Historical Centers: An exploratory comparison of sustainable applications in urban renewal projects – Najaf and Karbala, Iraq

Rabee Al-Shammari

doi:10.31185/ejuow.Vol12.Iss3.543

Authors

Rabee Al-Shammari Wasit University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31185/ejuow.Vol12.Iss3.543

Keywords:

Heritage preservation, urban renewal, historical centres, Najaf, Karbala.

Abstract

This study examines sustainability initiatives in urban renewal projects in the canter of the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala, two cities of historical and cultural importance to the Islamic world in general, and to the Shiite community in particular. The study aims to evaluate the current situation in the two cities, and emphasizes the different methods for preserving the heritage and enhancing public spaces in the cities of Najaf and Holy Karbala, which were shaped by their unique historical, cultural and urban features. Despite a shared commitment to protecting their historical heritage, these cities face challenges in integrating modern technology and engaging the community in environmental conservation efforts.

A questionnaire was conducted directed to experts to determine development priorities through seven main indicators of sustainability concepts and tested on the research case study. The results showed in the canter of the holy city of Karbala a clear preference for indicators of social integration and suitability of areas open to visitors (between the two holy shrines) with a clear weakness in indicators of preservation and provision of transportation. Public and community participation in development projects. While the results in the centre of the Holy City of Najaf showed a clear preference in maintenance, development, and transportation work for people with special needs, and delegations of visitors, this difference could be due to the nature of the spaces surrounding the Holy Shrine in the canter of the Holy Shrine of Najaf at the expense of open spaces for the residents of the region. The research recommends developing a plan that takes into account sustainability and aims to balance the needs of residents and visitors alike, with a focus on spatial and functional gradation to achieve sustainability requirements within the main research indicators.

References

S. L. Farhan, V. S. Akef, and Z. Nasar, “Revitalizing the historical center of Al-Najaf city in Iraq: Learning from the British conservation experiences,” Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development, vol. 12, no. 4, pp. 513–532, 2022.

A. Almukhtar, “Place-identity in historic cities; The case of post-war urban reconstruction in Erbil, Iraq,” Urban Heritage Along the Silk Roads: A Contemporary Reading of Urban Transformation of Historic Cities in the Middle East and Beyond, pp. 121–136, 2020.

S. Yi and A. Xiao-li, “Application of threshold regression analysis to study the impact of regional technological innovation level on sustainable development,” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 89, pp. 27–32, 2018.

A. Sharifi and A. Murayama, “Changes in the traditional urban form and the social sustainability of contemporary cities: A case study of Iranian cities,” Habitat Int, vol. 38, pp. 126–134, 2013.

A. N. Taher, A. Mosa, and A. hussain Al-musawi, “The role of formal characteristics in harmony townscape holy city of Najaf - Case Study Ass.prf.Dr.,” vol. 3, 2015.

S. L. Farhan, H. H. Samir, and H. S. Adelphi, “Urban changes and its impact on the tangible and intangible heritage of City’s Centre: Najaf City as a Case Study,” IOP Conf Ser Mater Sci Eng, vol. 1058, no. 1, p. 012070, Feb. 2021, https://doi.org/10.1088/1757-899x/1058/1/012070

H. S. Owied, “Urban transformations of historical cities centers: Urban renewal projects of Alnajaf city center,” International Conference on Advances in Sustainable Engineering and Applications, ICASEA 2018 - Proceedings, no. January, pp. 159–164, 2018, https://doi.org/10.1109/ICASEA.2018.8370975

H. S. Hasibuan, T. P. Soemardi, R. Koestoer, and S. Moersidik, “The Role of Transit Oriented Development in Constructing Urban Environment Sustainability, the Case of Jabodetabek, Indonesia,” Procedia Environ Sci, vol. 20, pp. 622–631, 2014, https://doi: 10.1016/j.proenv.2014.03.075

H. S. O. Adelphi, S. L. Farhan, and H. A. H. Alshamari, “The Threshold of Urban Sustainability within the Traditional Cities: Traditional Alnajaf city as a case study,” IOP Conf Ser Mater Sci Eng, vol. 1058, no. 1, p. 012055, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1088/1757-899X/1058/1/012055

A. Martos, R. Pacheco-Torres, J. Ordóñez, and E. Jadraque-Gago, “Towards successful environmental performance of sustainable cities: Intervening sectors. A review,” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 57, pp. 479–495, 2016.

