Analytical framework for institutional power orientation towards earthquake resilience: A case study on urban development policies in Karaj, Iran

The concept of urban resilience, originating from ecological sciences, poses challenges in its introduction and explanation as an objective and approach in urban planning. Expanding the social and normative dimensions of urban resilience is challenging due to its conservative and non-political ecological background. Critically, the reductionist approach and depoliticization of urban resilience in planning are significant concerns. This paper addresses the analysis of institutional power orientations in defining the concept of urban resilience and targeting its achievement. According to this purpose, this paper provides a theoretical framework for analyzing institutional power orientations towards earthquake resilience, developed in two primary parts, as the main novelty and contribution of the proposed research. The city of Karaj is selected as a case study to test this framework. The research methodology involves a triple analysis of epistemology, ontology, and axiology of resilience from institutional power point of view, utilizing qualitative content analysis, semi -structured interviews, and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) questionnaire. In conclusion, emphasizing the importance of exploring the logical connection between ideas, the need for attention, and analyzing decision -taking processes is highlighted based on the research findings.