Pedestrian accessibility complementation assessment in historical urban environments

Kadhimiya historical city, Iraq as a case study

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17411/jacces.v16i1.690

Abstract

Temporally, contemporary and historical cities respond to challenges. This response varies between positive and negative, which makes them suffer from multiple urban problems. It requires appropriate and effective solutions to solve these problems by complementing the morphological system that has changed and transformed. This research aims to assess accessibility Complementarity in the northern and northwestern parts of Kadhimiya city through an analysis of the morphological structure of the urban fabric, and to focus on walking as a primary mode of transportation in organic cities. Accessibility within the study area was assessed using Space Syntax and Geographic Information System methods.

 Initially, maps representing the open areas of the city were prepared from satellite imagery and then digitised and scaled using AutoCAD 2021 software. Then, the axial and sectoral analysis was carried out in the depthmapX 0.8. Some geometric and topological metrics were calculated using the Space Syntax Tool Kit with depth map X. The main results were discussed in terms of spatial cognition and morphological characteristics. The urban problems arising from these transformations were diagnosed, as this will provide a new approach to design strategies for intervening in and complementing the case study fabric to address deficiencies and weaknesses in the studied urban area, ensuring equitable accessibility of all users and visitors.

References

A Church, M. F. (2000). Transport and social exclusion in London. Transport Policy, 7(3), 195-205. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0967-070X(00)00024-X

Abbas, S. S. (2019). Lectures in urban design trends [Grabación por M. T. Ismail]. University of Technology-Iraq.

Ak, A. (2018). Urban form and walkability: The assessment of walkability capacity of Ankara [Tesis doctoral, Middle East Technical University].

Al-Dalawi, N. (1975). The social geography of the Greater Kadhimiya city (en árabe) (1.ª ed.). Dar Al Hurrya - Aljumhoria Press.

AlHasany, H. H. (2018). Urban infill processes and their role in achieving the main objectives within the old urban fabric. Journal of Engineering and Architecture, 6(2), 20–31. https://doi.org/10.15640/jea.v6n3

army, A. C. (1958). Baghdad. Washington: Texas university Library .

Al-Kaissi, S. M. (2017). The influence of natural and cultural environment on the fabric of the city, with special reference to Iraq [Tesis doctoral, University of Sheffield]. White Rose eTheses Online. https://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/14697

Asouzu, I. I. (2004). The method and principles of complementary reflection in and beyond African philosophy. University of Calabar Press.

Awada, G. (2007). Standards for ease of access to public services in Palestinian cities: The case of Nablus [Tesis de maestría no publicada, An-Najah National University].

Bannock, G., & Baxter, R. E. (1998). Dictionary of economics. Penguin Books.

Bentley, I., Alcock, A., Murrain, P., McGlynn, S., & Smith, G. (1985). Responsive environments. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780080516172

Brooks, N., Donaghy, K., & Knaap, G.-J. (Eds.). (2011). The Oxford handbook of urban economics and planning. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195380620.001.0001

Carmona, M., de Magalhães, C., & Edwards, M. (2002). What value urban design? URBAN DESIGN International, 7(2), 63–81. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.udi.9000069

Bill Hillier, A. T.-P. (2010). Metric and topo-geometric properties of urban street networks: some convergences, divergences, and new results. Istanbul: Ayse Sema Kubat. https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/18583/1/18583.pdf

Bill Hillier, J. H. (1984). The Social Logic of Space. New York, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511597237

Bill Hillier, S. I. (2005). Network and Psychological Effects in Urban Movement. Spatial Information Theory, International Conference, COSIT 2005. New York: Spatial Information Theory. https://doi.org/10.1007/11556114_30

Bill Hillier, T. Y. (2012). Normalising least angle choice in Depthmap - and how it opens up new perspectives on the global and local analysis of city space. The Journal of Space Syntax, 3, 155-193.

Caves, R. W. (2005). Encyclopedia of the city. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203484234

Church, A., & Frost, M. (2000). Transport and social exclusion in London. Transport Policy, 7(3), 195–205. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0967-070X(00)00024-X

Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2.ª ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Dijst, M., & de Jong, T. (2002). Opportunities for transport mode change: An exploration of a disaggregated approach. Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design, 29(3), 413–430. https://doi.org/10.1068/b12811

Doğan, U. (2019). Assessing the urban design quality of Turkish cities. IntechOpen. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.89779

Farhan, S., Akmammedov, V., & Al-Hinkawi, W. S. (2020). The transformation of the inherited historical urban and architectural characteristics of Al-Najaf's Old City and possible preservation insights. Frontiers of Architectural Research, 9(4), 820–836. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2020.07.005

Fundarò, S., & Li, C. (2022). Plan assessment tool for rapidly growing cities. United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).

Gamache, S., & G., Y. (2017). Developing a taxonomy of the built environment for disability studies: Methodological insights. Journal of Accessibility and Design for All, 7(2), 236–265. https://doi.org/10.17411/jacces.v7i2.130

Guasch, D. (2023). Accessibility notes: Documentation. Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. http://hdl.handle.net/2117/358350

Hillier, B., Burdett, R., Peponis, J., & Penn, A. (1987). Creating life: Or, does architecture determine anything? Architecture et Comportement/Architecture and Behaviour, 3(3), 233–250.

Hillier, B., & Hanson, J. (1984). The social logic of space. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511597237

Hillier, B., & Iida, S. (2005). Network and psychological effects in urban movement. En Spatial Information Theory, International Conference (COSIT 2005). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/11556114_30

Hillier, B., Turner, A., Yang, T., & Park, H.-T. (2010). Metric and topo-geometric properties of urban street networks: Some convergences, divergences, and new results. The Journal of Space Syntax. https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/18583/1/18583.pdf

Hillier, B., Yang, T., & Turner, A. (2012). Normalising least angle choice in Depthmap - and how it opens up new perspectives on the global and local analysis of city space. Journal of Space Syntax, 3(2), 155–193.

