Sustainable Cities and Society 31 (2017) 213–224

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Sustainable Cities and Society

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/scs

Applying Heritage Impact Assessment to urban development: World

Heritage property of Masjed-e Jame of Isfahan in Iran夽
Baharak Seyedashrafi a,∗ , Mohammad Ravankhah b , Silke Weidner c , Michael Schmidt d
a
Chair of Cultural Heritage Conservation, RWTH Aachen University, Templergraben 83, 52062 Aachen, Germany
b
Institute of Spatial and Regional Planning, University of Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 7, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
c
Chair of Urban Management, BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg, Postfach 101344, 03013 Cottbus, Germany
d
Chair of Environmental Planning, BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg, Erich-Weinert-Str. 1, 03046 Cottbus, Germany

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Despite cultural heritage has being affected by construction and infrastructure projects associated with
Received 10 August 2016 urban development in historic cities worldwide, protection of such irreplaceable assets and their asso-
Received in revised form 6 December 2016 ciated values has not been adequately addressed through a comprehensive methodology of impact
Accepted 5 January 2017
assessment. This paper aims to review the existing methodologies, approaches, and tools regarding Her-
Available online 20 January 2017
itage Impact Assessment (HIA) methodology, and to develop an impact assessment procedure in the
context of new urban development. The methodology is applied to the case of Masjed-e Jame of Isfa-
Keywords:
han. The required data is collected through a fieldwork for identification and classification of impacts
Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA)
Cultural heritage
of Atiq project on the property. Subsequently, the collected data is analysed through impact assessment
New urban development matrix, and eventually, appropriated mitigation strategies to reduce negative impacts on the property
Masjed-e Jame of Isfahan are determined. The proposed impact assessment methodology in the HIA procedure provides a system-
atic framework for identifying, assessing and mitigating potential impacts of new urban development on
cultural heritage properties, which is supportive for urban planners, cultural decision makers, heritage
conservators and experts toward developing more integrated approach to heritage protection in context
of sustainable development.
© 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction Convention on Diversity of Cultural Expressions (Articles 2 and

Modernisation and expansion of cities, due to the population
growth, changing the life style, and improving the quality of life,
is an inevitable movement in both developing and developed
countries. Although the new progression has brought many oppor-
tunities in respect to socio-economic aspects, it has also caused
some challenges for sustainable urban planning, particularly in
terms of conservation of cultural heritage. Occasionally, moderni-
sation of cities comes versus the protection and safeguarding of
heritage values. Increasing demand of urban development in the
recent decades has put several heritage properties at risk of var-
ious types of direct and indirect human-induced threats. Recent
construction of a number of towers in London and Istanbul are such
examples, which are considerably affecting their surrounding irre-
placeable built heritage and their associated cultural significance
as a significant factor in sustainable development. The role of cul-
ture in sustainable development has been emphasized in UNESCO’s
夽 This article is based on the first author’s Master thesis.
∗ Corresponding author.
E-mail address: baharak.ashrafi@gmail.com (B. Seyedashrafi).
13, 2005) and subsequently, United Nation conference on sustain-
able development (Rio+20, 2011). “Cultural heritage in general and
world heritage sites in particular are presented in official discourses
and policies as a key element for the sustainable development of
human societies” (Kloos, 2015, P. 214). The gap between cultural
heritage conservation and urban development needs to be ade-
quately addressed by corresponding disciplines within the context
of sustainable development.
The UNESCO statistical analysis (Veillon and UNESCO World
Heritage Centre, 2014) indicates that after “Management and insti-
tutional factors”, “Buildings and Development” is the second most
serious threat compare with other human and natural threats,
which is described in the State of Conservation (SOC) report from
1979 till 2013. In this regard, some examples of such threatened
World Heritage sites include: Dresden Elbe Valley in Germany
which was delisted under construction on Waldschlösschen Bridge
in 2009; Meidan Emam Isfahan, Iran which was placed on List of
World heritage in Danger due to a 12-story of the Jahan-Nama
tower construction in 2004; and Liverpool Maritime Mercantile
City is still in danger list due to “the proposed construction of Liv-
erpool Waters, a massive redevelopment of the historic docklands
north of the city centre” (UNESCO, 2012b).

