The Safer City: A New Planning Perspective for the Traditional City Development

Abstract

The research deals with the concept of a safe city and the impact of security on cities, in an attempt to identify the most important physical characteristics and indicators necessary to achieve safety in cities. The research identified seven characteristics (access and movement, structure, control, ownership, protection, activity, management and maintenance). From these seven characteristics, eighteen indicators were derived that directly affected the achievement of safety in urban environments. These indicators were applied to the study area, An-Najaf traditional city in Iraq. By adopting the analysis of indicators using field survey, observation and analysis using geographic information systems and mathematical models. The indicators that contributed to achieving a number of characteristics of safe cities in An-Najaf traditional city were identified: the structure of the city, the homogeneity of society, as well as the activity characteristic, as it was characterized by religious and tourism activity.

Structural Equation Modeling of Urban Design and Sustainability in Najaf's Traditional Urban Context

“…More sustainable to create a more adaptive, responsive and robust approach, leading to a new concept called Green TOD. One of the early and strong proponents of green TOD is Cervero & Sullivan, describing it as an environmentally friendly version of TOD, where TOD can be combined with green urbanism (Alrobaee et al, 2023;Cervero & Sullivan, 2011).…”

“…More sustainable to create a more adaptive, responsive and robust approach, leading to a new concept called Green TOD. One of the early and strong proponents of green TOD is Cervero & Sullivan, describing it as an environmentally friendly version of TOD, where TOD can be combined with green urbanism(Alrobaee et al, 2023;Cervero & Sullivan, 2011).Green TOD is a combination of urban and mobility concepts that prioritizes both pedestrian and cycling infrastructure and automated mobility, leading to significant environmental benefits. Energy self-sustaining systems and efficient building designs, in conjunction with resource management systems, aid in resource conservation, waste reduction, and emissions control, while also providing us with energy independence(Alaskary & Alrobaee, 2022;Niu et al, 2021).The city's environmental footprint is significantly reduced by leveraging the strategic placement of activities and uses near transportation hubs, along with facilities that facilitate a shift from car to public transportation and replacing trips with walking and cycling.…”

The Role of Safety and Security in Achieving Urban Space Vitality

“…Crime levels are one of the most important determinants of the quality of life and vitality of the place. sociologists consider that crime is linked to social and demographic factors such as income, level of education, and ethnic composition, while planners and architects associate them with design factors such as the nature of space, lighting, or directing entrances [15,16] and studies have confirmed that planning land uses, overlapping urban functions and building design are closely related to crime [17], Natural surveillance was one of the most important considerations limiting crime. The presence of people in space and the provision of different opportunities for them, whether walking, talking, sitting, or seeing, are considered "eyes on the street" and can follow events around them.…”

Measuring Spatial Justice Indices in the Traditional Islamic Cities by Using GIS, An-Najaf Holy City, Iraq: A Case Study

“… Traffic network connectivity: Network connectivity is defined as the extent to which streets connect with a numerical density of intersections, a large number of short links, and a small number of culde-sacs [26]. It can be measured by dividing the number of real nodes by unit area, and a higher number indicates more intersections and high connectivity (Mecredy et al, 2011).…”