Changing the Spatial Components of Urban protests in Postrevolutionary Iran

Abstract

Urban space is a fluid and contested construct, embodying a duality as both the context and the objective of urban protests. On one hand, it serves as the physical setting for uprisings; on the other hand, it becomes the very subject of contestation. This article, completed in the summer of 2024, examined the transformation of urban space in postrevolutionary Iran by analyzing four key protest episodes: 1992, 1995, 2017, and 2019—all of which occurred following the implementation of semineoliberal policies. The findings reveal that across both periods, protesters sought to reclaim their right to the city through the physical occupation of urban space. However, a significant shift occurred in the 2017 and 2019 protests, marked by the emergence of networked spaces as a parallel and contested layer within the urban fabric. In the 1990s, Iranian urban space was primarily defined by consumption–ownership zones and power–resistance dynamics. With the expansion of communication technologies, a new spatial dimension emerged: virtual interaction spaces. The formation of hybrid protest spaces—blending physical and digital realms—accelerated the diffusion of dissent and facilitated mobilization. This hybridization has become a key factor in the expansion and intensification of urban protests in Iran over recent decades.