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2017.01.002
2210-6707/© 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
214 B. Seyedashrafi et al. / Sustainable Cities and Society 31 (2017) 213–224
Chart 1. Distribution of the cultural properties affected by Buildings and Development factors (per percent) (UNESCO World Heritage Centre, 2015).
Inscribed cultural properties on the UNESCO WH list embody
“77%” of the all properties (UNESCO World Heritage Committee,
2011), which highlights the importance of attention to the cul-
tural heritage. More importantly different reports have illustrated
increasing level of threats from building and developments projects
on cultural properties in the recent years (Chart 1). The statistic
clearly highlights a need for accurate analysis of development-
related threats affecting cultural heritage properties.
One of the recent examples of WH properties affected by urban
renewal is Masjed-e Jame (Jame Mosque) of Isfahan in the historic
city of Isfahan in Iran. This mosque is one the significant cultural
properties in Iran which represents the evolution of Iranian Islamic
architecture. The buffer zone of Masjed-e Jame is a part of the old
zone of the city with high population and deteriorated urban fabric.
Recently, the large-scale project of revitalization of the Old Square
and Bazaar, so-called Atiq project, surrounding the mosque has had
various adverse impacts on tangible and intangible attributes of
the property. The UNESCO World Heritage Committee requested
to the State Party “to urgently revise the Meydan-e Atiq project,
in particular its north-western corner in the immediate vicinity of
the Masjed-e Jāmé of Isfahan, . . . [and] conduct a comprehensive
Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) and further archaeological exca-
vation in order to ensure that the revised project proposal does not
cause any negative impact on the historic structure of the mosque
or its setting” (UNESCO World Heritage Committee, 2013).
To address the above-mentioned gap, heritage community has
recently initiated an assessment procedure specific for heritage
properties so called Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA), which has
been developed in the framework of Environmental Impact Assess-
ment (EIA). ICOMOS (2010) for instance, developed a guidance on
HIA specifically for World Heritage (WH) properties to integrate
Outstanding Universal Values (OUV),1 integrity and authenticity
into the HIA procedure. Besides, a framework for Cultural Impact
Assessment (CIA) has been developed by International Network for
Cultural Diversity (Sagnia, 2004) to address assessment of negative
impacts on cultural variables within the EIA. Even though some lit-
erature has proposed methods for HIA, it would seem that further
interdisciplinary research is needed to develop a more systematic
and comprehensive methodology of HIA to improve its effective-
ness and practicability.
2. Towards approaches and methods of Heritage Impact
Assessment (HIA)
Impact Assessment is defined by the International Association
for Impact Assessment (IAIA, 2009), as a “process of identifying
1
“Outstanding Universal Value means cultural and/or natural significance which
is so exceptional as to transcend national boundaries and to be of common impor-
tance for present and future generations of all humanity” (Operational Guidelines,
2013, Art. 49).
the future consequences of a current or proposed action”. Impact
assessment has been a technique which has been applied by envi-
ronmental planning discipline, known as Environmental Impact
Assessment (EIA), with the propose of assessing impacts of projects
on various aspects of the environment. Emerging EIA as an effective
instrument in assessing possible impacts and risks of develop-
ment projects and changes has brought about two considerable
developments in the field. Firstly, EIA introduced a very systematic
and comprehensive methodology of reviewing projects, assess-
ing impacts, and determining appropriate mitigation activities.
Secondly, it established a legally binding framework through con-
ventions and declarations in several countries around the world
to avoid adverse effects of development proposals prior to major
decisions being taken.
Basically, the origin of Heritage Impact assessment is based
on the EIA. US National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969
within its EIA directive, mentioned the importance of protection
of cultural and natural heritage as a part of environment (United
States Environmental Protection Agency, 2000). In 1976, Antiqui-
ties and Monuments Ordinance in Hong Kong (Cap.53) established
the legislation to “provides statutory protection against the threat
of development for declared monuments including historical build-
ings/structures and archaeological sites on land and underwater”
(The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region,
2007, p. 11-1). This statute is one of the first legislative protection
step, which is addressed cultural heritage properties in EIA as a
separate element. Following the 1976 legislation, Hong Kong Envi-
ronmental Protection Department provided Environmental Impact
Assessment Ordinance – Technical memorandum (EIAO-TM) in
1997; in its annexes 10 and 19, the ordinance emphasized the
significance of visual impacts on cultural heritage (e.g. archaeolog-
ical, historical, and architectural sites), as a sensitive component
of environment. Since 1999, International Association for Impact
Assessment (IAIA) published the principles for EIA as an interdis-
ciplinary process, and emphasises the culture, tradition, and value
of communities as features, which should be respected and noticed
in EIA.
Even though Cultural heritage has been addressed within the EIA
framework, heritage sector has realized that heritage, in particular
WH, needs to be addressed in a specific methodology of impact
assessment in order to address specific characteristics of cultural
heritage and its values. Framework for Cultural Impact Assessment
(CIA) by International Network for Cultural Diversity (Sagnia, 2004) is
one of the first guidelines that specifically concentrates on Cultural
HIA (CHIA). Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment is defined as:
“The process of identifying, predicting, evaluating and com-
municating the probable effects of a current or proposed
development policy or action on the cultural life, institutions
and resources of communities, then integrating the findings and
conclusions into the planning and decision making process, with
 B. Seyedashrafi et al. / Sustainable Cities and Society 31 (2017) 213–224 215

a view to mitigating adverse impacts and enhancing positive on the attributes of OUV, they would not meet desired standards in
outcomes” (Sagnia, 2004, p. 5). managing change at WH properties” (ICOMOS, 2010, p. 4). In this
guideline, development projects are classified into three main cat-
This definition highlights both tangible and intangible aspects of
egories of “changes of policy such as land use and urban planning
cultural heritage as variables of CHIA and extends the development
policies”, “Tourism infrastructure and increased visits”, and “Major
approaches in a sustainable way. According to this framework, cur-
archaeological excavations”. HIA is needed in advance when the
rent and probable direct significant impacts, as well as indirect and
cultural heritage such as natural, cultural, and intangible heritage,
cumulative impacts are identified, and subsequently, mitigation
would be affected by these kinds of threats.
strategies are developed to reduce the negative impacts on cul-
Value assessment is a vital step in this guideline (Fig. 1, right).
tural variables (Fig. 1, left). However, the lack of value assessment
Value of the cultural property is assessed based on six evaluation
can be considered as a gap in the proposed process. Sagnia points
scale, from ‘very high’ which is referred to the WH properties, to
out the need of assessment of “cultural aspects of environment”
‘unknown’ cultural properties. Afterward, impacts are categorized
and “Analyse Impact Equity” in the EIA process, and believes that
to beneficial and adverse effects with five scale of “Major, Mod-
“cultural impact assessment has not been well integrated into the
erate, Minor, Negligible, Neutral”, and are analysed based on five
planning, policy formulation, decision making process and program
degrees of severity: “Major, Moderate, Minor, Negligible Impacts,
or project cycle of development agencies” (2004, p. 38). In addi-
and No change” (ICOMOS, Appendix CB, 2010, p. 16). Matrix of HIA
tion, the framework highlights the importance of legal mandate
is formed by two variables of ‘value of the property’ and ‘severity of
for CIA in which every stakeholder should take responsibility for
the impacts’, and subsequently the significant adverse impacts are
protection of heritage resources.
avoided or reduced by developing sustainable mitigation strategies.
ICOMOS (2010) has developed a guidance on HIA for Cultural
Heritage Impact Assessment is a tool to identify and assess
World Heritage properties. This guideline takes cultural heritage
impacts of proposed development projects on cultural heritage;
into consideration as an autonomous and distinguished character
and therefore, it supports a better protection and management of
of each property which need to be separated from environmen-
the heritage assets. Even though cultural heritage has been already
tal assessment. The guideline furthermore, addresses the specific
included in the EIA, in order to adequately address the qualitative
aspects of World Heritage sites including the OUV, authenticity and
values of cultural heritage in assessing the values and loss of values,
integrity that should be particularly considered in the HIA. Accord-
a specific methodology of HIA needs to be developed to adequately
ingly, “where cultural heritage sections of EIAs clearly do not focus
determine effective mitigation strategies.

