Historic city centers are cultural archives where built forms and spatial practices hold the collective memory of generations. In Baghdad, the concept of Cultural DNA (C-DNA) is a tool to understand how cultural codes are the generative rules that shape the evolution and persistence of the historic urban fabric. This research explores the role of C-DNA as a trigger of urban morphogenesis in Rusafa, the historic heart of Baghdad, by looking into how cultural values underpin spatial continuity, change, and adaptability. The study uses Space Syntax methodologies with DepthmapX, supported by historical maps, surveys, and field observations, to analyze two morphological stages of Rusafa: 1850 and now. Through axial analysis, the research measures integration, connectivity, choice, and control to evaluate key urban characteristics: centrality, hierarchy, privacy, and territoriality. This comparative approach highlights both continuity and disruption in the historic fabric. The results show that cultural nuclei (mosques, markets, khans, and schools) are still the central points of the city, anchoring movement and interaction across centuries. Despite the disruption caused by modern interventions like Al-Rashid Street, the organic urban fabric still holds the capacity to sustain privacy, territoriality, and hierarchical spatial arrangements. The findings prove C-DNA is not a metaphor but an operational system that generates urban order and resilience. The study concludes that understanding C-DNA is crucial for developing sustainable revitalization strategies in Baghdad and similar Islamic historic cities. By treating culture as the city’s genetic code, planners and policymakers can design interventions that preserve cultural identity while accommodating urban needs.
Motives: The research deals with the issue of urban sprawl on agricultural lands. It is an urban problem caused by rapid urbanization and poor planning. It is considered one problem that threatens cities with environmental and health disasters. It also threatens agricultural life and the green belt surrounding cities. Changes in urban sprawl on agricultural land are associated with complex processes that lead to multiple social, economic, political, and environmental risks and thus pose a threat and an obstacle to the sustainability of cities. Aim: The research aims to study and evaluate the reality of the city of Baghdad and the extent of its ability and flexibility to withstand the disaster of urban sprawl on agricultural lands. T
... Show MoreThe growing population and the rising standard of living in cities as well as the increased commercial, industrial and agricultural activities around the world led to
massive production of waste containing different materials and one of them is the municipal solid waste (MSW), so there is a major problem facing the cities around the world about the waste, how to collect, transfer it and how to discard it. Because the accumulation of wastes, whether in the city alleys or in its squares and especially in its residential areas affect the health of their populations besides this situation will be a major indication of the deteriorating quality of life in the city, as hygiene considered a fundamental criterion for the city beauty as well
The Results Of Interest In Capitals And Major Cities Have Become Major Attraction Centers For People In Rural Areas And Different Regions, Especially With The Concentration Of Industrial And Commercial Establishments And Public Services, Which Helped To Find The Wide Differences Between Them. Recently, The Trend To Develop Small Urban Centers In Rural Back Areas Great And Serious Attempt To Reduce Inflation. The Suburb Of Abu Ghraib Is One Of The Important Suburbs Near The City Of Baghdad And Through The Study Of The Reality Of The Suburb Shows That The Outcome Of Its Career And Urban Development Lies In Its Mutual Relationship With The City Of The Mother In The Light Of Considerations And Measures Of The Most Important Accessibility And
... Show MoreThe concept of sustainability is one of the modern concepts that influenced the quality of the urban plans for the cities, through the interest in the environmental and social aspects as well as the economic aspect and the need to balance to achieve sustainable development.
The research aims to identify the most prominent methods of sustainable urban land use planning and the strategies developed within these approaches to achieve sustainable development. The research started from the problem of a knowledge gap in adopting sustainable approaches and strategies when planning urban land uses for the holy city of Karbala.
In the theoretical aspect, the concepts of sustainable development, sustainable planning methodologies a
... Show MoreThe topic of urban transformations has attracted the attention of researchers as it is one of the basic issues through which cities can be transformed towards sustainability. A specific level of transformation levels according to a philosophical concept known as a crossing. This article has relied on a specific methodology that aims to find a new approach for urban transformation based on the crossing concept. This concept derives from philosophical entrances based on the concepts of (being, process, becoming, and integration). Four levels have been for the crossing are (normal, ascending, leap, and descending). Each of these levels includes specific characteristics that distinguish it. The results showed that there is no descending
... Show MoreIt is the dynamic tension between the relatively fixed built environment and the constantly changing in social life that determines the nature of urban spaces belonging to different historical periods, and considered as a tool for diagnosing transformations in urban spaces, that’s why, the characteristics of urban space became unclear between positive spaces and negative spaces, so emerged the need to study contemporary urban space belonging to the current period of time and show the most important transformations that have occurred in contemporary urban space to reach urban spaces that meet the current life requirements. Therefore, the research dealt with a study of the characteristics of contemporary urban space and the most pr
... Show MoreThe integration of gender in urban studies is considered a goal and objective to build a society characterized by justice and equality. It further allows all its residents to enjoy the opportunities to live in a safe urban life. Based on the that, the limitations of the research and its field of interest related to the relationship between gender and urban studies have become clear. The insufficient knowledge in this regard considers gender as a concept that does not exist in itself, but rather overlaps and intersects with several concepts and studies, including urban studies. Thus, it has become necessary to adopt a descriptive methodology that helps reach a theoretical framework to explain the beginnings of such an interaction and inte
... Show MoreUrban Development refers to many topics such as: increased population density, city size, and individual’s production, distribution of technology and the growth of commercial, industrial and service professions. Such development is linked to the coordination of social and cultural trends in order to achieve social progress and economical prosperity. Knowledge as a topic now is known as intellectual capital wich led to upgrae the concept of urban development to be extended into many fields of knowledge, for example, cultural, social and human development to move the level of community culture into a new better standard.
The research adopted the urban transformation based on knowledge as an important factor in gr
... Show MoreThe city is often discussed in barren, eviscerated terms and in technical jargon by urban professionals as if it were a lifeless, detached being. In fact, it is a sensory, emotional, lived experience. How often do strategic urban plans start with the words ‘beauty’, ‘love’, ‘happiness’ or ‘excitement’, as opposed to ‘bypass’, ‘spatial outcome’ or ‘planning framework, So the research problem was formed by the weakness of the sensory perception of cities and the weakness of the sense of different spaces, which in turn leads to weakness of belonging, identity and clarity, Therefor we focus here on the sensory perception. The hypothesis Recognize Senses as helpful tool in increasing people's understanding of differe
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