The Impacts of Dialogue between Cities on Strategies and Plans for Urban Renewal: The case of Barcelona, Spain and Baghdad, Iraq

Abstract

Iraqi cities, particularly the capital Baghdad, have great historical and cultural value, embodied in their historical centers’ distinctive architectural and urban character. Baghdad experienced multiple wars and political conflicts that led to severe neglect, combined with an absence of clear strategies to rehabilitate its historical city center. These circumstances accelerated the decay and deterioration of its buildings and urban fabric, eventually leading to the mass emigration of historical centers’ inhabitants. In the process of remedying this situation, two contradictory trends emerged. The first focused on looking to old, nearby cities for ideas and solutions. The second trend called for the examination of successful strategies employed elsewhere, for the purpose of benefiting and learning from them. This research adopts the second strategy, as it contains an implicit reference to dialogue between cities, and investigates its impact on strategies and plans for urban renewal. The present research aims to identify the possibilities and opportunities for dialogue between different cities, based on their ideological and experimental urban renewal strategies. The result of the dialogue can be translated into futuristic visions to serve the advancement and revitalization of any city, which will help address its occupants’ needs. Therefore, this research focuses on Barcelona’s urban renewal model, which has been one of the most successful for a city that has suffered experiences similar to those of Baghdad. This research relies on chronologies and spatial comparative methods to compare Baghdad and Barcelona. It concludes that the dialogue between cities is a dialogue of ideas, which provides the opportunity to benefit from others’ experiences and strategies. This dialogue supports the exploration of new methods for the development of urban areas and the formulation of appropriate planning solutions.