Fig. 1. Impact Assessment process for Cultural Heritage. Left: adapted from Sagnia (2004); right: adapted from ICOMOS (2010).
216 B. Seyedashrafi et al. / Sustainable Cities and Society 31 (2017) 213–224
Fig. 2. Development of urban form in Isfahan during Seljuk and Safavid periodes (matched on the contemporary streets map) adapted from Pakzad (2011) cited by Arefian
et al. (2014).
3. History and development of Masjed-e Jame of Isfahan
and old square
3.1. History of urban development in city of Isfahan
Isfahan, as the third largest city of Iran, is located in Isfahan
province in a semi-arid region in middle part of the country. This
city is so well-known for its squares and streets, Persian gardens
and palaces, as well as, Islamic architecture such as wonderful
mosques, madrassa, houses, bridges, and bazaar. Furthermore, geo-
graphical location and flowing Zayandeh-Rood river through the
city have created unique economic and environmental conditions,
which brought a great attention in different eras. Isfahan became
the capital city of Iran two times, and consequently, it experienced
rapid urban development and growth. The first capital period of the
city was in Seljuk Empire “1051–1118” (Jarrar, Riedlmayer, & Spurr,
1994), that the main urban development of the city was begun from
this era, “the mosque [Jame Mosque] was the central urban space,
as the city formed and expanded around it; it sparked the devel-
opment of Isfahan into an early Islamic metropolis” (Arefian, Estaji,
Jabbari, Koledova, & Fatemi, 2014) (Fig. 2, left). In Savafid dynasty
“1501–1722” (Matthee, 2008), Isfahan was the capital city for the
second time, and the major development of the city occurred at
Shah Abbas period “1588–1629” (Matthee, 2008) (Fig. 2, right).
Location of the city on the Silk Road was a significant factor in
fostering the socio-cultural and economic circumstances of Isfahan.
In Safavid period, the city was expended toward the river in
southern part, Naghshe Jahan (new square) and its surrounding
complex became the central part of city, and the various gar-
dens and streets formed based on Persian pattern of Chahar-Bagh2
(Fig. 2), which altered the city pattern from medieval into more
geometric. “The more important point is the very well-thought and
well-designed connection of this new urban space with the older
structure of the city” (Browne, 1976, p. 259).
After significant era of Safavid, Isfahan lost its power as the cap-
ital city. “From the fall of the Safavids in 1722 to the Qajar era
2
“Chahar Bagh [the four-folded garden plan or the four gardens] is the universal
notion, which refers to the four principle elements of Earth, sky, water, and plant and
their creator, God. Thus, the idea of geometry in the Persian garden has a mythical
function, and serves to reflect the cosmos order of the world in the form garden as
the Paradise on Earth. [. . .] In fact, geometry is defined to be the outlines of the plan
of a given garden, and the waterways and pools are supposed to be the initial axes
in such a plan, and the pathways made of rows of umbrageous trees and flowerbeds
are next as for importance” (Iranian government and ICHHTO, 2010, P.64).
(1779–1924), little physical changes occurred in the Isfahan’s urban
fabric” (Sarraf, 2010). However, the Old Square was increasingly
occupied by retailers meanwhile, due to “lack of attention of rulers,
moved the capital city to Tehran, and need for retail trade” (Isfahan
Construction Engineering Organisation, 2010) (Fig. 3). Therefore,
the function of the square as a vast open space was totally altered
into a dense urban fabric. In Qajar era and specially Pahlavi Dynasty
(1925–1979) major cities of Iran including Isfahan were subjected
to transformation and modernisation.
It can be seen in Fig. 3, the first destruction of old fabric in old
square and surrounding Bazaar happened in Reza Khan period (the
first king of Pahlavi, 1925). The modern master plan of the city
did not consider the historic pattern and fabric of the city, and
consequently, new streets and intersection (e.g. Sabzeh Meydan)
emerged within the old square and Bazaar.
Due to a need for renovation and development of urban areas
of Isfahan, a new master plan was prepared by Isfahan munici-
pality after Iran-Iraq war (1988). “The main objective of the new
plan was to revitalise the historic organs of the city and to sus-
tain and improve the ecological and biological processes of the
environment” (Tabrizian, 2010, p. 21). Rebuilding and rehabilita-
tion of the old square as parts of focal historic urban elements of
Isfahan and organising the urban space of this municipality region
are parts of this plan. This urban district has the most deteriorated
urban fabric with “24.56% of all the municipality regions of Isfa-
han” (Shafiey Dastjerdi, 2013), and needs urgent restoration and
rehabilitation plan, while considering its historic urban fabric and
associated values.
3.2. World Heritage property of Masjed-e Jame of Isfahan
Masjed-e Jame (Jame mosque), as a unique cultural property in
city of Isfahan, is “a continual interventions and renovations from
around 771 to the end of the 20th century” (Behnejad, Mottaghi
Rad, & Jamili, 2012), which is carrying on the history of Iranian
Islamic architecture, and embodies a wide range of traditional
know-how and construction techniques. “Masjed-e Jāme’ of Isfahan
represents a museum of art and architecture in Islamic construc-
tion” (Iranian government and ICHHTO, 2011, p. 10) (Fig. 4, right).
As mentioned before, this building and the old square were
the backbones of formation of the city. The mosque was built on
remnants of Sassanid fire temple similar to many other mosques
in Iran. According to the property’s nomination document (2011),
Jame mosque was a hypostyle mosque before Seljuk period, and in
12th century, the mosque changed to Chahar Ayvan (four porches)
with two domes, which is the most modification of the building in
 B. Seyedashrafi et al. / Sustainable Cities and Society 31 (2017) 213–224 217

