End of an ۱۸-Year Wait for ۵,۰۰۰ Mehr Housing Units in Pardis

Iran’s Ministry of Roads and Urban Development and the parliamentary caucus of Tehran Province have formed a special committee and secured 17.6 thousand billion tomans in funding, pledging to deliver 5,000 completed Mehr Housing units in Pardis by the end of the current Iranian year. This marks a new turning point in the 18-year-old dossier of the project.

Pardis New Town, which entered its execution phase in the late 2000s, originally comprised a total of 84,000 residential units. Although around 72,000 units had been completed by the year 1403 (2024–2025), a significant portion of the remaining units continued to face challenges related to construction, defect rectification, provision of services, and title deeds.

Current status of units and financial requirements

Shahram Maleki, CEO of the New Towns Development Company of Iran, announced in late June this year that approximately 12,000 remaining units are at various stages of completion, defect rectification, or construction operations and require the provision of superstructure services. He stressed that utilising the capacity of the National Housing Fund and other financial resources has been placed on the agenda.

Farzaneh Sadegh Malvajerd, Minister of Roads and Urban Development, also noted in a recent meeting that over 80,000 Mehr Housing units have been created in Pardis, and said the main focus is on completing the remaining units. She announced that 17.6 thousand billion tomans in credit is required for the final completion of the supportive housing units in Pardis, comprising 2.2 thousand billion tomans for the purchase of lifts, 1.2 thousand billion tomans for landscaping infrastructure, and 14.2 thousand billion tomans for the continuation of construction operations.

According to new statistics, out of a total of 84,147 supportive housing units, around 72,500 units had been handed over before the fourteenth government took office. Additionally, 11,063 other units had not been transferred due to personal or administrative problems, of which more than 3,243 units have been delivered under the fourteenth government.

Prioritisation and formation of a special task force

Seyed Ali Yazdikhah, head of the Tehran Province parliamentary caucus in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, announced the formation of a working group consisting of four volunteer MPs along with staff and executive members of the city, so that the process of following up on problems and securing financial resources can be pursued with greater precision. Referring to government policies, he stated that projects with more than 75 percent physical progress have been prioritised for completion.

Yazdikhah stressed that there are around 5,000 residential units in Pardis with over 75 percent progress, and efforts are being made to complete and hand them over to applicants during the current year. He also reminded that legal capacities such as Article 56 will be used to secure financial resources.

Sadegh Malvajerd also emphasised at the meeting the necessity of addressing shortages in support services. She said that more measures are needed in the areas of school construction, sports halls, green spaces, and healthcare, and all relevant agencies must cooperate.

Infrastructure and transport challenges

The Minister of Roads and Urban Development addressed the issue of public transport and connecting Pardis to the rail network, saying that the connection of the Tehran suburban train to Pardis has been specifically emphasised by the President. She also welcomed private sector participation and investment, and announced that providing part of the resources through private sector partnership and another part through land swaps and land value capture will be examined.

Alongside financial problems, the Mehr Housing dossier in Pardis also faces a set of structural and infrastructural issues. Disputes between the municipality and the Pardis Development Company, problems related to title deeds, shortages of educational, healthcare, sports and green space services, as well as public transport problems, have been among the main challenges of this city in recent years.

Joint meetings every two months between the special committee formed by Tehran Province MPs and the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development have been scheduled to monitor the progress of actions and follow up on matters concerning support services, infrastructure, public transport, title deeds and other problems of Pardis city.

The future of the project in 1405

The Mehr Housing dossier in Pardis now faces a multi-layered file; one part relates to completing thousands of residential units, and another to creating a liveable city for applicants who have waited years for the end of this scheme. The reality is that completing the structural frames and building units alone does not mark the end of this project, and rectifying defects, providing lifts, landscaping, issuing title deeds and developing urban services remain the path ahead.

Despite the new promises and the formation of the special committee, it remains to be seen whether these measures can bring the 18-year-old dossier of Pardis Mehr Housing to a conclusion in the year 1405 (2026–2027), or whether this project will remain one of the country’s longest-running unfinished housing projects.