Sustainability in Tabrīz: Greenwashing or Actual Grassroots?
so i rolled into tabrīz with a backpack full of student debt and a vague idea that maybe iran's fourth-largest city would be a poster child for urban sustainability. spoiler: it's messy. like, 'forgot my reusable bags at the bazaar' messy. but also kinda cool? let's dive in.
*kandovan's mud-brick weirdness
heard about this village 50km out? folks live in caves carved into rock faces. like, literal hobbit houses. it's not 'sustainable' in the solar-paneled way, but it's the original green architecture. locals told me they're fighting tourism overdevelopment. 'they want to build parking lots next to our caves,' one grandma muttered while drying apricots. brutal. more on kandovan here
the bazaar's plastic nightmare
okay, tabrīz's grand bazaar is UNESCO-listed and stunning. but the waste situation? yikes. overheard this from a spice merchant: 'we sell 5,000 bags of saffron a day. everyone wants plastic. tell them paper? they look at me like i asked for human sacrifice.' saw a guy sweeping mountains of plastic wrappers at 7am. real talk: the city's recycling rate is below 15%, according to some local boards. check r/tabriz for rants
park politics*
the city has decent green spaces like elgoli park. but they're... controversial. a drunk dude at a teahouse told me last month: 'they cut down 100-year-old trees for new benches. then called it 'urban renewal''. yikes. rent for a tiny student flat downtown? around 500 toman/month (~$150). job market? brutal unless you're in textiles or tourism. safety-wise? locals swear it's safer than tehran, but that's not saying much. elgoli park reviews
weather update: currently doing that 'hot as hell during the day, freezing your ass off at night' thing. perfect for layering. need a break? uurmia lake is 2 hours by van if you want to stare at salt flats that look like they're on mars.
so is tabrīz sustainable? nah. but it's trying. like, 'student trying to meal prep on a budget' trying. the government wants to be a 'green city by 2030' but keeps building highways through parks. locals are salty: 'they plant trees on sidewalks then pave over them next year,' said a botany student i met. read their sustainability plan
final verdict? bring your own water bottle. and a thick jacket. and maybe a gas mask for the bazaar. worth it though.
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