffic, meanwhile the international flights (which now run exclusively from Imam Khomenin International Airport) were delayed. Tehran lies at an altitude of more than 1,000 meters above sea level and is regularly hit by heavy falls of snow in winter (even though there have been some winters without major storms). State television has also reported that the snowfalls will continue in the coming days, while the cold weather has already created problems in the country with around a dozen towns suffering gas cuts last week (due to a surge in demand and cuts in exports from Turkmenistan)…
Image borrowed from: www.tehrandaily.wordpress.com
[By Shideh] Benazir Bhutto’s death has shocked hundreds of thousands of people from around the world and has left many of her supporters in dismay. Pictures of her funeral on Friday are heartbreaking, seeing people in such grief. I want to write a post on this weblog in her memory as she was always an icon of hope as a powerful and influential Muslim woman and a role model for many in our region of the world. My deepest condolences to the people of Pakistan and to her family. It is truly a great loss for the entire world and for the region. Here are some pictures of her life and final moments that I found on line:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-071227bhutto-photogallery,0,3762424.photogallery
Image borrowed from: http://www.chicagotribune.com/
There are and have been many women like Bhutto who risk their lives to bring change and to protect their families, children, and countries at large. One such group that is beginning to gain power is the Iranian “Mothers for Peace,” a group that announced its formation in November as a movement seeking peace and freedom (http://motherspeace.blogfa.com/). I urge the readers, anyone who cares for peace, to donate to this group of Iranian women who are standing up for their rights and the rights of their country and children with no violence what so ever. All the power to those who rise to make the changes they want to see, instead of waiting for others to make them.
[By Shideh] We, along with a group of friends from Berkeley, attended a talk by Dr. Soroush last night at Stanford University on “cultural challenges of Iranians in today’s world,” which brought up many new thoughts and ideas for healthy debate! I truly admire his vast knowledge of Iran’s sociology and culture and learned a lot in the short time that we had, even though I didn’t necessarily agree with all of his comments. In this post, I will mention a few highlights of his talk that I found most interesting. Please note that the material below is more or less what I recall from Dr. Soroush’s talk and it does not reflect my personal stance on these issues.
[By Shawhin] One theme that came up a couple times in our Iran visit was the apparent lack of citizen and/or community involvement in city planning and policy matters. With plenty of development, debatable growth trends, “good” and “bad” projects (be it building, infrastructure, landscape, or …), and in general a very educated and aware community, it seems odd that there isn’t a ton of (and possibly little to no) community involvement in places like Tehran or Shiraz.
Does: development + growth + public opinion + dissatisfaction with some trends = community involvement? Read the rest of this entry »
[By Shideh] A short overview of our experience in Shiraz:
We stayed in Shiraz for a few days during the first week of our trip and had a great time visiting a few of the astonishing historical places. As amazing as this city is (and will always be), we could not help noticing the distasteful trend of new buildings replacing old gardens. The Shirazies seemed to have become crankier than before as they are not used to the new changes resulting in more traffic, pollution, and a more stressful state in their city. In particular, ladies driving around while talking on their cell phones seemed to drive the taxi drivers crazy!
[By Shawhin] The second day of the conference was even more interesting than the first for me. There was a large focus on city planning, land use, and policy. I’m continuing the same format as the previous post here and getting straight into details by presentation. And again, if you want more details on anything, just let me know and I can elaborate. Read the rest of this entry »
[By Shawhin]
We concluded our first day of the conference a couple hours ago with many interesting issues discussed, ranging from policy to project specific practices to setting international trends in sustainability. I took about 20 pages of notes!, which I’ve condensed here. Provided below are first a concise general-picture summary of the discussions followed by a more detailed account by speaker/session:
General overview:
[By Shawhin]
I’m heading to an interesting conference/workshop in a couple days in Seattle: it’s titled “sustainability and public transportation,” hosted by the American Public Transportation Association. I’m sure we’ll be reviewing some models that would be applicable to Tehran: bus rapid transportation, light rail, and sustainable development. Other topics such as transit oriented development (TOD) are probably less relevant, but should be interesting nevertheless.
I’ll post what we do at the workshop each day on tehranshake, so stay tuned.
More info about the conference can be found at: http://www.apta.com/conferences_calendar/sustainable/
If there’s anything in particular anyone would like to be discussed or asked about at the workshop, I would be happy to be of service – just let me know.
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