Introduction: The transition from the traditional to the modern pattern in residence has pushed the concept of neighborhood from social-human dimensions to focus only on technical-physical aspects.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to analyze and compare the concept of the "neighborhood unit" across traditional neighborhoods and contemporary residential complexes in the city of Urmia, with the objective of identifying the strengths of the traditional model and the weaknesses of the modern model, and proposing an optimal approach for the design of future neighborhood units.

Geographical area: Geographically, Urmia is situated at 37 degrees 32 minutes North latitude and 45 degrees 2 minutes East longitude.

Methodology: The research methodology employed in this study is quantitative, with an applied objective and a descriptive-analytical nature; data analysis was conducted using the Partial Least Squares (PLS) model in Warp-PLS software and the gap analysis method in SPSS software.

Results and Discussion: Research findings indicate that all six primary criteria defining neighborhood characteristics—namely physical-spatial, social-behavioral, psychological-perceptual, functional-managerial, cultural-contextual, and temporal-dynamic—were validated at a 95% confidence level in the traditional neighborhoods of Urmia. In contrast, within Urmia’s contemporary residential complexes, only the physical-spatial and functional-managerial criteria were validated at the 95% confidence level, while the other criteria showed unfavorable conditions.

Conclusion: The largest variation gap, with a value of 1.81, is associated with the cultural-contextual criterion, indicating minimal attention to culture and context in the design of contemporary residential complexes.