Fig. 3. Urban development sequences of the old square over the time © Iranian government and ICHHTO (2015), p. 5.

Fig. 4. left: Saheb and Ostad Ayvans © B. Seyedashrafi (2014); right: Plaster decoration of Oljaytu Mehrab in north of the mosque © B. Seyedashrafi (2015).

its history, and turn it to the Iranian architecture style. “Since then
it became a specific feature of Iranian mosques architecture and
also became a model for mosques in other Islamic states” (Iranian
government and ICHHTO, 2011, p. 73) (Fig. 4 left).
The Nezam al-Molk dome (southern dome) is well-known as
the first double-shell ribbed structure dome in Islamic architec-
ture style. The mosque has still its function, while connected to
the Bazar as an integrated architectural and socio-cultural struc-
ture. Jame Mosque was recognised as a national monument “No.
95” in 1932 (ICHHTO, 2015), and was inscribed on the UNESCO
World Heritage list in 2012 under criterion (ii), “the Masjed-e Jāme
is a recognised prototype for mosque design, layout and dome con-
struction, which was referenced in several later eras and regions of
the Islamic world” (UNESCO WHC, 1992–2015).
As mentioned in the Section 3.1, Masjed-e Jame of Isfahan is
located in the oldest and primary sector of Isfahan. Although the old
square lost its function as an open space in the recent decades, the
grand bazaar attracts the local people of Isfahan from middle and
low classes that protect the urban life of this sector of the city, while
the new square and its bazaar have been drawn tourists. Masjed-e
Jame of Isfahan still has its connection to the grand bazaar and acts
as a key component of the Islamic city. The historic centre and old
bazaar, as part of the buffer zone of Jame mosque, have a high poten-
tial for development and change in response to the public demands;
however, such a transformation needs an adequate impact analysis
in order to retain the economic and socio-cultural significance of
the place.
4. Description of a current urban development
surrounding the property and its potential threats
By expansion of the city due to increased population, the Isfahan
municipality reintroduced a number of historical axis for rehabili-
tation of the historic urban areas. “The historical-cultural axis are
designed with the aims of making the tourists stay more at the city,
creating jobs in the neighbourhoods, and promoting public culture
in the context” (Salehi and Bagheri, 2005). Rebuilding of the old
square and rehabilitation of the surrounding area, as parts of the
urban development project, aims at renovating urban old fabric
and revival of historic axis. This urban development project which
is called ‘Atiq’ or ‘Imam Ali Square’ project includes various parts,
such as underway roads, underground parking, the main square of
218 B. Seyedashrafi et al. / Sustainable Cities and Society 31 (2017) 213–224

Fig. 5. left: Land Use Pattern in Selected Heritage Area before Atiq Project, based map from Municipality of Isfahan (Isfahan.ir), (2011); right: the Boundary of Atiq Project,
Core and Buffer zones of Masjed-e Jame of Isfahan, and the other cultural heritage properties, based map from Municipality of Isfahan (Isfahan.ir), (2013).

Fig. 6. Bulldozing, heavy excavation and construction of setting of the property. Masjed-e Jame is marked in right figure © left: Isfahan Metropolis News Agency (2013), right: Iran
ICOMOS archive, (2010). (For interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the web version of this article.)

