The Effect of Morphological Transformations on the Emergence of Complex Urban Systems: The Historical Karkh Urban Systems in Baghdad is a Ase Study

Sara Abdul Aalie Rasheed, Department of Architectural Engineering, University of Technology- Iraq, Baghdad, IraqFollow
Wahda Shuker Al-Hinkawi, Department of Architectural Engineering, University of Technology- Iraq, Baghdad, Iraq

Keywords

Morphological transformations, Complex urban systems, Emergence, Multiple systems, Self-organization

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Cities emerge as multi-component urban systems that exhibit complexity and synergy and are shaped by morphological transformations in their structural composition. From here, the research idea was launched to demonstrate the role of morphological transformations in the emergence of urban systems with multiple characteristics and their integration to form the complex urban system. The research aims to demonstrate the impact of transformations on the emergence of the complex urban system, a fundamental characteristic of the city's growth and development, which comprises different urban structures that arise over time. The research adopted a qualitative descriptive-analytical approach and applied it to a purposive sample of the historic Karkh district in Baghdad to analyze the current complex system. The research concluded that the emergence of the complex urban system is linked to the presence of a group of partial systems within it, which arise from the transformations the city undergoes and with which the general system develops. These systems must be capable of self-organization, synergy, and adaptation to each other for the system to acquire the characteristic of complexity.

Recommended Citation

Rasheed, Sara Abdul Aalie and Al-Hinkawi, Wahda Shuker (2026) "The Effect of Morphological Transformations on the Emergence of Complex Urban Systems: The Historical Karkh Urban Systems in Baghdad is a Ase Study," Iraqi Journal of Architecture and Planning: Vol. 25: Iss. 2, Article 6.