Journal of the planner and development

Heritage cities affected by armed conflict face multifaceted challenges in their reconstruction processes that go beyond the physical dimension, encompassing social, functional, and cultural aspects. These complex conditions call for innovative planning frameworks that can adequately address such contexts. This study focuses on the historic urban fabric of Old Mosul, specifically Al-Jami’a Neighborhood, as a representative case of a war-torn heritage area that suffers from a lack of a flexible and context-sensitive reconstruction vision. The research hypothesizes that adopting urban resilience principles can significantly enhance the pace and quality of reconstruction, particularly in culturally significant environments. The study aims to analyze the relationship between urban resilience indicators and post-conflict reconstruction strategies by developing a theoretical framework derived from an extensive literature review, and then operationalizing these indicators through a structured field survey conducted with selected experts in urban planning and disaster risk management. A descriptive-comparative method was employed to link resilience concepts with the disaster management cycle (mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery). The findings reveal a clear institutional and strategic gap in integrating resilience into reconstruction frameworks, despite high professional awareness of the concept’s value. The study offers a preliminary framework that can guide reconstruction in similar post-conflict urban settings and proposes targeted recommendations for embedding resilience-based approaches in urban policies, particularly those concerning heritage preservation and sustainable urban recovery.

Urban expansion has been identified as a causative factor for numerous environmental issues in urban areas, such as diminished air quality, elevated local temperatures, and poor water quality. This research aims to detect change in urban areas in Baghdad over a period of approximately 30 years, spanning from 1993 to 2023. The Landsat (TM5, ETM+7, and OLI8) images were used in this research. After performing image pre-processing, a supervised classification was used by the Support Vector Machine (SVM) to classify the images into five land cover classes, namely urban areas, water bodies, vegetation, soil, and wetlands. The classifications' accuracy assessment for the years 1993, 2003, 2013, and 2023 were 89%, 91%, 92%, and 90%, respectively. The results indicate that there has been a notable increase in urban areas over the specified time intervals. Specifically, the data shows that the urban areas experienced growth of 1.34%, 1.62%, 1.98%, and 4.54% during the time periods of 1993–2003, 2003–2013, 2013–2023, and 1993–2023, respectively.

The increase in the population of Hillah city and the possibility of many of them owning a car has contributed to the increase in the number of cars day after day, and thus the increase in the rate of trips made by the city’s residents for various purposes that generate trips inside or outside the city, which has had a negative impact on the road and street network, as it has become unable to perform its function at the required level.
The research aims to analyze traffic movement in Hilla city by measuring the density of transportation movement based on criteria such as street lengths, number of vehicles, and population. The research used statistical mathematical methods, field study, and traffic monitoring for vehicles and passengers to understand the current state of traffic movement on the street network in Hilla city during peak morning (7:00-8:00) and evening (2:00-3:00) hours, as well as classifying vehicle types and understanding street patterns. The research assumes that the current state of traffic movement does not match the capacity of the road network due to the high density of vehicle traffic on the network.
The research used the quantitative approach to analyze daily traffic movement during peak morning and evening hours, as well as a field study that included traffic counting and analysis of vehicle traffic classification. The research found that the study area experiences a traffic surge that exceeds the designed capacity, with the morning peak hour traffic volume on 60th Street reaching 9692 vehicles per hour, exceeding the street\'s design capacity. The evening peak hour traffic volume reached 8596 vehicles per hour. Al-Ghadir Street ranked second in traffic congestion, with a volume of 8027 vehicles per hour. The traffic volume during the evening peak hour reached 6696.5 vehicles per hour. Baghdad Street ranked third, with a traffic volume of 7822 vehicles per hour during the morning peak hour and 7639 vehicles per hour.
During off-peak days, 60th Street again ranked first in traffic congestion, with a morning peak hour volume of 8326.5 vehicles per hour and an evening peak hour volume of 6716.5 vehicles per hour. Baghdad Street ranked second, with a morning peak hour volume of 6790.25 vehicles per hour, as it is a major street that connects

Hilla city to Baghdad and other provinces. The evening peak hour volume reached 6801.5 vehicles per hour.
The research concluded that Hilla city\'s street network suffers from severe traffic congestion, with most streets operating above their design capacity (V/C>1.0), resulting in all streets being classified as having a service level of LOS F, and thus a collapse of traffic flow. The research recommends reducing private car usage and promoting the development and use of public transportation, as well as developing the street network to accommodate traffic volume, particularly on 60th and 40th Streets.

The research presents how various variables and factors interact and influence the urban form of the city over successive periods. Iraqi cities, like other cities, have witnessed numerous urban transformations due to the impact of several factors .One of the most prominent cities that embodied these changes is Baghdad, the current capital of Iraq, where the roots of its design and urban planning first emerged during the Abbasid period as a fortified circular city and a center of Islamic civilization, exemplifying power and authority.
The city subsequently faced a series of challenges and changes in rulers that affected its structural composition, leading to new transformations in its architectural structure influenced by the modernity of the twentieth century. The research concludes that the change in urban form was not limited to the influence of a single factor but interacted among many factors, primarily environmental, economic, cultural, political, and religious, which contributed to shaping urban structures throughout these periods, reflecting communities and their capacity for growth and adaptation. In the circular Baghdad, political and religious factors were the most influential in the changes occurring at the urban form level, introducing new patterns that were previously unfamiliar. The city of Baghdad in the period of late Ottoman era until the beginning of the twentieth century it did not match the previously known design and planning foundations and The most influential factors are the economic and political factors. in the city and the introduction of new jobs and random expansion, which affected the privacy of the city .

