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Vitality is a sustainable concept that enhances survival and life, distinguishes successful cities from their counterparts, accommodates various events, and generates an active public life. The research highlights the role of safety and security in achieving the vitality of urban space. Therefore, the research problem was the lack of clarity of the safety and security factors and indicators that enable us to create a vibrant and sustainable urban space. Accordingly, the aim of the research in the conceptual framework was to identify these factors and indicators and explain their role in achieving vital space. This was achieved by following the descriptive approach as well as analyzing the data of the study area (Al-Mutanabbi neighborhood space in the city of Kufa, Iraq) using geographical information systems. The research assumed that there are five factors related to safety and security that greatly influence the vitality of urban space. These factors are as follows (traffic safety, protection from crime, control of public space, density, and accessibility). These factors affect people's use of urban space and the duration of residence there. It controls the density of users, as well as providing the opportunity to practice various community activities and enjoy public life within the space. It was concluded that the vitality of urban space cannot be created unless indicators of traffic safety and accessibility within this space are activated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many areas of Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, there has been an unplanned and random shift in urban land use where a significant portion of the residential land within the city has been converted to commercial uses. This alteration in land use has led to severe traffic congestion due to the influx of vehicles frequenting these areas, the streets' insufficient capacity to handle the vehicular traffic, and a lack of adequate parking spaces. The research aims to develop a statistical model to calculate the needed parking spaces in Baghdad's commercial areas. It is estimated that the required vehicle parking can be determined by the areas of the buildings. The research concludes that certain commercial activities, such as restaurants and stores, necessitate more vehicle parking compared to other commercial activities, and the demand for parking spaces is directly proportional to the commercial activities' area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on sustainable biophilic planning and its application in urban natural spaces. It examines key factors, such as natural green and blue spaces, that contribute to preserving natural areas in biophilic cities. Field surveys, observation, GIS, and mathematical models were used to analyze indicators derived from these factors in Kufa City, Iraq. The study identifies several effective indicators for achieving biophilic planning characteristics in Kufa City, including the urban forest index, urban orchard index, green eco-corridor index, and diversity of uses index. The findings highlight that Kufa City possesses important biophilic city characteristics, primarily due to its natural areas, as indicated by factors such as urban forests, urban pastures, and diverse land uses. These results suggest that Kufa City has the potential to transform into a biophilic city by leveraging its abundant natural areas. This has significant implications for enhancing the city's sustainability and livability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research deals with the concept of a safe city and the impact of security on cities, in an attempt to identify the most important physical characteristics and indicators necessary to achieve safety in cities. The research identified seven characteristics (access and movement, structure, control, ownership, protection, activity, management and maintenance). From these seven characteristics, eighteen indicators were derived that directly affected the achievement of safety in urban environments. These indicators were applied to the study area, An-Najaf traditional city in Iraq. By adopting the analysis of indicators using field survey, observation and analysis using geographic information systems and mathematical models. The indicators that contributed to achieving a number of characteristics of safe cities in An-Najaf traditional city were identified: the structure of the city, the homogeneity of society, as well as the activity characteristic, as it was characterized by religious and tourism activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The topic of urban transformations has attracted the attention of researchers as it is one of the basic issues through which cities can be transformed towards sustainability. A specific level of transformation levels according to a philosophical concept known as a crossing. This article has relied on a specific methodology that aims to find a new approach for urban transformation based on the crossing concept. This concept derives from philosophical entrances based on the concepts of (being, process, becoming, and integration). Four levels have been for the crossing are (normal, ascending, leap, and descending). Each of these levels includes specific characteristics that distinguish it. The results showed that there is no descending crossing in the study area and that four indicators that have achieved leap crossing are: (coverage ratio, compactness, Effectiveness of the pedestrian and bicycle movement, and proximity. As for ascending crossing achieved in three indicators are: mix land use, blocks' length, and connectivity, as for normal crossing achieved in three indicators are: diversity of building heights, population density, and housing density. These results help in making the planning decision to transform traditional Karbala city into a sustainable city, by giving priority in development to the indicators that have achieved ascending crossing because it takes less time and effort to reach the leap crossing in comparison with indicators that have achieved normal crossing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]