Urban Isolation in a Dormitory Town: Social Fragmentation and the Mirage of Belonging in Pardis New Town, Iran

This study explores the lived experience of urban isolation in Pardis New Town, a planned satellite city near Tehran, Iran. While conceived as a spatial solution to metropolitan overcrowding, Pardis has evolved into a dormitory town marked by weak social cohesion, infrastructural deficiencies, and spatial fragmentation. Drawing on thematic analysis of residents’ qualitative responses and field observations, the research identifies four key dimensions of isolation: lack of recreational and social infrastructure, demographic change and weak urban identity, insecurity and social vulnerability, and economic hardship. The findings reveal that physical presence in the city does not translate into social integration or emotional belonging. Instead, rapid migration, inadequate planning, and the absence of inclusive public spaces have contributed to a condition of systemic disconnection. Urban life in Pardis is experienced through fear, fatigue, and fragmentation—raising broader concerns about the limitations of technocratic, top-down planning. The study argues for a shift toward human-centered, participatory, and socially inclusive models of urban development that prioritize connectivity, identity, and livability in newly planned towns.

کلیدواژه ها:

Urban Isolation ، New Towns ، Spatial Planning ، Urban Infrastructure ، Pardis ، Iran