Journal of Sustainable Development; Vol. 11, No. 4; 2018 ISSN 1913-9063 E-ISSN 1913-9071 Published by Canadian Center of Science and Education 174 Effect of Physical Changes on the Spatial Structure of Historical Area, the Historical District of Urmia City as a Case Study Yasin Lotfata 1 & Aynaz Lotfata 2 1 Architecture Faculty, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey 2 Geosciences Department, Mississippi State University, Starkville, USA Correspondence: Aynaz Lotfata, NSPARC, 600 Russell St. Starkville, MS., 39759, USA. Tel: 1-662-994-0820. E-mail: al1957@msstate.edu Received: May 23, 2018 Accepted: June 22, 2018 Online Published: July 29, 2018 doi:10.5539/jsd.v11n4p174 URL: https://doi.org/10.5539/jsd.v11n4p174 Abstract Recently, urbanism interventions have caused major changes in the spatial and physical structure of Iran cities. These interventions have changed primary spatial organization pattern and the city′s main structure. In the process of this physical development in many historical cities, it has not been enough attention to the structure and historic core shape of the city and subsequently, problems such as the inability to adapt to the new physical changes, the lack of appropriate linkage with the available network structure and its diminution in the minds of people, have aggravated the historical cores. Recognition of the main cities structure and skeleton based on analysis of all components of cities is difficult and impossible. Space organization theory (space syntax) is one of the methods that has responded to the needs of cities’ spatial analysis. This research, with the aim of investigating the impact of urban development plans on the spatial structure of the historical boundaries of Urmia investigating and analyzing the city structure in four important periods (2016-1996-1974-1930), using space organization method. Results of this study, demonstrated that was decreased functionality and coherence of the historical area and its relation to the totality of city structure affected by physical changes over time. And the inner structure of this area could not be linked to the city's overall structure. Also, a large part of the identity and physical values of texture are demolished by discontinuity of the main elements of the area. The functional importance of historical orders has been weakened and this means that rapid physical changes, had negative effects on the spatial structure of historical area. Keywords: physical transformation, spatial organization, urban space, historical development, Urmia, Iran 1. Introduction With new developments in urbanization, the ancient and historical parts of big cities are exposed to undesirable effects of urban development more than other urban areas. This phenomenon has appeared in various forms in the all of Europe, Asian ancient cities and countries with a long history of urbanization. Therefore, the importance and necessity of preserving the old texture, has always been considered, not as symbolic phenomena, but because of revealing the evolution and development of urbanization history and civilization, identity and historicity preservation (Ahmadifar, 2006). In the process of physical development in many Iran's historical cities, are not sufficient attention to the structure and form of the historical core and has created problems such as the inability to adapt to new physical changes, lack of proper linkage with available network structure and spatial isolation of historical cores. Actually, ignoring the physical and non-physical values of available context and implementing hasty plans has led to the decline of these historical cores in the people's mind. The characteristic of many of our historic cities is that they are subjected to external development forces, either transformed into non-habitation parts or are buried in new structure (Lotfata, 2015). In the past decades, Urmia city, center of West Azarbaijan province has been observed wide changes in the structure of texture and the traditional skeleton and the historical core of this city, like many other cities in Iran, has undergone many problems due to the hasty developments taken by industrial development and modernism. This research is aimed at revealing and analyzing the process of Urmia urban development and urban extension of Urmia in the last few decades and structural analysis and spatial configuration, during different periods. This study seeks to assess and evaluate the changes in the value and function of historical texture and important