Mohammad Haqani, head of the 'Gardens' committee of Tehran City Council, stated that the council's resolution from 2003 has led to the 'destruction' of many gardens and trees in the city, with Tehran's trees 'gasping for breath.' He made this remark on Saturday, January 1, during an interview with IRIB News Agency, attributing one of the reasons for the loss of gardens in Tehran to the 'weak oversight' of the City Council and municipality. The second Tehran City Council approved incentives in 2003 aimed at 'protecting the capital's gardens,' but according to this council member, this resolution has had 'the opposite effect.' The 'Tower-Garden' resolution allows builders to construct on 30% of the gardens in northern Tehran, but Haqani lamented that 'unfortunately' 50 to 60% of garden areas have been 'occupied' by towers. Morteza Talai, another member of the Tehran City Council, also told IRIB News Agency that '100% of the gardens [in northern Tehran] have been occupied in various forms and nothing remains of the trees.' Pejman Pashmchi Zadeh, Tehran's deputy mayor, stated that 'there are deficiencies in the implementation of this resolution and it is necessary to review the Tower-Garden resolution.' Pashmchi Zadeh added that in the past, 'gardens were dried up to obtain construction permits,' which is why the 'Tower-Garden' plan was approved to achieve 'a balance between the expected profit of the garden owner and the added value for investment.' According to Mohammad Mirzaei, secretary of the Environmental Committee and Urban Services of the Tehran City Council, since the implementation of this plan, 6,000 hectares of the city's gardens have been destroyed. On January 1 of this year, members of the district one council in Tehran criticized the implementation of the 'Tower-Garden' resolution and threatened the demolition of 110 gardens in the area. The Mehr News Agency also reported on January 1 that an examination of the resolutions of the Article 5 Commission shows that from 2011 to 2013, the most construction permits in Tehran were related to district two. According to this news agency, the Article 5 Commission had 165 resolutions during this period, of which 94 were in the field of high-rise construction, with the majority related to districts one and six. Based on this report, district one of Tehran had 36 high-rise construction resolutions, while districts six, three, and two had 14, 18, and 22 resolutions, respectively. The majority of high-rise constructions were also on barren lands, gardens, garden-residential areas, and green spaces.
The Death of Tehran's Trees Due to the Implementation of the 'Tower-Garden' Resolution
Tehran's trees and gardens are facing severe destruction due to the 'Tower-Garden' resolution passed in 2003, which allowed significant construction in these areas. City council members attribute the loss to weak oversight and have reported that 6,000 hectares of gardens have been lost since the resolution's implementation. This issue highlights the conflict between urban development and environmental preservation in Tehran.
👥 Key Players
📰 What Happened
Tehran's trees and gardens are being destroyed due to the 'Tower-Garden' resolution passed in 2003, which allowed extensive construction in these areas. City council members are criticizing the weak oversight that has led to the loss of approximately 6,000 hectares of gardens.
- The 'Tower-Garden' resolution permits construction on 30% of garden areas, but 50-60% have been occupied.
- Council members are threatening to demolish 110 gardens in Tehran due to ongoing construction.
💡 Why It Matters
📚 Background
Tehran has faced rapid urbanization and development pressures, often at the expense of its green spaces. The 'Tower-Garden' resolution was intended to balance development with environmental preservation but has resulted in widespread destruction.
🏷️ Entities Mentioned
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Translation confidence: 85%