Background and Objectives: The "Right to the City" theory emphasizes citizen participation and spatial justice within good urban governance. This study analyzes the barriers to its practical realization in the Tehran metropolis, addressing the gap between theoretical frameworks and urban operational realities. Methods: This applied research employs a descriptive-analytical approach. Data were collected through documentary research and a Delphi-based survey of 20 purposively selected experts. Forty factors across five dimensions were processed using structural cross-impact analysis in MICMAC software to identify systemic influences. Findings: The cross-impact analysis reveals a complex dispersion of barriers, primarily concentrated within the "independent" and "linkage" clusters. Among the 40 factors studied, the most significant direct barriers identified include: the municipality's financial reliance on density sales and land-use changes, the prioritization of economic interests over public welfare, centralized urban management, and top-down, non-participatory decision-making. Furthermore, land speculation, the dominance of market logic over spatial justice, lack of transparency, short-term project-oriented planning, institutional overlaps, and the absence of explicit legal recognition of the "Right to the City" in urban regulations emerged as critical systemic hurdles. Conclusion: Realizing the "Right to the City" in Tehran requires a fundamental shift from market-driven urbanism toward participatory governance. Legal reforms and institutional transparency are essential to ensuring equitable access to urban infrastructure and the protection of citizenship rights.
namin et al. (Wed,) studied this question.
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