Mechanisms of safeguarding urban heritage at risk - Mosul Heritage as case study

Preservation of the cultural heritage of Mesopotamia civilization and the Iraqi architecture, especially urban heritage, is a national responsibility, and a wealth worthy of protection and attention. This national and international wealth is the responsibility of all organization and specialists in the world, and must be sustained for the future generations. This heritage is exposed to many dangers, and requires quick intervention to save it. So, the research problem appears from un ability of Iraqi decision makers to conserve this traditional heritage, which is under a grave danger, it is a threat throughout Iraqi historical cities by the forces of war, terrorism, globalization, poor knowledge, Uncontrolled investment, weak of experience and modernization on the cultural premises and building development which will eventually leads to blur local identity. So, research aim is to produce working mechanism to preserve the local Iraqi urban heritage, and specially Al Mosul heritage which ruthlessly destroyed, and activate the possibility of benefiting from it, endeavour to stop wasting heritage stocks, distorting its originality, and integrated efforts between all relevant institutions with local and international partnerships in order to conserve it. As well as the benefits from mechanisms of preservation methods which applied in international experience, to be adopted in local experience. In order to reach a roadmap, it will save Iraqi heritage and local identity from extinction

Place Identity in Defining Urban Space of Border Rivers in Historical City Centres

In the city, building space could transform to be as place, because architecture does not include only traditional values such as housing, human protection, stability, etc, but could carry other dimensions beyond the housing or building occupancy or develop urban design. Rivers had vision in motion as a way to show dynamic processes in its flowing slowly, which are simply measured in time and the life of citizens. The research consider the river path in traditional cities as Alley connecting the spaces of the city ... old Baghdad was characterized by this property and it is look like Venice in the past, while traditional European cities were able to preserve this property till now, and capable to take transformation of the city with development projects inside it. These cities was distinguished by development of river edge as creating place along the river corridor and try to attract peoples who lived in, protect the natural environment along the river, as well as reflect the characteristics of the city along of the elevation of the river, and conserve the river banks as alley connected between urban spaces. Baghdad which penetrates by Tigris River has maintained this feature until the middle of twentieth century. So now, the research can see the absence of specialized local studies, including The comprehensive development plan of the Baghdad city 2030 to study and Re design the spaces and places along river edge, this led to emerge research problem, in the absence of specific knowledge about identity of river space characteristics for identification of urban space in place of the Tigris River in downtown of Baghdad historical city center, in the urban development plans since the mid-twentieth century until now, and study design factors that contributed with disintegration of the space syntax relations in river elevation. Turning to the experience of historical European cities and how to deal with urban space to the edge of the river and created the identity of the place, especially the interface development experience the (Seine river in Paris, Thames River in London, Tiber River in Rome, Danube River in Vienna & Budapest, Vltava river in Prague) and study urban style in dealing with the river edge, in order to reach the elements which define the identity of each city. In order to reach the aim of research in redefining the identity of places for urban spaces overlooking to integrate the banks of Tigris River in the historical city centre of Baghdad, and the methods of linking the development of river front with the comprehensive development plan of the Baghdad city 2030

Utilizing participatory urban decision-making model to support smart growth strategies in Baghdad City

Participatory urban decision making is a crucial component to the success of sustainable urban management where medium and long-range decisions have to be made routinely. Contrary to contemporary trends, Urban development plans in Iraq remain a linear process emanating from top to bottom in an environment of rapidly changing social, physical, and demographic circumstances. Adopting smart growth strategies is needed to transform existing conditions within the City of Baghdad metropolitan area in particular, and the remaining urban centers in general. Incorporating strong Smart Growth policies into urban development plans requires making rational and effective decisions on the municipal level. The mechanism to reach decisions must be calibrated in contemplation of accommodating and sustaining any new strategy. This research aims to explore the best framework to manage Growth in urban centers and investigate a relevant model to apply participatory decision making to reach consensus among multiple urban stakeholders. The research surveyed the opinion of experts in the field to measure the applicability of such model taking into consideration the local specificity of the Iraqi experience. The research has concluded that participatory decision-making requires the careful consideration of local mechanisms and circumstances in order to reverse urban decision making from the status quo policy to a bottom-up approach

Urban Optimization of Transit Oriented Development in Baghdad City

Meeting the demands of the postmodern metropolis requires innovative urban planning approaches to promote a livable and resilient urban fabric. Transit-oriented development (TOD) is one such approach, and promises to add value to all public and private stakeholders. The concept maximizes transit usage, create a sense of place and community, and provide a vibrant mix of land uses that cater to existing and future residents. In general, TOD aims to create vibrant communities which promote walkability and provide attractive choices in employment, housing, and transportation choices. In its theoretical background, the paper attempts to outline the benefits and principles of TOD, and to highlight a number of case studies of cities that have implemented the concept successfully. An overview is presented of the cumulative results achieved by these cities to enhance both the quality of life, and the local economy.This research also tackles the applicability of TOD to the proposed future vision of the city of Baghdad. With its 6.5 million inhabitants, and a forecasted population of 11 million by 2030, the city has a number of shortcomings in providing a livable and efficient urban landscape. Transit, sprawl, excessive use of private cars, inappropriate land use mix and densities, and lack of well-designed urban spaces around transit hubs are among the pressing issues. The hypothesis of this research stresses the need to explore TOD as an urgent planning alternative to address such quandaries. The paper presents an overview of the pending “Baghdad Urban Development Plan 2030”, and submits a multi-parameter evaluation of the vision outlined in the plan with regard to transit and circulation problems, and solutions. The preliminary outcomes of the evaluation process indicate an evident deficiency in the utilization of TOD to optimize future urban movement proposals. Keywords: TOD, urban design, socio-economic growth, urban planning, comprehensive development