Baghdad has a rich cultural and cultural heritage, as it has historically been a center of civilization and science and a destination for visitors from all over the world. However, the wars and conflicts that the region has witnessed in recent decades have negatively affected the tourism sector. The research problem stems from the unclear impact of the development of heritage paths in stimulating local economic activity and increasing the income of local communities.
The paper based on the premise that the development of heritage paths leads to strengthening the local economy and increasing income for local communities. The paper aims to determine the impact of heritage paths in stimulating economic activity and increasing the income of local communities, reflected through several indicators such as increasing the flow of visitors and tourist spending, increasing investments, job creation and Community Development. The research was based on a practical approach that included field surveys, interviews and questionnaires that targeted visitors and stakeholders individually. The data was analyzed using Three-point Likert scale and Excel program with the use of descriptive quantitative analysis methods to draw conclusions.
The research found that the development of heritage paths is not only a means of preserving history, but also represents an important economic source capable of improving the standard of living and quality of life of the population, and also highlights the importance of infrastructure development and the adoption of development practices within the project of developing heritage paths of the old Rusafa, and achieving success in these efforts depends on the application of effective marketing strategies and promoting integration between the public and private sectors, taking into account the preservation of the cultural identity of the region

Slums are considered one of the foremost problems that developing countries suffer from. We notice the expansion of the scope of this phenomenon and its repercussions in recent years in Iraq in general and in Baghdad in particular. The area of encroachment for the year 2013 was (47.23 km2), while the area of encroachment for the year 2022 became (81.72 km2), meaning that it has almost doubled. Therefore, it has become necessary to address this phenomenon and provide effective solutions to what exists on the ground and limit its spread. Among these solutions is the implementation of the upgrading policy, especially after the issuance of Cabinet Resolution No. 320 of 2022, which came to activate previous effective decisions issued regarding encroachment on government lands and Cabinet Resolution No. 286 of 2022 regarding the engineering and service effort team to introduce services to encroachment areas. The importance of the study and its objective is to study Resolution 320 of 2022 and clarify the criteria set by the Baghdad Municipality for its implementation and identify the slum areas covered by the resolution, with a study of the reality of the situation of District 775 (one of the nine slum areas chosen within The study relied on the descriptive analytical approach to reach the research goal, and the most important research tools are the program (Arc Gatalog 10.6), where a database was created for District 775 based on it, and the program (Arc Map 10.6), which was re-planned for District 775 based on it. The most important conclusions were when redesigning the district, it was found that it suffers from a significant shortage of services, so it needs an area of (19,487 m2) as an area for educational use, (9,231 m2) for a health center, (3,535 m2) for shopping centers, and (13,257 m2) for parks. The study also reached a set of conclusions that contribute to upgrading the eight random areas that were chosen within Resolution 320, and a set of recommendations that are hoped to contribute to addressing the problem.

The traditional house reflects significant social and cultural significance. It represents a reflection of Arab heritage and family values, highlighting the continuity of heritage in the face of natural challenges, as it is influenced by environmental, heritage, and social factors. As a result of adherence to Islamic principles and consideration of the local climate, customs, and traditions, private spaces are designed for families, with an emphasis on privacy for women, especially in traditional residential design. Residential units constitute the largest amount of the total construction production in the Arab city, and are considered one of the strong influences on the internal environmental data that contradict with the external environment of the house. Therefore, the current study aims to highlight the importance of the architectural elements in the traditional heritage house that affect privacy and distinguish it with a special identity represented by the use of architectural elements that are appropriate to the environmental and social requirements of Arab society. The research methodology relied on designing a special questionnaire and the study samples were residents of traditional houses in the old city of Mosul. The method of observation and formal analysis of selected samples was adopted to explore the design characteristics that enhance visual privacy. It was found that privacy is of great importance when residents choose their homes, followed by the residential region, then the residential area and type, and finally its spatial organization. The elements of the interior design of Mosul houses are affected by (92.5%) the value of privacy, which contributes to creating a unique residential environment and a distinctive architectural identity for the region. This is achieved by using architectural elements, the most prominent of which are (the indirect entrance, the mashrabiya, the iwan, the corridors, the private rooms, and the high roof curtain). A multiple linear regression was also carried out using the SPSS program, and its results showed that the design of the entrances in the heritage houses has a significant positive impact on privacy, while the internal spaces showed a negative impact. As for the openings (windows and internal doors), their impact was slightly positive, and finally, the furniture had a somewhat negative impact.

Global climate change has contributed to increase number of studies investigating methods to mitigate the effects of climate change on cities in general and buildings in particular. Cities today suffer from numerous problems associated with this phenomenon, such as rising temperatures and desertification, especially in hot, arid regions, this is largely due to modern approaches in building design in general, and administrative buildings in particular, such as the construction of multi-story buildings and the use of glass facades, which exposes the inner spaces of the building to a significant thermal load.
The problem addressed by this research is that most buildings suffer from thermal loads in their interior spaces and require rehabilitation to cope with climate change and rising temperatures. Therefore, the research hypothesis is that building facades are fundamental elements that shape a building's identity and play a crucial role in solar exposure and thermal loads. This research aims to adopt kinetic facades as a design and rehabilitation strategy for building facades most exposed to solar exposure, thereby reducing thermal loads, using administrative buildings as an example.
Research Methodology: Kinetic facade techniques are among the most prominent modern methods for reducing the intensity of solar radiation on the building, and thus reducing thermal loads and energy consumption, especially in Iraq's hot climate. A multi-story administrative building (Ministry of Construction, Housing and Municipalities) with glass facades was adopted as a case study for application. Computer software will be used to analyze the building and design kinetic facades in a way that achieves an urban landscape within the context, leading to conclusions where the results showed the necessity of adopting these techniques in treating buildings with poor environmental performance.