Evaluation of Applying Urban Features Design Guides Concerning their Environmental Impact Inside Residential Complexes

Urban population growth has affected the spread of residential buildings in many countries. The Kurdistan region of Iraq has been witnessing rapid progress in residential complex projects. The energy consumption in buildings, especially residential buildings, is immensely affected by the design of urban open spaces around these buildings. Accordingly, this has contributed to the massive increase in energy consumption. In this paper, through analyzing previous studies, the impacts of each of the urban features of open spaces (aspect ratio, orientation of street pattern, density, and spacing ratio) on both energy consumption and outdoor thermal comfort are introduced. Also, the study is to focus on the criteria of urban features of open spaces in three existing residential projects in Sulaimani city- Iraq, by considering that there is a remarkable unawareness of the influence of urban design on microclimate and energy use. Furthermore, a direct comparison between the ratios and the optimal settings of urban features of open spaces that reduce energy consumption in buildings and achieve outdoor thermal comfort for the hot-dry climate in the context of urban open spaces in residential complexes is made. The comparison shows that the aspect ratio for two selected residential projects is below the ideal urban features ratio, and at the same time, the density and spacing ratio for all the chosen residential cities is higher than the optimal urban features ratio of open spaces in hot arid climate zone and as a result, the total loads of energy increased

Promoting Walkability in Streets: Analytical Study of Salem Street, Sulaimani, Iraq

Walking represents a vital transport system for people to maintain balanced and healthy lifestyles and to improve the environmental conditions. Within a contemporary metropolitan society, other means of transport are often preferred. The presented paper aims to examine the methods of how to encourage people to walk. By organizing it into three main sections to begin with, the work of in order to investigate the nature of the metropolitan individual and the contemporary society. The second section builds on the outcomes of the first section. Hence it provides a clear rationale for the adoption of strategies that would encourage people to walk. Salim Street which is one of the important and vibrant streets inside Sulaimani city is being chosen for this study, its possibility to be a walk able street is analyzed. The third section provides practical solutions and steeps on how to promote walking among the contemporary society. then, a brief conclusion summarizes the key arguments encompassed in the presented paper and draws wider implications and recommendations for city planners to build more pedestrian friendly streets