Explaining the Concept of Physical Complexity in Urban Landscape and Identity

While “identity” in the general sense has a long history and is in line with the history of civilization, its connection with the urban landscape and body, especially with the complexity theory has not been explained. in the process of perception, this concept can present a complex phenomenon that needs to be redefined with the appropriate theory. the connection between identity and urban landscape with the complexity theory has become an influential issue in the sciences related to this field. hence, the present study aims to address its connection with the theory of physical complexity by explaining the theories of physical identity and urban landscape. the question is how can the physical identity of the city be recognized and defined based on the complexity theory and its consistency with the components of the urban landscape? how can the concept of landscape and physical identity be explained by complexity theory in urban planning? the research method was based on grounded theory, content analysis of texts and theoretical saturation of the experts. first, three concepts were extracted from urban design literature. then, an attempt was made to find more relevant concepts by coding and comparative comparison and analysis. according to the pairwise comparison and analysis of each of the introduced criteria for all three concepts, it has found that physical complexity is one of the characteristics of physical identity and urban landscape. in addition, similarity- differentiation, unity-plurality and continuity-evolution are common concepts connecting the complexity theory to the urban physical landscape and identity. thus, in all aspects of the urban landscape and identity, the physical complexity can be explained by three criteria. successful objective urban landscapes contain a subjective identity that can be redefined based on the complexity theory in urban forms. in other words, with the characteristics of similarity- differentiation, continuity- evolution, unity-plurality of the urban fabric, the concept of physical complexity of a place can be achieved, which reflects the landscape and physical identity of that place.