Violence and the Deformation of the Urban Form in Iraqi cities

Violence and the Deformation of the Urban Form in Iraqi cities

This study explores the impacts of violence on the urban deformation of Iraqi cities as a result of conflicts and political violence, focusing on the case study of Al-Aziziah in Ramadi. The study hypothesized that the transformation and distortion in the urban form of the Iraqi cities neighborhoods were due to the political instability following the invasion of 2003. The main questions of the research are: (1) What is the impact of the militarization of urban space on the urban form? (2) Could the use of spatial analysis theories be useful to test the impact of terrorism on urban change? To answer these questions, this research adopts three theories of urban spatial design (figure-ground, linkage, and place theories) within a mixed-methods approach include qualitative and quantitative methods to analyze shifts in urban morphology and their relationship to violence. The research revealed that there were significant changes affecting the elements of urban morphology in Al-Aziziah, which caused an urban disorder due to the abnormal obstruction in the urban extension of the neighborhoods. The outcome of the study suggests recommendations and guidelines for planners and decision makers in order to formulate new strategies to reduce the impact of warfare on the urban form. The results establish a cornerstone for further post conflict urban studies on other Iraqi cities. The major challenge and limitation of the research was the unstable security circumstances in the city, which made taking pictures, recording videos, and conducting interviews taboo and difficult.