The Impact of Urban Fabric on the Formation of Criminal Thought: A Study of the Traditional and Modern Fabric of Yazd

Abstract

Yazd, a city that gazes into the past through its adobe alleyways while embracing the future through its modern streets, serves as a stage for interrogating the question of how urban fabric delineates criminal thought. This study, employing a legal and in-depth perspective, explores this dichotomy through qualitative methodologies, including in-depth interviews, structured questionnaires, and field observations. The findings indicate that the traditional urban fabric, with its high walls and strong neighborhood ties, acts as a steadfast guardian against criminal inclinations, although its dimly lit spaces and concealed corners occasionally provide opportunities for transgression. In contrast, the modern urban fabric, with its open streets and fragmented social cohesion, fosters anonymity, creating an environment conducive to criminal behavior, although its exposure to light and broader visibility at times function as deterrents, akin to an impartial judge. Drawing upon criminological theories such as the broken windows theory and the opportunity theory of crime, this study underscores the necessity of legal regulations in urban planning—laws that integrate the illumination of traditional alleyways with intelligent surveillance in modern neighborhoods to ensure justice and security. Yazd, in its transition from past to present, is not only a city to be preserved but also a mirror reflecting the possibility of a safer future.