Development stages of planning thought and factors affecting the morphology of modern Iraqi cities

Abstract

Analysis and understanding of the historical formation processes of urban structures are essential in identifying factors that influence the spatial development of cities and human settlements for predicting promising development directions. The article is devoted to analysing the historical processes of the formation and development of Iraqi cities. The purpose of the study is a retrospectively analysis and identification of the key factors that influenced the planning development of Iraqi cities. The study was based on an analytical approach to studying the layout of Iraqi cities and understanding the influences that led to structural changes in urban morphology. A historical approach was also adopted to determine the time stages of the development of Iraqi planning institutions that accompanied these changes. In the course of the study, the article’s authors highlighted the stages of the historical development of Iraqi planning thought and factors that had a critical impact on the formation of the modern morphology of Iraqi cities. Among them are population growth, colonialism, the variety of land uses, and Technological Evolution. These factors classified the Iraqi city into three forms: compact and small in size, modern with European-style architecture, and developed far from the ancient historical city. As well, five stages of Iraqi planning institutions evolved were discovered that accompanied these changes in the city’s morphology.