Eventfulness, Event Modalities, and the Dilemma of Using Outdoor Events as a Public Realm Revitalization Initiative (Case Study: Shiraz, Iran)

Abstract

Shiraz, with its historical background, known as the capital of the Persian culture, once experienced a boom of international culture-led events using outdoor spaces as event venues. However, its outdoor vibrancy has withered gradually, and the use of public places as venues declined. Despite the existing dilemmas, a new wave of public place reclamation has created a strong trend towards using the spaces as outdoor venues. The main question of the research is what events are held in Shiraz year-round and how many of them are in public open spaces, and what events can be held in the public realm as outdoor. As in Iranian culture, the events and rituals follow the circular chronology of the Iranian, Islamic, and even Christian calendars; this article studies the events of a year-round time lap, making a clear typology in terms of places’ type and form. The listed events have been classified using the CHAID model adapted to identify the variety and temporality of the events that could occur outdoors. Finally, after categorizing the events, the spatial dispersion of events in the Shiraz urban area has been analyzed to reintroduce the existing platform for holding events and, with the help of the ‘Power of 10’ approach, the need to create or equip spaces and add venues to hold outdoor events in twelve urban ‘destinations’ has been emphasized.