Commercial complexes, as one of the most significant public and densely populated urban spaces, require the incorporation of passive defense principles in their design and operation due to their high concentration of users, functional diversity, and economic importance. Therefore, assessing the degree of compliance between architectural indicators and passive defense requirements is an effective step toward reducing potential risks and enhancing the safety and resilience of these facilities. The present study aims to conduct a fuzzy evaluation of the compliance of architectural indicators in the Turk Mall Commercial Complex in Urmia with passive defense principles.

In terms of purpose, this research is applied, while methodologically it adopts a descriptive–analytical approach. The required data were collected through documentary studies, review of specialized literature, and field surveys. Subsequently, the status of each architectural indicator was assessed using a checklist developed based on passive defense architectural criteria and classified into three levels: “Yes,” “Partial,” and “No.” These qualitative assessments were then modeled using triangular fuzzy numbers. By aggregating the fuzzy values and applying defuzzification techniques, the compliance level of each principal component was calculated and analyzed.

The findings revealed that the overall compliance of the architectural indicators of the Turk Mall Commercial Complex with passive defense principles is at a moderate level. Among the examined components, spatial planning and site allocation achieved the highest level of compliance, with a defuzzified value of 0.338 and a compliance rate of 33.8%. In contrast, accessibility and evacuation routes demonstrated the lowest compliance level, with a defuzzified value of 0.283 and a compliance rate of 28.3%. Furthermore, the components of building physical design and safety and security considerations ranked at intermediate levels, with defuzzified values of 0.306 and 0.300, respectively. These results indicate deficiencies in façade design, openings, evacuation pathways, non-structural elements, and crisis management spaces.

Overall, the findings suggest that although the Turk Mall Commercial Complex benefits from certain strengths in spatial organization, full compliance with passive defense requirements necessitates revisions in physical design, improvement of evacuation routes, and reinforcement of safety and management measures. Moreover, the application of fuzzy logic in this study enabled a gradual assessment of compliance levels and the precise identification of areas requiring improvement, thereby providing a practical framework for evaluating other commercial complexes.