Mosul City: Housing Reconstruction after the ISIS War

Abstract

Post-conflict reconstruction has been one of the most challenging themes for the AEC industry, urban designers and planners, and related decision makers, especially in complex urban contexts with severe destruction of existing infrastructure. The city of Mosul in Iraq is a case where there is an urgent need for reconstruction, in particular the housing sector after the massive destruction caused by the ISIS war 2014–2017. The war left the city with massive destruction in the infrastructure and with around 1 M displaced seeking shelters in the neighbouring cities, most of them under the poverty line. The governmental efforts along with the NGOs are continuing to plan the return of the displaced. However, these plans are limited by economic drivers and lack an active participation of the displaced in planning the post-war housing sector of Mosul city. This paper is part of a comprehensive research that discusses a methodological framework for the reconstruction of Mosul city, specifically the housing sector. This study highlights the involvement of the displaced families in developing possible post-war housing paradigms based on their needs, requirements and desires. The main contributions include identifying the essential housing requirements, based on a sample from the displaced, as end-users. Most importantly, the study concludes with three developed housing paradigms.