Rapid urbanization and the intensifying demand for housing in metropolitan regions have, over recent decades, driven substantial transformations in land-use patterns across urban peripheries. Shemiranat County—an environmentally sensitive and strategically significant area situated on the northern fringe of Tehran—represents a clear manifestation of these processes. This study seeks to elucidate the structural, institutional, and discursive mechanisms underlying land-use changes in Tehran’s peri-urban zones—particularly within the Lavasanat region—by uncovering concealed power configurations and proposing reform-oriented strategies aimed at strengthening governance capacity and promoting spatial justice. To this end, qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews with local stakeholders, experts in land-use and urban planning, and relevant governmental officials, employing a grounded theory research design. Data analysis proceeded through open, axial, and selective coding and continued until theoretical saturation was achieved.
The findings indicate that land-use transformations in Lavasanat arise from the interaction of structural, environmental, institutional, and power-driven factors. Structurally, weak legislation, fragmented regulatory oversight, and misaligned institutional mandates among key decision-making bodies function as primary enabling conditions. At the institutional and power interface, the predominance of profit-oriented conceptions of land, the influence exerted by powerful economic actors, and interest-based negotiations between landowners and local officials have significantly accelerated unauthorized land conversions. These dynamics have not only deepened spatial inequities but have also produced notable social harms at the local scale.
Overall, the research demonstrates that land-use change on the peripheries of Tehran is shaped less by market forces or demographic pressures than by governance deficiencies and informal power networks. Consequently, any meaningful effort to advance spatial justice and ensure environmental sustainability in peri-metropolitan areas necessitates comprehensive reforms in land governance, enhanced institutional accountability, and a fundamental reconceptualization of land as a public good rather than a speculative asset.