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.
Millions of pilgrims and visitors from numerous parts of the world flock to Karbala (one of the most prominent ideological and religious places in central Iraq) each year to visit the holy shrines in Karbala due to their sanctity. Many improvements have been made to the Two Holy Shrines (THS), the Shrines of Imam Husayn and Imam Abbas, and the area between them (ATHS), due to the high temperatures in this region and to improve pedestrian thermal comfort. Studies on improving outdoor thermal comfort in Karbala are scarce. Hence, this research aims to look into historical and current architectural changes and how they affect thermal comfort. On the hottest summer day, the ENVI-met software program was used to simulate the building des
... Show MoreMillions of pilgrims and visitors from numerous parts of the world flock to Karbala (one of the most prominent ideological and religious places in central Iraq) each year to visit the holy shrines in Karbala due to their sanctity. Many improvements have been made to the Two Holy Shrines (THS), the Shrines of Imam Husayn and Imam Abbas, and the area between them (ATHS), due to the high temperatures in this region and to improve pedestrian thermal comfort. Studies on improving outdoor thermal comfort in Karbala are scarce. Hence, this research aims to look into historical and current architectural changes and how they affect thermal comfort. On the hottest summer day, the ENVI-met software program was used to simulate the building des
... Show MoreThe research aims to analyze and evaluate the urban land use according to the needs of the current and future population by adopting the planning criteria for the holy city of Karbala. In the theoretical side, we discussed the most important concepts of urban land use planning. In the practical aspect of the study, field surveys were conducted to obtain the required information. Using the GIS program, the land uses were planned and executed, Analysis By comparing the per capita use of urban land with criteria and the production of maps.
The main findings of the study are that there is a large deficit in meeting some of the needs of the urban land uses and the basic services of the city. The research recommended that the needs of
... Show MoreThe traditional city suffers from the decline of the urban image due to urban development and homogeneity with the urban context of the city, and because of the lack of determinants governing the urban image, it is that the center of the city of traditional Kadhimiya suffers from a break in the urban image, Therefore, the research included how to build a distinctive urban image of the center of the traditional city of Kadhimiya and achieve the visual pleasure and comfort of the recipient and the urban image here means is an image not picture which are related to several aspects, including physical, social and psychological as well as the collective memory of individuals and their rela
The centers of cities and historical quarter are exposed to a severe threat to the values of the physical and legal urban environment as a result of the value deterioration and the emergence, emergence and spread of new values on the intellectual and urban context, which generates the loss of the urban environment for its spatio-temporal continuity, flexibility, adaptation and continuity, and thus urban obsolescence, Hence the problem of the research in “the lack of comprehensiveness of studies on the phenomenon of urban obsolescence and its impact on the decline in the values of the quality of the built environment in historic
... Show MoreThis research concluded that after what has been presented an analysis of the topics that the process of measuring the level of development and then the development gap is the need to assess the results to set policy and to formulate plans and goals, and to see the development priorities of the place or a particular sector. The purely economic development led to negative effects on the spatial scale and the most important of these effects arise multidimensional social and urban development gaps as well as the economic dimension. So it must exceed the concept of economic framework, to include all dimensions of development spatially and sectorally to provide correct and clear base for planners and development policies and strategies for de
... Show MoreA significant challenge arises in the characterization of urban systems, especially regarding the intricate structures of Central Business Districts (CBDs). Conventional models seem insufficient, failing to comprehend the non-linear, network-oriented structure of the city's economic and social dynamics. This creates a disparity between the city's physical, geographical structure and the unseen processes occurring within it. The fundamental inquiry is thus configurational: how can we systematically examine the inherent spatial logic of the CBD to develop a more efficient and predictive planning model? This paper presents a theoretical and methodological model to explore this inquiry, which focuses on Lower Manhattan as the primary su
... Show MoreThe city is a built-up urban space and multifunctional structures that ensure safety, health and the best shelter for humans. All its built structures had various urban roofs influenced by different climate circumstances. That creates peculiarities and changes within the urban local climate and an increase in the impact of urban heat islands (UHI) with wastage of energy. The research question is less information dealing with the renovation of existing urban roofs using color as a strategy to mitigate the impact of UHI. In order to achieve local urban sustainability; the research focused on solutions using different materials and treatments to reduce urban surface heating emissions. The results showed that the new and old technologies, produ
... Show MoreThis review delves deep into the intricate relationship between urban planning and flood risk management, tracing its historical trajectory and the evolution of methodologies over time. Traditionally, urban centers prioritized defensive measures, like dikes and levees, with an emphasis on immediate solutions over long-term resilience. These practices, though effective in the short term, often overlooked broader environmental implications and the necessity for holistic planning. However, as urban areas burgeoned and climate change introduced new challenges, there has been a marked shift in approach. Modern urban planning now emphasizes integrated blue-green infrastructure, aiming to harmonize human habitation with water cycles. Resil
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