Imam Ali, surrounding bazaar, Jame mosque, Ali mosque and its
minaret, and frontage square of the Jame mosque (Fig. 5).
The project has been launched since 2010, and it contains 32.5 ha
(the main square of Imam Ali is 22530 m2 ), which is implemented
in “three phases”, “22 projects”, and a cost over “250,000,000 Euro”
(Renovation and Restoration Organization of Isfahan, 2012). In
respect to historic properties engaged within the planning area, the
rehabilitation project encompasses “18 caravanserais, 20 mosques,
Hosseinieh and Tekyeh, 19 historic houses, Hammam, 17 Bazaar
and passageway” (Arzani, 2014). Although the site is occupied
mostly by residential and commercial usage (Fig. 5), new land use
change offered by the project dedicates a vast area for pathways
and commercial buildings surrounding the main square.
The large-scale project of Atiq with its major excavation, demo-
lition of huge number of buildings, which are replaced by the new
square, and construction of new urban components may cause
adverse direct and consequential impacts on Masjed-e Jame of Isfa-
han and its historic setting; and therefore, need to be adequately
investigated through a HIA. Urban development projects may cause
particular threats, which are sources of potential impacts on cul-
tural heritage. In general, potential threats of Atiq project can be as
follows:
Threat1 : Vibration from excavation and new construction sur-
rounding the mosque (Fig. 6, right)
Threat2 : Vibration from transportation of heavy excavation and
construction vehicles as well as new underground traffic road
(Fig. 6, left)
Threat3 : Air pollution and dust due to heavy traffic, excavation,
and new construction in the setting of the mosque (Fig. 8, left)
Threat4 : Noise pollution due to heavy traffic, excavation, and
new construction in the setting of the mosque
Threat5 : Incompatible urban design due to replacing the old
dense urban space by the huge open space of the new square (Fig. 7,
right)
Threat6 : Incompatible urban function and land use change of
the buffer zone that result in changing dynamic bazaar space into
a vast empty square (Fig. 7)
 B. Seyedashrafi et al. / Sustainable Cities and Society 31 (2017) 213–224
Fig. 7. left: Fruit Bazaar (Sabzeh Meydan) before Destruction and Replacement with New Square © Farsnews (2010), right: New Atiq (Imam Ali) Square © B. Seyedashrafi (2015).
Fig. 8. left: Traffic and High Crowded Area of Atiq Square during Construction © Isfahan Metropolis News Agency (2013), right: New underground way © B. Seyedashrafi (2015).
Threat7 : Bulldozing and heavy Excavation of setting of the prop-
erty
5. Assessing impacts of Atiq Square Project on Masjed-e
Jame of Isfahan
5.1. Identification of potential impacts of Atiq Square Project on
the property
Following identifying potential threats of Atiq project, potential
impacts of each threat on Masjed-e Jame need to be determined.
The key attributes3 of the property, based on Operational Guideline
of the World Heritage Conservation 1972 (UNESCO, 2012a, p.22,
para. 82UNESCO, 2012aUNESCO, 2012a, p.22, para. 82), such as
structural elements, decorative elements, and function, which are
conveying its values, need to be identified in order to determine the
potential impacts on them. In the context of World Heritage, dam-
age to the key elements of the property, which are conveying the
OUV, will affect authenticity and integrity of the property leading
to placing the site on the List of World Heritage in Danger. Matrix 1
3
“Attributes are physical elements, and tangible or intangible aspects or processes
of the property that make manifest OUV” (De Marco, 2013). “Attributes including:
form and design; materials and substance; use and function; traditions, techniques
and management systems; • location and setting; • language, and other forms of
intangible heritage; • spirit and feeling; and • other internal and external factors”
(Operational Guideline of the World Heritage Conservation, UNESCO,2012a, p.22,
para. 82UNESCO, 2012aUNESCO,2012a, p.22, para. 82).
219
represents current and potential adverse impacts of Atiq project’s
threats on the specific characteristics of Jame mosque.
Apart from negative impacts, identification of beneficial impacts
will help to appropriately decide about a new urban project and its
overall influences on the historic area. In addition, positive impacts
can be applied in the process of decision making, as new opportu-
nities, to revitalise the old historic fabric. The beneficial impacts of
Atiq project on the mosque and its setting includes:
Beneficial Impact1 : Creation of urban open space and reducing
density of the area
Beneficial Impact2 : Expansion of road width and facilitating the
traffic of the setting (Fig. 8)
Beneficial Impact3 : Restoration and reusing of some historic
buildings in the setting
Beneficial Impact4 : Development of tourism-related facilities
and related economic opportunities.
5.2. Analysis of impacts (Severity of impacts)
Following impact identification, the nature and magnitude of
the impacts need to be determined. According to the ICOMOS HIA
guideline, the severity of impacts ranks in five degrees, from ‘major’
to ‘no change’, and the overall impact of a project on a cultural prop-
erty is analysed in order to determine whether the project should
be approved or rejected. In this study, multiple potential threats of
the urban development project are identified; and then, based upon
the definition of impact as “the ‘impact’ is the difference between
what would happen with the action and what would happen with-
 220
Matrix 1
Adverse Impact Identification Matrix for identifying potential impacts of Atiq Square Project on Masjed-e Jame of Isfahan © B. Seyedashrafi.

Impact Identification Threats of Atiq Urban Projects (potential source of impacts)

Vibration Air pollution Noise pollution Incompatible Architecture & Urban Design Bulldozing & Excavation

From Construction & design function & land use change

Transportation

Attributes of Jame Material and Structural – Causing cracks

mosque Elements – Damage to brick
masonry structure
– Deterioration of
mud and lime

B. Seyedashrafi et al. / Sustainable Cities and Society 31 (2017) 213–224

mortars
– Impact on structural
integrity

Decorative Elements – Causing cracks to Deterioration of tile Causing cracks to tile

tile works, plaster works and plaster works, plaster coating
coating and stones coating and stones
– Deterioration and
collapsing tile works
and stones
– Deterioration of
plaster coating

form and Design – Loss of aesthetic Loss of aesthetic value

value of the original of the original design
design of the through creating cracks
mosque through
creating cracks
– Impact on
Authenticity of form
and design

Function & Use Potential loss of religious

ritual in the mosque
through migration of local
population
Settinga – Impact on townscape
– Impact on visual
integrity
– change of setting and Damage to buried
land use structure of the Archaeol-ogical evidence
asset
– Local population
migration and loss of
living heritage of the
setting
– Impact on Authenticity
of setting

a
“The setting of a heritage structure, site or area is defined as the immediate and extended environment that is part of, or contributes to, its significance and distinctive character” (ICOMOS Xi’an Declaration, 2005).
 B. Seyedashrafi et al. / Sustainable Cities and Society 31 (2017) 213–224 221

Table 1
Guide for Assessing Severity of Negative and Beneficial Impacts the original table adapted from ICOMOS (2010) with some
alteration by B. Seyedashrafi and M. Ravankhah.

