Indicators Of Urban Encroachment In The Old Center Of The Holy City Of Najaf And Proposed Planning Solutions

Abstract

The population of the city of Najaf has been grown massively due to the large number of visitors coming to the old city for the purpose of  religious tourismand the increasing number of overseases and local students as the city of Najaf represent a religious center of religious and seminary studis. Such population growth led to a propotional increase of changes in the regional spatial function causing the closure of some internal roads for security reasons which  encouraged th investors to intensify their investments in the vital areas. The function and purpose of some spectacular active areas in the centre of the old city was transformed into ones different to the basic urban planning which lead to increassing demand for lands for urban uses, encroachment on residential lands, increament in the construction density and the consequent traffic jams and deterioration in air quality and health standards. Therefore, there has been deterioration in the quality of life standards and causes negative impact on the infrastructus of the city. It also caused the dominance of lands for trade purposes by rich people on behalf of lands for resedential purposes owned by low economic class.

The research supposes that the upgrading and re-planning of the center in accordance with the indicators of smart sustainable city planning are effective measures in facing the manifestations of urban encroachment and its negative impacts on the city centre of Al-Najaf.