Journal of the planner and development

This study examines the impact of rapid and unregulated urbanization on groundwater quality in the Tigris-Euphrates Basin using the principles of applied hydrology. Urbanization, including the increase in impervious surfaces, unregulated wastewater disposal, and intensive use of fertilizers and pesticides, poses significant challenges that negatively affect groundwater quality. The research aims to analyze these impacts and propose sustainable strategies to mitigate them. A descriptive analytical approach was employed, incorporating surveys, field interviews, and literature analysis to identify the main pollution factors and offer practical solutions. The findings revealed that unregulated urbanization and climate changes exacerbate pollution levels, necessitating the adoption of integrated policies to improve groundwater management and ensure its sustainability.

Investing in the identity of a place has economic, social, cultural and physical benefits and is not related to material profit, but rather to human investment. This requires verifying the features of the place and investing in them to create a global competitive advantage and ensure the long-term sustainability of the place by promoting urban developments that focus on the physical, social and cultural resources of the city, This study aims to achieve a distinct city identity in the context of global competitiveness by analyzing the factors that determine the city's unique characteristics.
The old Rusafa area was chosen as a case study through which the indicators of the theoretical framework were tested, and it became clear that investment in its originality tops the applied indicators, followed by serving the recipient, and investment is equal in the tools of creativity and continuity of identity, while there is a clear lack of investment in the brand in the study area , The study concluded that success requires attention to infrastructure, preserving material and cultural heritage, developing creative industries, and using effective marketing strategies.


It recommends developing and improving the city's infrastructure to enhance its spatial identity, including developing residential, commercial and tourist areas, and improving transportation and technological infrastructure. It also stresses the importance of preserving the tangible and cultural heritage by organizing efforts and promoting cultural and artistic events, and recommends developing effective marketing strategies for the city’s unique features, opportunities and experiences, using social media and digital marketing،It encourages the active community participation of citizens, businesses and local organizations in formulating a differentiation strategy and achieving the uniqueness of the city، this study provides a comprehensive framework for achieving excellence and enhancing the city's place identity in the context of global competitiveness and employs the components of success

One of the most important principles of urban agriculture in sustainable cities is the optimal exploitation of available land resources through good management to achieve (maximum production, most abundant food, highest income and its contribution to strengthening local economies by enhancing food flexibility for urban agriculture within urban cities) on a permanent and continuous basis over the years Without depleting natural resources and preserving agricultural lands from deterioration. Urban agriculture is a strong and important economic activity for the urban population, as it has provided self-sufficiency in terms of food and without relying on external sources. It is necessary to follow methods based on a scientific basis aimed at the optimal use of natural resources and water, and to study the state of deterioration of agricultural lands and their suitability for producing urban agriculture for sustainable cities. According to a scientific and comprehensive vision, this requires collecting statistical information and data related to these resources, as this is one of the methods followed by many studies by international organizations that aim to strengthen decisions related to agricultural planning and development in any country. Among the requirements of this process is the integration of information, several sources, and highly efficient tools to build a solid structure for the databases of these data and be ready at any time for stakeholders to make decisions. Among these tools are geographic information systems and remote sensing, as these tools are considered powerful and useful tools due to their ability to Storage and analysis of digital spatial data. Some important maps of the region Do not expect to invest agricultural lands and spaces for urban agriculture, through which sustainability and food security can be achieved, leading to improving the standard of all people residing within cities. Therefore, the research problem emerged: the knowledge need for the concept of urban agriculture and the possibility of applying it within cities and their suburbs in order to avoid deterioration in the sustainability of urban cities. To solve the research problem, the most important vocabulary related to urban agriculture and jobs was reached, arriving at the most important indicators related to the sustainability of urban agriculture within cities, with a review