Evaluating sense of community in the residential environment from the perspectives of symbolic interactionism and architectural design

The paper fills the gap between the design and the actuality of how buildings, and its surroundings, urban design, and the built environment influence its occupants’ behavior and interactions. We assess how the built environments can be influenced by humans and their control, both physical and symbolically, of the urban landscapes. In this regard, our paper merges symbolic interactionism, sense of community, and architectural design to aid our understanding of the man–environment relationship. Specifically, we assess qualitative data on Ekbatan Residential Complex in Tehran. We use Ekbatan as a case study to see how a sense of community among residents reflects both physical features of the complex and the symbolic meaning attached to these features by residents and those living outside the community. We conclude by suggesting that combining the interests of urban sociologist, community psychology, and architects via symbolic interactionist concepts may be a fruitful avenue for studying factors affecting sense of community and larger urban processes.