Urban development of Amarah (Iraq) during the mid XIX – early XXI centuries

Abstract

Many countries currently suffer from uneven development of urban areas. There are no requirements for integrated development. Land use in the cities varies depending on physical characteristics and material value. Spatial development is closely connected to socioeconomic arrangement of the city. The study is based on the analysis of urban construction, land use, economic development, and municipal policy. The historical approach allowed following the stages of functionality and development via determination of most notable historical incidents associated with urban aspects. The goal of this article consists in tracing the history of development of the city Amarah from the perspective of urban planning. The author examines the evolution of Amarah in the context of geography, politics and economy. The conducted research reveals the significant transformations and changes that that took place in the last 30 years, namely after 1980, in early 1991 and after 2003, which considerably affected the spatial structure of the city. It is clearly evident that the city Amarah have undergone five different stages: the first and second are the phases of evolution, the third is the phase of discovery, and the fourth and fifth are the phases of major expansion.