ABSTRACT
Contemporary designed landscapes in Iran present a blurred relationship with the vernacular landscape and the design tradition of Persian gardens. Urban landscape design, unlike architecture, was not a central focus of the progressive design discourse of the 1960s in Iran. Scattered efforts to revive a notion of Persian-Islamic gardens are seen after the Islamic revolution; hence, most of them remain as formal interpretations of the past. Rebuilding efforts in postwar Iran entailed an extensive reconstruction of the nation’s infrastructure, including urban landscapes. Numerous public green spaces were commissioned to design firms, and the result was a flurry of parks – most of which lacked a clear design thinking identity. Among the projects that appeared in postwar Iran, Ferdowsi Garden stands out as an exemplary designed landscape. Due to its impact and popularity, this Garden arguably established a distinct path for design thinking in the field of landscape architecture. This chapter examines this garden and its design underpinnings.
