Achieving Participatory Balance in Urban Regeneration: Introducing the PET Framework for Tehran

Urban regeneration is often promoted as a tool for revitalization, yet it frequently reproduces spatial injustice, socio-political exclusion, and centralized governance. This article introduces the Participatory Equilibrium Theory (PET), a novel conceptual framework developed by the author in the context of doctoral research. PET is grounded in two foundational concepts the Right to the City and urban neoliberalism- and seeks to conceptualize a governance model where power is balanced between state, market, and society through structured participation. To operationalize this theory, the study proposes the Participatory Equilibrium Quotient (PEQ), a composite index composed of five interrelated dimensions: resident participation, power sharing, spatial justice, identity preservation, and sustainability outcomes. The PEQ is applied to three urban regeneration projects in Tehran-Navab, ۱۵ Khordad Corridor, and District ۱۱-through a multi-criteria assessment using the Simple Additive Weighting (SAW) method. Findings reveal a significant imbalance across all cases, with tokenistic participation and centralized control. Navab scored the lowest (PEQ = ۰.۱۳۵), reflecting authoritarian redevelopment; ۱۵ Khordad (PEQ = ۰.۳۲۲) represents a market-oriented, cosmetic transformation; while District ۱۱ (PEQ = ۰.۶۰۳) illustrates partial alignment with participatory principles. The study concludes that without institutionalized power-sharing, participatory urban justice cannot be achieved. While PET remains an emerging theoretical model, this article offers a first empirical application and proposes its further refinement through comparative studies across urban contexts.

کلیدواژه ها:

Participatory Equilibrium Theory ، PEQ Index ، Urban Regeneration ، Spatial Justice ، right to the City ، Neoliberal Urbanism