Introduction

Historic urban fabrics, as vital repositories of cultural heritage, are frequently marginalized within contemporary urban development trajectories due to enduring socioeconomic constraints among residents and insufficient governmental support. Consequently, their physical, social, and cultural assets have undergone continuous deterioration. In response to these challenges, the concept of culture-led regeneration gained prominence in the 1990s as an alternative urban development paradigm. This approach treats culture not merely as an intrinsic value but as a strategic instrument for stimulating economic development and revitalizing historic districts. By emphasizing local scales and the dynamics of human–place interaction, culture-led regeneration aims to cultivate distinctive, attractive urban environments capable of drawing the talent and investment associated with creative industries.

Within this context, the recent emergence of the Khayyami Ritual, musical performances based on Khayyam’s quatrains, has played a notable role in activating cultural spaces, reinforcing social vitality, and attracting both domestic and international visitors. This phenomenon presents a distinctive opportunity to formulate integrated strategies that simultaneously advance social revitalization and economic development. Nevertheless, conservation efforts in Bushehr have predominantly been limited to isolated, single-building interventions. These fragmented actions have not succeeded in reconstituting the social networks or establishing the sustainable economic mechanisms required for long-term regeneration.

To address this gap, the present study identifies, analyzes, and prioritizes culture-led regeneration strategies tailored to Bushehr’s historic fabric, with particular emphasis on the transformative potential of the Khayyami Ritual. The research is guided by two principal questions:

(1) Given the endogenous capacities of Bushehr’s historic fabric, which culture-led regeneration strategies are most effective?

(2) How can these strategies be prioritized through an examination of their interrelationships?



Methodology

This study adopts a mixed-methods and applied research design, with the overarching aim of developing a practical framework for selecting effective regeneration strategies. The research was implemented in two principal stages. First, an extensive review of the literature, supported by exploratory desk-based research, was undertaken to identify eight overarching strategies associated with culture-led urban regeneration. These strategies comprise: (1) strengthening cultural and creative industries; (2) event-based urbanism; (3) fostering the presence of artists and the broader creative class; (4) enhancing social participation and institutional collaboration; (5) reconstructing and rehabilitating historic buildings; (6) improving urban spaces and advancing placemaking; (7) cultivating a distinctive urban image and brand; and (8) developing cultural tourism.

Second, the Delphi technique was applied to contextualize and prioritize these strategies for the case of Bushehr. Data were gathered through a structured questionnaire administered to a purposive sample of 15 experts, including university academics, urban planners, tourism specialists, and local music practitioners, all with a minimum of five years of professional experience. Content validity was ensured through the preliminary review and confirmation of the questionnaire by selected academics and subject-matter specialists before the formal commencement of the Delphi rounds. Reliability was established by attaining theoretical saturation and achieving statistical stability in expert responses during the final round.

The resulting data were analyzed and classified using the MICMAC method (Matrix of Cross-Impact Multiplications Applied to Classification). This structural-analysis approach evaluates the interrelationships among key variables within a complex system to identify the most influential “driving” variables that guide future development pathways. A direct-influence matrix was employed to score pairwise relationships on a scale ranging from 0 (no relationship) to 3 (strong relationship).



Results and Discussion

The MICMAC analysis grouped the eight regeneration strategies into four distinct clusters according to their respective levels of influence and dependence.

Independent variables, which exhibit high influence and low dependence, constitute the principal drivers of the system. Three strategies fall within this cluster: cultural and social events, the reconstruction and rehabilitation of historic buildings, and the development of cultural and creative industries. Experts identified the expansion of cultural events, particularly the successful annual Koucheh Festival, as the most influential and highest-priority driver. The festival, featuring prominent Khayyami performances, has already exerted a positive influence on the Shanbedi neighborhood. Rehabilitating historic buildings for music-oriented uses such as performance venues and recording studios was ranked as the second-most influential lever.

Linkage variables demonstrate both high influence and high dependence. Cultivating a strong urban image and brand is situated within this volatile cluster, as it possesses the capacity to generate significant and at times unpredictable effects. Although branding plays a critical role in attracting tourists and creative professionals, its success is strongly contingent upon the overall performance of broader regeneration processes. Effective management of this strategy requires careful and precise planning to preserve coherence between the projected urban image and on-the-ground realities.

Dependent variables are characterized by low influence and high dependence. This cluster comprises the enhancement of urban spaces and placemaking, tourism development, and strengthening the presence of artists and the creative class. These strategies function largely as outcomes of other interventions and are shaped primarily by the driving and linkage variables. Because they exert limited influence in their own right, direct investment in these dependent areas, without first reinforcing the main driving factors, may represent an inefficient allocation of resources.

Finally, autonomous variables, displaying both low influence and low dependence, remain relatively detached from the system’s core dynamics. Social participation and institutional collaboration were assigned to this category. Although intrinsically important for any urban initiative, experts observed that within Bushehr’s specific socio-political context this factor exerts only moderate influence and is comparatively unaffected by other strategies during the early stages of regeneration.



Conclusion

This study identified and prioritized the key strategies that underpin culture-led regeneration in Bushehr’s historic fabric. The analysis suggests that achieving meaningful regeneration outcomes requires prioritizing three core strategies: expanding cultural events, reconstructing historic buildings, and strengthening the creative industries. Concurrently, the management of urban branding and image-making functions as a critical linkage variable, necessitating sustained and coordinated oversight. The remaining strategies hold secondary priority and are expected to become more effective once the primary driving variables have been firmly established. Nevertheless, the long-term sustainability of the regeneration process depends on giving deliberate attention to social participation and institutional collaboration.