Tag Archives | urban planning

PM Emphasises Citizen-Centric Design for New Cities

By John Lee. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani has underscored the importance of ensuring that new residential cities meet the needs of citizens, during a site visit to the under-construction Al-Jawahiri City (pictured), west of Baghdad. The Prime Minister inspected the project, launched in December 2023, as part of his government's housing initiative. He […]

Rebuilding Resilience: A New Vision for Iraq's Displacement Crisis

By Sameedha Mahajan, Architect and Urban Designer. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Introduction For decades, Iraq has been grappling with conflict, political instability, and economic hardship. Millions have been displaced due to violence, wars, and terrorism, particularly in regions like Mosul […]

New Sustainable Residential Development in Najaf

By John Lee. Dar Al Omran Rasem Badran (DAO-Badran) has unveiled its latest architectural project in Iraq. Developed in partnership with Al Ghadeer and BMC, Budoor Al-Najaf seeks to establish a human-centred, culturally integrated and environmentally resilient community in Najaf. Spanning approximately 50 hectares [123 acres], the development will house more than 1,400 homes available […]

Iraqi PM Launches New Housing Project

By John Lee. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani inaugurated the construction of 10,000 serviced residential plots in Nahrawan, Baghdad, as part of the government's broader housing initiative. The 2,500-donum project aims to provide integrated infrastructure, including water, electricity, roads, schools, and healthcare facilities. Al-Sudani emphasized the government's strategy of expanding towards urban outskirts to alleviate […]

Iraqi to allow Squatters to Buy Property

By John Lee. The Iraqi Council of Ministers (Cabinet) has approved a framework to legalise ownership of municipal land occupied by informal settlers (squatters) before December 10, 2024. The decision includes specific terms to ensure fair and regulated sales under Law No. 21 of 2013. Key provisions: Land Sales: Municipal authorities in Baghdad and other […]

Iraqi PM pushes Re-Zoning of Agricultural Land to Residential

By John Lee. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani chaired a special meeting on Thursday to review the implementation of Cabinet Decision 320 (2022), which concerns converting agricultural land to residential use. According to a statement from his office, the Prime Minister examined the procedures and instructions taken to implement the decision and addressed […]

Social-Spatial Transformations in Contemporary Baghdad

By Omar Sirri, for the London School of Economics (LSE) Middle East Centre. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Destructive creations: social-spatial transformations in contemporary Baghdad This working paper examines social-spatial transformations in contemporary Baghdad by zooming in on two of the […]

Strategic Urban Development of the Pilgrimage Governorates

UN-Habitat and UNDP are helping Iraq to address strategic urban development of the Pilgrimage governorates of Najaf and Karbala. Nearly thirty Iraqi officials convened in the holy city of Karbala, on 22-23 August 2017, to partake in an intensive two-day workshop titled “Governorate Urban Strategies for the Pilgrimage Cluster: Meeting the SDGs in Iraq". The […]