Morphological Transformations in Baghdad's Historic Center (Old Rusafa): A Structural-Spatial Reading Integrated with the Urban Injection Strategy

Abstract

Unplanned urban growth constitutes one of the major challenges affecting historic centers in traditional cities, as it leads to fragmentation of the urban fabric and a weakening of morphological cohesion. This issue is clearly observable in the historic center of Baghdad particularly in Rusafa and Karkh—which represents one of the city’s principal urban nuclei [1,5]. Over time, the pathway network has undergone significant morphological transformations, shifting from organic routes oriented perpendicularly to the Tigris River, to pathways parallel to it, and ultimately to a grid-like pattern resulting from modern planning interventions and bridge construction connecting both riverbanks [1,5]. Nevertheless, a knowledge gap persists concerning the origins of modern spatial orientations and the extent to which they remain rooted in historical pathway structures [1]. This study addresses this gap by examining the evolutionary development of the pathway network in the historic center of Baghdad and testing two hypotheses. The first posits that pathway orientations shifted gradually—from organic, to river-parallel, to grid patterns—under the influence of modern planning. The second suggests that many modern streets do not represent a rupture from traditional pathways but instead derive from inherited morphological roots detectable through spatial analysis [1,2]. The research uses Space Syntax methodology to analyze integration, connectivity, and choice across four developmental stages, based on the concept of morphological genotype in urban structural studies [2,3]. The results show that many modern streets, though grid-like, are structurally connected to older routes that retain spatial importance. Integration values highlight a lasting "background structure" that shapes the contemporary network [2,5]. The study concludes that unplanned urban expansion altered but did not erase the historic spatial framework, supporting the development of revitalization strategies through the urban injection approach to preserve Baghdad's historic identity [4,5].