In an interview with Iran Press on Saturday, Hamed Mazaherian, the deputy minister in charge of residential housing, at the road and urban development ministry emphasized that although there appears to be many advantages to building residential houses on the periphery of towns and cities, outside city limits, because the land is free and no body owns it, contractors like to build houses outside city limits were there are far fewer regulations to worry about, with much more space to build a house.
Mazaherian added: "However, this is a mistake because turning a desert or uninhabited piece of land into a town or city is no easy task since all basic amenities are lacking , such as water, electricity, gas, etc. and with no schools, hospitals , shopping centers being available the distance to the nearest town or city becomes a major consideration, and a real problem for lower class families which tend to live in isolated housing built outside of cities. Transportation also becomes a problem.
Mazaherian added: "Housing development experts are saying it is much better to build new housing within city limits, and close to city centers if possible and in middle class neighbourhoods of towns and cities. He said the Iranian parliament (Majlis) and the Iranian government have also reached the same conclusion, and funding would now be directed towards housing development within town and city boundaries.
