Urban Renewal Projects in Gonbad-e Kavus

The city of Gonbad-e Kavus in Golestan Province has been selected as the pilot site for renovation schemes of the National Headquarters for Sustainable Urban Renewal.

Accordingly, nine projects are supposed to be implemented in the current year (ends in March) in three informal settlements in the northern region, namely Seyyed Abad, Badaljeh and Modarresi (Afghanabad) neighborhoods.

Plans call for the reconstruction of an old school, renovation of houses, setting up  health centers, asphalt for roads, developing small businesses via vocational training and preventing high-risk behavior.

Gonbad-e Kavus urban managers have taken measures to help improve the quality of life in the three districts that are home to over 22,000 people.

“Up to 70 billion rials ($1.8 million) so far has been spent for urban development projects in the three areas,” said Mansour Ta’ne Gonbadi, the mayor, IRNA reported.

Of the 2,800 hectares of urban area in Gonbad-e Kavus, 547 hectares (20%) are old and dilapidated. The municipality offers discounts on renovation permits for the old structures.  “Over the past 10 years since the rundown urban areas have been given attention, the municipality of Gonbad-e Kavus has given 10 billion rials ($260,000) in discount for reconstruction licenses,” said the official.

Rundown regions constitute around 140,000 hectares of urban space across the country. Out of this area, an estimated 25,000 hectares are categorized as historical textures, 54,000 hectares as tumbledown textures and 60,000 hectares as unofficial settlements in which 19 million people live. The National Document on Urban Renewal that was drawn up in 2014 highlights the need for improving infrastructure and developing cultural, educational and medical services in regions that are in need.