Rehabilitation and Revitalization of Gorgan City's Historical Fabric Using a Creative City Approach with a Case Study of Sarcheshmeh Neighborhood

Cities, like living organisms, possess vitality, and if disruptive factors affecting their ecological balance are not controlled over time, conditions for urban decline emerge. One of the main disruptive factors is the deterioration of historic urban fabrics, which represents a major challenge for contemporary Iranian cities, particularly metropolitan areas. The creative city concept, emphasizing the historical significance of cities as key economic and geographical centers, has emerged as a strategic approach for the revitalization and renewal of historic fabrics. Implementing the creative city approach requires supportive national and transnational frameworks to define new urban functions and roles. This study investigates the impact of the creative city approach on the revitalization and renewal of the historic fabric in the Sarcheshmeh neighborhood of Gorgan, Iran. The research is applied in terms of objectives and descriptive–analytical in methodology. Data were collected through library research to establish the theoretical framework and field studies including questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and direct observations. The statistical population comprised residents of the Sarcheshmeh neighborhood, with a sample of 100 respondents. Data were analyzed using one-sample t-tests in SPSS across four dimensions: physical–functional, socio-cultural, environmental, and economic. The results indicate that the creative city approach has a significant effect on the revitalization and renewal of the Sarcheshmeh neighborhood (p < 0.05). Among the evaluated dimensions, the physical–functional dimension exhibited the highest impact (M = 3.74), while the economic dimension showed the lowest impact (M = 1.74). These findings suggest that creative city strategies can effectively enhance the physical quality and socio-cultural vitality of historic neighborhoods, although achieving economic outcomes may require complementary interventions and policies.