Hishiyama, J., & Wasserman, P. (2012). Accessibility in transportation and land use planning. Baru, Goiânia, 7(1), 1–25. https://doi.org/10.18224/baru.v7i1.8715

Ismail, M. T. (2023). Urban complementation [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. University of Technology-Iraq.

Ismail, M. T. M., & Hashem, B. (2023). Measuring complementation in urban environments: Al-Kadhimiya historical city as a case study. Iraqi Journal of Architecture and Planning, 22(1), 154–175. https://doi.org/10.36041/iqjap.2023.137493.1063

Kanchana, R. C. (2022). Challenges of urbanization towards sustainable development. Study Smart, 1–15.

Kimmerle, H. (2016). Review in the method and principles of complementary reflection in and beyond African philosophy. An African Journal of Arts and Humanities, 2(4), 107–115.

Lambooy, J. G. (1969). City and city region in the perspective of hierarchy and complementarity. Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, 60(3), 141–154. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9663.1969.tb01115.x

Lambooy, J. G. (1998). Polynucleation and economic development: The Randstad. European Planning Studies, 6(4), 457–466. https://doi.org/10.1080/09654319808720474

Lucas, K., & Mattioli, G. (2016). Transport poverty and its adverse social consequences. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Transport, 169(6), 353–365. https://doi.org/10.1680/jtran.15.00073

Luz, G., & Portugal, L. S. (2022). Understanding transport-related social exclusion through the lens of capabilities approach. Transport Reviews, 42(4), 503–525. https://doi.org/10.1080/01441647.2021.2005183

Madanipour, A. (2003). Public and private spaces of the city. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203402856

Madanipour, A., Hull, A., & Healey, P. (Eds.). (2001). The governance of place: Space and planning processes. Ashgate. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315239316

Mehta, V. (2014). Evaluating public space. Journal of Urban Design, 19(1), 53–88. https://doi.org/10.1080/13574809.2013.854698

Meijers, E. (2008). Stein's 'Regional City' concept revisited: Critical mass and complementarity in contemporary urban networks. Town Planning Review, 79(5), 485–506. https://doi.org/10.3828/tpr.79.5.3

Miller, E. J. (2018). Accessibility: Measurement and application in transportation planning. Transport Reviews, 38(5), 551–555. https://doi.org/10.1080/01441647.2018.1492778

National League of Cities (NLC). (2021, 18 de julio). Urban infill & brownfields redevelopment. https://www.nlc.org/resource/urban-infill-brownfields-redevelopment

Pereira, R. H. M. (2021). Transportation equity. En International Encyclopedia of Transportation (Vol. 1, pp. 1–18). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-102671-7.10053-3

Piramanayagam, S., & P., P. (2019). Inclusive hotel design in India: A user perspective. Journal of Accessibility and Design for All, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.17411/jacces.v9i1.185

Praliya, S., & Garg, P. (2019). Public space quality evaluation: Prerequisite for public space management. The Journal of Public Space, 4(1), 93–126. https://doi.org/10.32891/jps.v4i1.667

Sampedro, C., & Díaz, Y. (2024). Health accessibility: Quality of life and physical, psychological and social health in the migrant population. Journal of Accessibility and Design for All, 14(1), 52–68. https://doi.org/10.17411/jacces.v14i1.465

Silvestre, S., Bermejo, S., Guasch, D., & Castañer, L. (2011). Towards photovoltaic powered artificial retina. Journal of Accessibility and Design for All, 1(1), 3–11. https://doi.org/10.17411/jacces.v1i1.77

Speck, L. (2021). On continuity in architecture. Larry Speck. https://larryspeck.com/writing/on-continuity-in-architecture/

Tutal, O. (2018). Herkes için tasarım: Geçmişten geleceğe. Eskişehir Technical University Journal of Architecture and Design, 66, 1–5.

University College London (UCL). (2024). Space syntax overview. https://www.spacesyntax.online/overview-2/

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. (1958). Baghdad. Texas University Library.

USAID. (2019). Urban assessments. Urban Links. https://urban-links.org/resource/urban-assessments/

USAID. (2019). Using assessments to understand urbanization in the journey to self-reliance. USAID.

van Nes, A. (2009). Analysing larger metropolitan areas on identification criteria for middle scale networks. Proceedings of the 7th International Space Syntax Symposium. https://www.sss7.org/Proceedings/09%20New%20Modes%20of%20Modelling%20and%20Methodological%20Development/121_vanNes.pdf

van Nes, A., & Yamu, C. (2021). Introduction to space syntax in urban studies. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-59140-3

van Wee, B. (2022). Accessibility and equity: A conceptual framework and research agenda. Journal of Transport Geography, 104, 103421. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2022.103421

Ward, H. (2026). Investigating weather and climate in cities in complex surroundings. Elise Richter Network. https://eliserichter.net/index.php/team/helen-ward-2

Warren, J. (1980). Conservation and redevelopment of the Kadhimiyeh area in Baghdad. En The Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture (pp. 32–46). Urbis Library Network.

Printout of the first page of the paper.

Downloads

Published

2026-05-11

How to Cite

Pedestrian accessibility complementation assessment in historical urban environments: Kadhimiya historical city, Iraq as a case study. (2026). Journal of Accessibility and Design for All, 16(1), 60-80. https://doi.org/10.17411/jacces.v16i1.690