Application of physical and nonphysical elements in the conservation of historic core of city

The main aim of this paper is to demonstrate the mapping outputs of the historic core of Gonabad city based on both physical and nonphysical elements. Despite the fact that the architectural elements have been the main sources of data for the conservation of the historic part of cities, seemingly, the cognitive map based on the perceptions of the inhabitants could enhance the level of the reliability of the outputs. The methods of the research were designed based on the survey and interview to collect both physical and nonphysical data. The physical was included the current historical elements such as mosque, school, and water storage, and the nonphysical was included the destroyed elements such as the wall, gates, towers that have been part of the memories of the inhabitants. ArcGIS was applied for overlaying the data. The findings of the research identified that despite the architectural elements located in a specific location, perception of the people referred to the broader areas in terms of the historic area. As a conclusion, both historical areas of the city include a different pattern of the development. The physical and nonphysical elements played a significant role to highlight the historic core of the city. However, the cognitive map based on the perception of users is not fitted exactly with the geo-reference data, and it is more flexible in terms of conceptual forms. The result of the study represented the map of the historic cores of the city for conservation activity.