Impacts of Sustainable Transportation on the Development of Historic Cities: A Case Study of the Historic City of Mosul

Abstract

The historic centers of cities have shifted during the last period into economic and commercial centers; this change has made them lose their distinct urban identity since these commercial centers need a flow of traffic, and these fabrics cannot absorb such an intensity of traffic. The objective of the research is to assess the possibility of possessing the historic urban fabric of the city of Mosul with the capabilities and urban features to accommodate sustainable transportation systems within, reduce dependence on individual vehicles, and give the fabric capabilities for preservation and development. The study uses an analytical comparison of international sustainable transportation evaluation systems to identify the most vital indicators: accessibility, permeability, and internal connectivity. The spatial structure of Mosul's historic city center is analyzed using space syntax theory, UCL Depthmap 10, AutoCAD 2016, and ArcMap 10.8 to evaluate how it performs on these indicators. The results showed a high internal connectivity values for the fabric reaching 344 intersections/km2, with high integration values for the main circulation axes reaching (1.89) and their local control values reaching (2), with high coverage rates for service as crossing axes for the fabric reaching (83%). In conclusion, the study concluded that the historical urban fabric of the city of Mosul possesses the necessary urban structure and features that qualify it for sustainable transportation systems to work effectively within it.