A History of Neighborhood Councils
Document published by the municipality of Tehran
In its traditional definition, participation has historically been a part of human societies and has
been valued by experts. Of the different forms of participation, civic participation holds an important
place that is based on mutual understanding among individuals, and is focused on upholding justice as
opposed to upholding duties.
The principles of citizenship, social trust, accountability and supervision, freedom and justice,
rights and responsibilities, and… are all foundations of civic participation. The consequences of
industrialization, urbanization, education, changes in models of consumption, improvement of
standards of living, and enhanced communications can be assumed to have induced increases in
societal problems, disruption of traditional structures, poverty and unemployment, and psychological
problems… Therefore, social observers [‘aaleman ejtemaii] have highlighted the question of how to
institute the optimal social order to minimize these problems.
One of the solutions is to expand the philosophy of neighborliness [mahaleh graii] and local
organization. Neighborliness is the attempt to organize the sort of social order where social relations
[monasebat ejtemaii] are fine-tuned and security in society, mutual understanding, and civic
participation become a reality. In addition, civic participation at the neighborhood level can cause
social consensus, lightening the load of responsibility and management on the government. In light of
the fact that, with the formation of the Islamic [city] councils [shorahaye Islami], civic participation in
Iran assumed a more actual form, and eventually became established as a right in society; associations,
local organizations, and neighborhood councils have become avenues of communication between
neighborhood leadership and the citizens who in reality contribute to the exercise of civic participation
at the local level.
Considering the speed of expansion of the city of Tehran and its transformation into a megacity;
the ensuing changes in living conditions; shifting needs; and the expanding population in many
regions, it became necessary to reconsider the management of this city. The plan to transform city
management from a regionally-based to a section-based organization and eventually to neighborhoodbased organization has been suggested as a solution for several years. It is a solution for better
management and for providing the maximum service to the maximum number of citizens, and has
become an unavoidable project for Tehran city managers. And with the formation of Islamic councils
in both cities and villages, based on sections 6,7, 100, 101, 103, 105, and 106 of the constitution of the
Islamic Republic of Iran, the expansion of ideas and actions of neighborhood councils has become an
unavoidable historical necessity.
In accordance with article 71 of the administration law [qanun-e tashkilat], the duties and
elections of Islamic [city] councils of the country and the appointment of mayors, dated 1/3/1375
[3/22/1996]; and in considering the huge and expansive quantitative and qualitative volume of urban
difficulties; and recognizing that solving these problems and improving conditions required
decentralization and taking advantage of the opinions and perspectives of the people; [it has become
necessary] to establish true, lasting, continuous, and rooted participation by forming voluntary and
participatory civic organizations and institutions.
In the effort to actualize the above-mentioned goals and in particular to implement the sixth and
seventh clauses of article 71 of the previously mentioned law, the Islamic Council of the City of
Tehran initiated the establishment of neighborhood councils [anjomanhay shorayari]. Issues
throughout large cities like Tehran are so different from each other that in some cases it is not possible
to make a single decision for all these different regions, but it is possible to act in such a way as to
solve the issues and problems within the neighborhood and with the help and direct participation of its
residents. Therefore, voluntary civic organizations called “neighborhood councils” have been
established to act as strong tools to support city officials and managers.
Local societal participation is used in a variety of countries with the aim of political-social
control and with the knowledge that participation decreases the cost of social expansion programs and
accelerates their implementation.
In general, governments, by utilizing and receiving support from this kind of participation,
pursue goals such as the following: misuse of participation for implementing expansionary projects;
controlling local movements; use of participatory activities for gaining political-social legitimacy; and
channeling spontaneous participatory activities to government-controlled entities. In other words,
preventing any local independence and collecting all marginal participatory units into a general
framework. This is similar to what was done in Iran before the Islamic revolution by establishing
theRastakhiz party.
In any event, today, especially in developing countries, it is not possible to separate the two
concepts of government and participation. Nor is it possible to speak of participation without the role
of government. No government can pursue expansion projects without relying on the participation [of
people] and utilizing its [potentials]. This includes civic centers that in general are support centers
established in different neighborhoods to meet the residents’ needs.
How can we reach the predicted goals as envisioned by Tehran’s long-term city plan? It is not a
point of argument, but the majority of experts believe that to reach these important goals we must start
by taking action in the neighborhoods. In reality, without the participation of the people, these
important goals are not achievable. Therefore, a system and structure must be in place in the
neighborhoods. The formation, proper organization, and systematization of 371 neighborhood
councils, as well as utilizing relevant experiences in this area, is to be considered a valuable
investment towards that aim.
In addition, the cultural and social character of the neighborhood council and its expansive reach
is an appropriate response to the needs of the grand city of Tehran.
From the website of Tehran municipality:
Source:
http://www.princeton.edu/irandataportal/legislation/history_neighborhoodcounc
/
Accessed: 12/12/12