The 17th Festival
The 17th Festival of Research and Innovation in Urban Management, organized by Tehran Municipality, and the 12th Festival of Research and Education in Urban and Rural Management, organized by the Organization of Municipalities and Rural Affairs of Iran, will be jointly held by the Tehran Urban Planning and Research Center.
The primary objectives of this festival include the identification, exchange, and promotion of scientific and practical achievements in the field of urban management, as well as fostering engagement with cities across Iran and the world, organizations, institutions, and research centers.
Submissions to the festival may be presented in five formats: 1. Research and study projects 2. Master's theses 3. Doctoral dissertations 4. Authored or translated books 5. Articles, reports, innovative executive plans, and creative ideas. All entries must be directly related to urban management and fall within the defined thematic areas. Works authored or completed before 2021 will not be considered. Applicants must clearly state and justify the relevance of their submission to various aspects of urban management, and explain how the results can be applied to solving challenges in urban and rural contexts or contribute to the advancement of urban and rural management processes and goals.
Submissions that meet the initial criteria of the scientific committee and jury will be presented in expert sessions of urban managers starting from February 2026, where they will be discussed and evaluated. Outstanding works will be selected, honored, and awarded accordingly.
All interested parties—including faculty members, students, researchers, and professionals in the field of urban management—are invited to submit their works by the guidelines published on the festival’s website. Submissions must align with the festival’s objectives, formats, and thematic areas, and can be sent to the festival secretariat from July 11, 2025, to February 4, 2026.

Festival Themes
- Urban Planning Challenges in Tehran
- Comprehensive and Detailed Urban Development Plans
- Urban Development Patterns
- Land and Housing Policy Planning
- Iranian-Islamic Architecture
- Sustainable and Green Architecture and Urban Design
- Smart Architecture and Urban Design
- Organizing Urban Worn Textures
- Improvement and Renewal of Historical Urban Textures
- Challenges of Informal Settlements
- Urban Management in the Capital's Boundaries
- Challenges and Issues of Rural Development
- Metropolitan Area Planning
- Reduction of Environmental Pollution
- Resolving Energy Imbalances
- Electrification of Public Transportation
- Improving Traffic Safety
- Role of Nuclear Technology in Urban Services Management (Waste Management, Green Space, Food Safety, etc.)
- Designing and Implementing New Waste Management Models (Organizing, Transporting, Processing, and Recycling)
- Waste Management, Recycling and Circular Economy
- Sustainable Urban Green Spaces: Challenges and Solutions
- Food Safety and Smart Management of Agricultural Supply Chain
- Organizing Urban Businesses and Industries in Economic Development and Job Enrichment
- Organizing Cemeteries in Sustainable Urban Management
- Future Cities
- Forward-looking Interventions in Multi-dimensional Crises
- Emerging Urban Issues (with Economic, Social, Cultural, and Spatial Dimensions)
- Models, Methods and Tools in Urban Governance
- Participatory Governance, Urban Neighborhoods, and Community Empowerment
- Middle Circles and Islamic Governance
- Resistance Governance and Jihadi Management of the City
- Fundamentals, Concepts, Theoretical Models
- Urban Rights in the Shadow of Crisis and Conflict: Security, Survival and Legal Order
- Urban Rights and Culture
- Urban Policymaking and Multi-dimensional Crises (in the areas of: Information and Communication Technology, Resilience, Real-time data, etc.)
- City Rankings and City Diplomacy
- Evaluation of Behavior Change Policies in Wartime Contexts
- Labs and Urban Policymaking
- Cost Management in Metropolitan Municipalities Across the Globe
- Appropriate Islamic Financial Tools for Urban Development Initiatives
- Islamic Metropolitan Cities' Experimentations in Utilizing Islamic Financing
- Public and Private Participation in Urban Development Plans
- Municipalities and the Environmental Pollutant Market
- Entrepreneurship and Small Businesses in Urban Development
- Role of Public Oversight in Reducing Violations within the Municipal Organization
- Role of Inspection in Municipal Organizational Excellence
- Application of Artificial Intelligence and Modern Tools in Monitoring and Inspecting Urban Projects
- Strategies for Attracting Competent Workforce in Urban Management
- Job Qualification Framework and Advancement of the Workforce Engaged in Urban Management
- Nature and Extent of Climate Change in Tehran
- Metropolitan Areas Worldwide Experimentations in Addressing Climate Change
- Life Style and Cultural Changes
- Urban Art
- Urban Tourism
- Media and Urban Communication
- Avatar and Virtual Image of the City
- Iranian-Islamic City
- Social Harms
- Urban Health
- City and Family
- Population and Immigration
- Urban Justice
- Social and Cultural Impacts
- City and Historical Identity
- Urban Social and Cultural History
- City, Revolution, and Social Movements
- City and Social Resilience
- Urban Policymaking and Resistance
- City, War, and Life
- Infrastructure Resilience
- Legal System of Urban Resilience
- Assessing the Resilience and Sustainability of Urban Policies in New War Generations
- Urban Landscape and Beautification with Emphasis on Sustainability and Resilience
- Risk Assessment and Resilience Using Foresight Approaches
- Revitalizing National Identity in the Urban Landscape
- The Image of Martyrs in the Urban Landscape
- Role of Urban Visual Identity in Preserving Social Cohesion
- Role of Cultural Policies in Enhancing the City's Visual Identity