Unveiled middle-class housing in Tehran, 1945-1979.

Urban modernization in Iran accelerated in the 1940s through the construction of mass housing for the middle class, part of a nation-building process started by Reza Shah in the 1930s. The core of this modernization was a dramatic change in the traditional meaning of private and public both conceptually and spatially. Laws dictated the unveiling of women and the modernization of men’s traditional apparel. As a result, the appearance of the middle class led to changes in Iran’s urban development through the formation of new, mass housing typologies. By unveiling women, houses unveiled themselves as well, opening themselves to public spaces and experiencing a dramatic change in their spatial composition. This chapter examines parallels between the transformation of women’s appearance and their visibility in society and the new housing typologies that were created.