Table 2
Measuring Severity of Negative Impacts on Masjed-e Jame (I: Impact)© B. Seyedashrafi and M. Ravankhah.
222 B. Seyedashrafi et al. / Sustainable Cities and Society 31 (2017) 213–224

Table 3
Level of Beneficial Impacts on Masjed-e Jame (I: Impact) © B. Seyedashrafi and M. Ravankhah.

Chart 2. Impacts of Atiq project on the Characteristics of Masjed-e Jame of Isfahan © B. Seyedashrafi.

out it” (IAIA, 2009), potential positive and negative impacts on the
attributes and setting of the heritage property are assessed. There-
fore, the no change scale (which is used in the ICOMOS procedure)
is not applied in this case study. In fact, when an impact is identi-
fied, based upon the effect of a threat on a cultural attribute, it could
not be considered as a ‘zero impact’ with a ‘no change scale’. There-
fore, magnitude of the negative and beneficial impacts is measured
by ten scale-point from sever negative impacts to negligible, and
from most beneficial impacts to negligible. Moreover, the severity
of impacts can be graded from 1 to 5 subsequently, in their own
range of colour (Table 1).
The severity or magnitude of negative impact in this study is
measured based upon the following three indicators:
1. Magnitude of the threat resulting from the project that depends
on type, size, and its distance from the historic monument.
2. Sensitivity of the attributes/elements of the historic monument
that depends on type of material, construction technique, as well
as, intangible characteristics.
3. Lack of conservation and mismanagement
The level of beneficial impact is measured based upon the fol-
lowing two indicators:
A level of positive impact of the project on attributes of the prop-
erty.
B level of positive impact of the project on the setting of property.
As Tables 2 and 3 show, the above indicators have been mea-
sured in five levels of Insignificant, Low, medium, high, and very
high. Accordingly, magnitude of the adverse and positive impacts
is determined as an input for risk evaluation step (Matrix 2 ).
For instance, bulldozing and heavy excavation of the setting of
the mosque had major impact on buried archaeological evidence,
which relates to the hidden part of the Jame mosque, setting of the
historic building, and a vital part of history of the city. On the other
hand, the expansion of roads width and facilitating traffic in this
region are the most beneficial impacts of Atiq project that directly
reduce traffic jam and consequently air pollution (Tables 2 and 3).
Based upon the impact severity Tables 1 and 2, a chart of severity
of impact is drawn for illustrating to what extent every attribute of
the property is affected by the project. This simplifies the technical
 B. Seyedashrafi et al. / Sustainable Cities and Society 31 (2017) 213–224
Matrix 2
Matrix of Determining Significance of the Impacts, the main matrix adapted from ICOMOS (2010) with some alteration by B.
Seyedashrafi (I: Impact).
impact analysis to make it easier impact communication with deci-
sion makers and stakeholders. According to the Chart 2, Atiq project
has been significantly affecting the setting of the Jame mosque,
and then respectively, decorative elements, structural elements,
material, form and design, function of the property.
5.3. Impact evaluation: assessing significance of the impacts
As mentioned earlier, Masjed-e Jame of Isfahan is considered as
a property with a very high value because it is conveying cultural
significances in a global level and was inscribed on the UNESCO WH
List. Matrix 2 illustrates how significance of the impacts are deter-
mined based on the severity of impacts and the level of value of the
property. The output of this matrix will help to adequately deter-
mine mitigation strategies specific to the impacts, its associated
threats and heritage attributes to be impacted.
According to above Matrix, the impacts on the buried archae-
ological evidence of setting of Masjed-e Jame of Isfahan (I14 ) are
large/very large; therefore, immediate mitigation measures need to
be developed to avoid and minimise the impacts of the heavy exca-
vation in this region, especially in the next phase of the project. The
impacts with moderate/large and minor/moderate significance,
such as causing cracks to the structure, material, and decorative ele-
ments due to construction and transportation vibration (I1 ), need
to be treated through short-term mitigation strategies.
In addition, the impacts with minor/moderate and slight signif-
icance, such as deterioration of tile works and plaster coating (I10 ),
and causing cracks the material and decorative elements due to
noise pollution, have low priority to apply the mitigation strategies.
Such impacts in fact, can be treated through restoration measures
within the existing maintenance and conservation of the property.
5.4. Recommendations on mitigation strategies
In order to avoid or minimise the adverse impacts of the Atiq
project on World Heritage property of Masjed-e Jame of Isfahan,
adequate mitigation strategies need to be proposed. Such mitiga-
tion strategies further aim to promote effectiveness of management
plan, and keep a balance between the need for urban development
projects and heritage conservation. On the other hand, the ben-
eficial Impact should be considered as opportunities to facilitate
223
compensation measures resources, and to support urban policies in
providing public modern needs while protecting cultural heritage
properties.
Within the EIA context, Mitigation strategies, as a generic
term, comprise ‘avoidance measures’ for prevention or remove of
impacts, ‘Reduction measures’ for reduction of impacts, and ‘Com-
pensatory measures’ for compensating impacts which cannot be
prevented or abridged (Tyldesley and Associates Edinburgh, 2009).
Reduction measures:
- Using digging device with lower vibration such as sonic or vibra-
tory pile drivers in order to reduce vibration impact on structural
