Scientific Association of Waste Management Human Ecology 3041-9255 4 12 2025 09 23 Clarifying the Role of Political Fragmentation in the Non-Realization of the Goals of Tehran's Urban Complex Plan Clarifying the Role of Political Fragmentation in the Non-Realization of the Goals of Tehran's Urban Complex Plan 1476 1493 233683 10.22034/he.2025.542293.1134 FA Maryam Kouhestani Nezhad PhD Candidate, in Geography and Urban Planning, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran. Mousa Kamanroudi Associate Professor of Geography and Urban Planning, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran. 0000-0003-2886-644X Habibollah Fasihi Associate Professor of Geography and Urban Planning, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran. 0000-0002-0672-0944 Journal Article 2025 08 19 This study investigates why Tehran’s Urban Complex Plan has failed to materialize, focusing on political fragmentation and weaknesses in multi‑level spatial governance. Using a descriptive–analytical design and guided document analysis, we review supra‑regional planning documents, cabinet approvals since 1995/1374, and official reports through the lenses of the political economy of space, regional planning theories, and urban–regional network approaches. Findings indicate that the absence of a supra‑regional coordinating authority, overlapping mandates and conflicts among sectoral agencies, the centralization of powers and resources in Tehran, and the dominance of market‑oriented decision‑making have sustained functional disintegration between Tehran and its periphery and undermined the Plan’s objectives. We operationalize the dimensions of “political fragmentation” (governance, planning, territorial/spatial, actors, and institutional context) and propose a four‑pillar conceptual model (structural, procedural, actor‑coordination, and spatial policy). Policy suggestions include establishing a supra‑regional coordinating body, devolving powers to local tiers, inter‑municipal spatial compacts, and smart decentralization of higher‑order public services. The framework offers a basis for re‑engineering metropolitan governance in the Tehran region. This study investigates why Tehran’s Urban Complex Plan has failed to materialize, focusing on political fragmentation and weaknesses in multi‑level spatial governance. Using a descriptive–analytical design and guided document analysis, we review supra‑regional planning documents, cabinet approvals since 1995/1374, and official reports through the lenses of the political economy of space, regional planning theories, and urban–regional network approaches. Findings indicate that the absence of a supra‑regional coordinating authority, overlapping mandates and conflicts among sectoral agencies, the centralization of powers and resources in Tehran, and the dominance of market‑oriented decision‑making have sustained functional disintegration between Tehran and its periphery and undermined the Plan’s objectives. We operationalize the dimensions of “political fragmentation” (governance, planning, territorial/spatial, actors, and institutional context) and propose a four‑pillar conceptual model (structural, procedural, actor‑coordination, and spatial policy). Policy suggestions include establishing a supra‑regional coordinating body, devolving powers to local tiers, inter‑municipal spatial compacts, and smart decentralization of higher‑order public services. The framework offers a basis for re‑engineering metropolitan governance in the Tehran region. https://www.landscapeecologyjournals.ir/article_233683_19ed9a4f8a3bb8cfa8c0ccf3f16d6938.pdf