N. Hussain Ali and S. Jabbar Neamah Al-Khafaji, “Sustainable urban design and the future of heritage cities,” Int. J. Nonlinear Anal. Appl, vol. 14, pp. 2008–6822, 2023, doi: 10.22075/ijnaa.2022.6896.

N. Duxbury and M. S. Jeannotte, “Including culture in sustainability: An assessment of Canada’s Integrated Community Sustainability Plans,” International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 1–19, May 2012, https://doi: 10.1080/19463138.2012.670116

I. Erin, A. Araldi, G. Fusco, and E. Cubukcu, “Quantitative Methods of Urban Morphology in Urban Design and Environmental Psychology,” Universitat Politecnica de Valencia, Jul. 2018. doi: 10.4995/isuf2017.2017.5732.

B. Surya, H. A. Syafri, H. Sahban, and H. H. Sakti, “Spatial Transformation of New City Area: Economic, Social, and Environmental Sustainability Perspective of Makassar City, Indonesia,” Journal of Southwest Jiaotong University, vol. 55, no. 3, 2020.

M. Carmona, S. Tiesdell, and T. Heath, public places - urban spaces: The Dimensions of Urban Design.

S. Farhan, V. Akef, and Z. Nasar, “The transformation of the inherited historical urban and architectural characteristics of Al-Najaf’s Old City and possible preservation insights,” Frontiers of Architectural Research, no. Volume 9, Issue 4, 2020, https://doi: 10.1016/j.foar.2020.07.005

K. Galal Ahmed, “Sustainable modes of mobility in new urban neighborhoods in uae: Assessing walkability and bikability,” in Advances in Science, Technology and Innovation, Springer Nature, 2020, pp. 309–318. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-32902-0_33.

“Dewan’s Najaf Stage 3 Report - Ar,” Najaf Stage, vol. 3, 2012.

S. L. Farhan, I. A. Jasim, and S. K. Al-Mamoori, “The transformation of the city of Najaf, Iraq: Analysis, reality and future prospects,” Journal of Urban Regeneration and Renewal, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 160–171, 2019.

A. Fadhil, “The Role of Urban Transformations in Highlighting the City’s Landmarks-Case Study of Old Karbala,” Kerbala Journal for Engineering Science, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 55–74, 2021.

J. A. Fonseca, A. Willmann, C. Moser, M. Stauffacher, and A. Schlueter, “Assessing the environmental impact of future urban developments at neighborhood scale,” in Proceedings of International Conference CISBAT 2015 Future Buildings and Districts Sustainability from Nano to Urban Scale, LESO-PB, EPFL, 2015, pp. 457–462.

S. L. Farhan and H. H. Samir, “Urban changes and its impact on the tangible and intangible heritage of City’s Centre: Najaf City as a Case Study,” in IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, IOP Publishing, 2021, p. 012070.

N. D. Al-Shouk and A. S. Al-Khfaji, “Toward Sustainable Compact City:(Study in Convert Traditional Najaf City to Sustainable Compact City),” KnE Engineering, pp. 167–192, 2018.

T. M. Mahmoud and M. A. S. Khayoun, “The Role of Museums in Promoting Cultural Awareness Survey Study of A Sample of Visitors to The Shrine Museums In The Holy City of Karbala,” Texas Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, vol. 24, pp. 73–86, 2023.

F. Racine, “The influence of urban design theories in the transformation of urban morphology: Montreal from 1956 to 2018,” J Urban Des (Abingdon), vol. 24, no. 6, pp. 815–839, 2019.

S. L. Farhan, M. G. Abdelmonem, and Z. A. Nasar, “The urban transformation of traditional city centres: Holy Karbala as a case study,” ArchNet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research, vol. 12, no. 3, p. 53, 2018.