and decorative elements of the property.
- Retrofitting measures to strengthen the material, structural and
decorative elements of building against vibration pressure.
- Preparing Heritage Impact Assessment for any further interven-
tions and urban projects in the buffer zone of Masjed-e Jame of
Isfahan in order to protect its setting.
- Involving the Archaeologists in different phases of planning and
execution of the project, and more site surveillance to abridge
damage to buried Archaeological evidence of setting.
- Professional archaeological excavation and strict excavation reg-
ulation for historic sites, with the view to reduce the damage to
archaeological evidence of the site prior to starting the construc-
tion activities in the buffer zone.
- Establishment of imitation rules in terms of traffic of heavy vehi-
cles in the buffer zone to reduce adverse impacts of transportation
vibration on the structural and decorative elements.
Compensatory measures:
- Providing special facilities for local community to be able to buy
new stores in bazaar, such as long-term loans in order to avoid
the local population migration and loss of living heritage.
- Rising awareness of local and new residence, and Bazaaries via
educational programmes to safeguard their living heritage and
adapt with new setting of the property.
- Establishing long-term appropriate restoration and conservation
principles to protect the existing old fabric for adaptive reuse of
old buildings and safeguarding the setting of Jame mosque.
224 B. Seyedashrafi et al. / Sustainable Cities and Society 31 (2017) 213–224
- Long-term planning for revival of intangible heritage of the set-
ting through promoting ceremonies and rituals, and traditional
function of core and buffer zones of the Jame mosque as a religious
building and one of the main components of the old Bazaar.
6. Conclusion
The paper reviewed the current approaches and methods of HIA
as a tool, which can be applied to urban development projects
in order to reduce its potential impacts on cultural heritage. The
World Heritage property of Masjed-e Jame, as a part of historic
bones of the city of Isfahan, has been suffering from a new urban
project in its setting. This research tried to identify every indi-
vidual threat of Atiq project and their associated impacts on the
cultural heritage of Masjed-e Jame attributes and its setting. Fol-
lowing assessment process, appropriate mitigation strategies have
been developed in relation to the potential impacts and their sig-
nificance. Eventually, the Atiq Project can be approved considering
appropriate mitigation strategies for the adverse impacts (e.g. dam-
age to buried archaeological evidence of setting due to bulldozing
and large excavation) on one side, and the beneficial impacts of the
project (e.g. restoration of surrounding buildings and urban spaces,
better accessibility, and improving the quality of urban life) on the
other side.
Eventually, the paper emphasises that instead of simply rejec-
tion or stopping of a project or proposal without considering its
beneficial impacts on urban development and local community,
appropriate mitigation strategies,as a result of HIA, (particularly
for those parts of the project, which cause major adverse impacts)
can be applied to keep a balance between sustainable urban devel-
opment and heritage conservation, and promote effectiveness of
management plans for cultural heritage properties. Therefore, this
paper suggests that HIA should be considered as an essential part of
management plan of WH properties that will be exposed to further
development projects, as well as, within the urban planning and
design frameworks in order to ensure a more socio-cultural and
economic sustainable urban development.
References
Arefian, F., Estaji, H., Jabbari, M., Koledova, A., & Fatemi, M. (2014). The middle
eastern cities and Isfahan school of urban morphology Isfahan school of urban
design: A morphological perspective. In the 21st international seminar on urban
form, our common future in urban morphology (pp. 1795–1807).
Arzani, M. (2014). Is the spirit of city back by the revival of old square? In Persian,
Available at: http://www.kanoonkhabar.com/note/item/462-
tmpl=component&print=1 Accessed 20 May 2015
Behnejad, S. A. R., Mottaghi Rad, A., & Jamili, H. (2012). Traditional components of
Iranian vernacular architecture in contemporary projects. In Folk architecture –
vernacular architecture, an international conference.
Browne, K. (1976). Making of the city. Architectural Review, CLIX(951), 259–291.
De Marco, L. (2013). Managing world heritage properties: The role of statements of
outstanding universal value and attributes. In Meeting of the Mediterranean
European focal points for world heritage. Available at: whc.unesco.org/
document/125026 Accessed 20 November 2016
Farsnews (2010). Available at: http://www.farsnews.com/newstext.
php?nn=8806141566, Accessed 12 March 2016.
IAIA (International Association for Impact Assessment). (2009). What is impact
assessment? Available at: https://www.iaia.org/publicdocuments/special-
publications/What%20is%20IA web.pdf Accessed 3 February 2015
ICHHTO (Iranian Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts & Tourism Organisation) webpage
(2015), Available at: http://www.ichto.ir/#42511, Accessed 12 May 2015.
ICOMOS. (2005). Xi’an declaration on the conservation of the setting of heritage
structures, sites and areas. 15th general assembly of ICOMOS,. Available at:
http://www.icomos.org/xian2005/xian-declaration.pdf, Accessed 15
November 2016
ICOMOS. (2010). Guidance on heritage impact assessments for cultural world heritage
properties. Paris: International Council on Monuments and Site.
Iran Icomos (2010). Available at: http://www.iranicomos.org/wp-content/gallery/
atiq3/IMG 8919.jpg, Accessed 14 March 2016.
Iranian government and ICHHTO (Iranian Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts & Tourism
