Assessment of Environmental Components of the Islamic Lifestyle in the Approvals of the Supreme Council of Urban Planning and Architecture

The way of life and human behavioral patterns are considered environmental in nature, as they take shape within the natural context. Architecture and urban development, as human actions, not only reflect lifestyles but also influence and are influenced by environmental factors. One effective approach to minimizing the environmental damage caused by architecture and urban expansion is the adoption of environmentally-oriented regulations and plans by the Supreme Council of Urban Planning and Architecture. Accordingly, this study aims to assess the environmental components of the Islamic lifestyle as reflected in the Council’s official approvals. The research method is qualitative directed content analysis. Key environmental criteria were derived from Islamic sources and used as a conceptual framework for analyzing the content of the Council’s approvals. The study examined three official volumes of approvals published by the University of Tehran, categorized as: (a) approvals from the Council’s inception to 2015, (b) approvals from 2015 to 2016, and (c) approvals from 2017 to 2018. Findings indicate that 44% of the total 412 approvals contain explicit or implicit references to environmental values. A comparison across the three volumes shows a growing attention to environmental issues over time. Nevertheless, the actual implementation of these policies remains problematic, highlighting a persistent gap between policy formulation and execution. This study concludes by raising a critical question: What is the missing link between the Council’s environmentally oriented approvals and their practical implementation, given the evident gap between documented concern and ongoing environmental degradation in practice?