Organisation). (2010). Nomination of the Persian garden for inscription on the
world heritage list. In UNESCO world heritage convention. Available at: http://
whc.unesco.org/uploads/nominations/1372.pdf, Accessed 12 May 2016
Iranian government and ICHHTO (Iranian Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts & Tourism
Organisation). (2010). Nomination of Masjed-e Jame of Isfahan for inscription
on the world heritage list. In UNESCO world heritage convention. Available at:
http://whc.unesco.org/uploads/nominations/1397.pdf, Accessed 15 June 2015
Iranian government and ICHHTO (Iranian Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts & Tourism
Organisation). (2015). State of conservation report of Masjed-e Jame-Isfahan,
world heritage site. In UNESCO world heritage convention.
Isfahan Construction Engineering Organisation, Danesh Nama Journal (2010).
Rehabilitation of Atiq Square as a Rebuilding an Important Part of the History of
the City (in Persian). Nr. 181–182, p. 4–51, Isfahan.
Isfahan Metropolis News Agency (IMNA) (2013). Available at: http://www.imna.ir/
images/docs/000109/109041/images/83213911901859632490.jpg Accessed
14 March 2016.
Jarrar, S., Riedlmayer, A., & Spurr, J. B. (1994). Resources for the study of Islamic
architecture historical section. Aga Khan program for Islamic architecture,
Kloos, M. (2015). Heritage Impact Assessment as a tool to open up perspectives for
sustainability: Three case studies related to discussions concerning the visual
integrity of World Heritage Cultural and Urban Landscapes. Book of Perceptions
of sustainability in heritage studies.
Matthee, R. (2008). Safavid dynasty. Available at: http://www.iranicaonline.org/
articles/safavids Accessed 3 May 2015
Municipality of Isfahan (2011). Available at: http://isfahan.ir/ShowPage.aspx?page
=form&order=show&lang=1&sub=84&PageId=7833&PageIDF=0&tempname=motaleat
Accessed 29 February 2016.
Municipality of Isfahan (2013). Available at: http://www.isfahan.ir/Dorsapax/
userfiles/file/00aa/vorodi4.jpg Accessed 15 February 2016.
Renovation and Restoration Organization of Isfahan. (2012). Imam Ali Square.
Isfahan Municipality portal, International affairs Dept.
Sagnia, B. K. (2004). Cultural impact assessment project, framework for cultural
impact assessment. Dakar: International Network for Cultural Diversity (INCD).
Salehi, M. S., & Bagheri, B. S. (2005). Comparative historical and cultural issues of
urban restoration measures. Journal of Abady, 45, 32–39.
Sarraf, M. (2010). Vestiges of urban spirit; Isfahan’s urban fabric through socio-spatial
transformations. Stockholm: KTH, Royal Institute of Technology, School of
Architecture & the Built Environment.
Shafiey Dastjerdi, M. (2013). Renovation of deteriorated areas and the necessity of
reviewing of preparation and execution of the Master Plan (case study: the city
of Isfahan). The Scientific Journal of Nazar Research Centre (Nrc) for Art,
Architecture & Urbanism, 10(24), 15–28.
Tabrizian, P. (2010). From city-hills to metropolis the origins and dilemmas of
landscape urbanism in Iran. Available at: http://n-aerus.net/web/sat/
workshops/2010/pdf/PAPER tabrizian p.pdf, Accessed 25 April 2015
The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. (2007)..
Available at: http://www.epd.gov.hk/eia/register/report/eiareport/eia
1412007/pdf/Vol%201%20-%20Schedule%203/97103 EIA9 Vol%201%20-
%20Section%2011%20CHIA%20%28Dec07%29.pdf, Accessed 3 February 2015
Tyldesley, D. & Associates Edinburgh (2009). Scottish Natural Heritage A handbook
on environmental impact assessment, Guidance for Competent Authorities,
Consultees and others involved in the Environmental Impact Assessment
Process in Scotland, Prepared for SNH by David Tyldesley and Associates
Edinburgh 3rd Edition.
UNESCO World Heritage Centre (1992–2015). Masjed-e Jame of Isfahan, Ref. 1397.
World Heritage List. Available at: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1397 Accessed
5 April 2015.
UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (2015). State of conservation (SOC).. Available at:
http://whc.unesco.org/?cid=171&l=en&&action=list&id threats=8&&, Accessed
26 March 2015
UNESCO World Heritage Committee (2011). Convention concerning the protection of
the world cultural and natural heritag: In response to the World Heritage
Committee decision WHC-11/35 COM/INF.9A, Paris: UNESCO Pub.
UNESCO World Heritage Committee. (2013). Convention concerning the protection
of the world cultural and natural heritage (Phnom Penh): In response to the World
Heritage Committee decision WHC-13/37 COM/20. Paris: UNESCO Pub.
UNESCO. (2005). Convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of
cultural expressions. Paris, Available at: https://en.unesco.org/creativity/
convention/what-is/convention-text, Accessed 25 March 2015
UNESCO. (2012a). Operational guidelines for the implementation of the World
Heritage Convention. Paris: UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Available at:
http://whc.unesco.org/archive/opguide12-en.pdf Accessed 16 December 2016
UNESCO. (2012b). World heritage committee places Liverpool on list of world heritage
in danger. UNESCOPRESS. Available at: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/
culture/themes/singleview/news/world heritage committee places liverpool
on list of world heritage in danger/#.VYAi40a3swI Accessed 16 December
2014
United Nation. (2011). Compilation document – Rio+20 – United nation conference on
sustainable development.. Available at: http://www.uncsd2012.org/content/
documents/814UNCSD%20REPORT%20final%20revs.pdf, Accessed 25 March
2015
United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2000). US national environmental
policy act of 1969. Available at: http://www.epw.senate.gov/nepa69.pdf,
Accessed 3 February 2015
Veillon, R., & UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (2014). State of conservation of world
heritage properties, a statistical analysis (1979–2013). Paris: UNESCO Pub.