Typology of Urban Housing and Politics in Baghdad: From State-subsidized Housing to Privatized Gated Communities A Dissertation submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Cincinnati In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN ARCHITECTURE In the School of Architecture and Interior Design Of the college of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning 2018 By Samah A. Abrahem Bachelor of Architecture, Al-Nahrain University 2006 Master of Science in Architecture, Al-Nahrain University 2008 Dissertation Committee: Aarati Kanekar, PhD (Chair) Rebecca Williamson, PhD Patrick Snadon, PhD Abstract This dissertation aims to critically analyze the causes and consequences of the transformation of urban housing typologies from state-subsidized housing to privatized gated communities in Baghdad, the capital city of Iraq. Methodologically, it will examine and compare the typologies of urban housing in Baghdad under different political regimes, from the initiation of urban housing programs during the mid-1950s until the present day. Therefore, the analysis of urban housing typologies is chronologically divided into four phases based on shifts in political regimes that have ruled Iraq: the monarchy (1921-1958), the communist-allied Qassim regime (1958-1963), the Ba’ath socialist regime (1963-2003), and a federal democratic regime (2003- present). In order to provide a deep look into the characteristics of urban housing, a case study has been selected from each political phase. The analysis will emphasize their physical characteristics, spatial organization, safety, and socio-economic characteristics. Additionally, the analysis will go beyond the architecture and spatial characteristics of urban housing projects to include housing provision approaches, policies, and financial programs during each of the four political phases in order to trace and decode the context of urban housing projects. Through the exploration of these phases, this dissertation will examine the impact of the various economic systems in Iraq that have influenced urban housing provision approaches as well as urban housing typologies. It will explore the connection between socialism and the rise of state- built urban housing in Baghdad during the second half of the 20th century, and the connection between neoliberalism and the rise of market-provided, gated communities after 2003. Although both the socialist and the neoliberalist approaches of housing provisions in Iraq have been addressed in scholarly work, the urban housing typologies that have resulted from these approaches are understudied. This research aims to fill this gap in the body of knowledge. The ii significance of this research therefore lies in its comparison of urban housing typologies in Baghdad, and the identification of ways in which the various trajectories of the political economy in Iraq have transformed the conceptual and physical design values of urban housing. This dissertation argues that the urban housing typologies in Baghdad have been a reflection of, and a spatial translation of, political and economic aspirations and that a shift in these aspirations has resulted in the transformation of those typologies. iii © 2018 Samah A. Abrahem ALL RIGHTS RESERVED iv DEDICATED To my Family Without whom none of my success would be possible. v Acknowledgments I would like to thank all those who have helped me throughout my PhD scholarship years, and made this dissertation possible. I would like to start by expressing gratitude to the Higher Committee for Education Development in Iraq (HCED) for awarding me a PhD scholarship which enabled me to pursue this research and advance my career in architecture. I would also like to express my deep gratitude to the faculty at the University of Cincinnati, the Department of Architecture, and particularly, my Dissertation Committee. To my advisor Professor Aarati Kanekar, who guided me patiently during my research, thank you for your constructive comments and encouragement; they have had a vital influence on bringing this research in its present form. To professor Patrick Snadon, thank you for your creative comments which directed me to look at the research topic from various perspectives. To Professor Rebecca Williamson, thank you for your important comments and recommendations during my research, and thank you for all your support, understanding, and encouragement during my PhD scholarship years. My completion of this dissertation could not have been accomplished without the constant support of my family members. I do realize how dangerous and life threatening it can be to move around in Baghdad and take pictures of buildings, and I also know how hard it is to obtain copies of documents from government-related institutions. Therefore, I am particularly grateful to my siblings in Baghdad who assisted and supplied information and documents relating to this research. Thank you for all your support and encouragement, and for your help in getting important original documents and literature on urban housing in Iraq from the libraries of Baghdad University, Al- Nahrain University, University of Technology, governmental institutions and ministries. vi Gratitude also extends to the library of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the librarians and administrative staff at the University of Cincinnati Design, Art, Architecture and Planning (DAAP) library for assisting me in obtaining the original studies of housing development in Baghdad during the 20th century. I also like to thank the Baghdad Investment Commission (BIC), and Ayadigroup Company for Real Estate, and the mayoralty of Baghdad (Amanat Baghdad), and the Ministry of Construction and Housing for their assistance in providing original materials, information, archival date, maps, and drawings related to the case studies in this research. Last, but not least, special thanks to my husband, Arkan for moral support, encouragement, and understanding. Without his support during my program at the University of Cincinnati, I would have not been able to stand studying and living abroad for several years away from the rest of my family. vii Table of Contents Abstract ii Dedication v Acknowledgments vi Table of Contents viii Chapter1: Research Framework 1 1.1 Introduction 1 1.2 Research Question 3 1.3 Hypothesis/ Proposition 4 1.4 Methodology 4 1.5 Terminology 9 1.6 Theoretical Approach 13 1.6.1 Rhetoric of Fear: GCs as a Postmodern Response to Fear 14 1.6.2 Consumerism Rhetoric: GCs as a Neoliberal Space 20 1.7 Limitations 23 1.7.1 Challenges Faced the Practical Part of the Dissertation 24 1.7.2 Challenges Faced the Theoretical Part of the Dissertation 25 1.8 Organization of the Dissertation 26 Chapter2: Literature Review: 29 2.1 Chapter Preview 29 2.2 Literature on Urban Housing Typology and Politics in Baghdad 29 2.3 Literature on Urban Housing and Neoliberalism in Baghdad 31 2.4 Literature on Urban Housing and Socialism in Baghdad 37 2.5 Literature on Urban Housing Architecture in Baghdad: Traditionalism and Nationalism 38 2.6 Literature on Gated Communities in Baghdad 40 2.7 Literature on the Typologies of Gated Communities 46 2.8 Literature on Socio-spatial Impact of Privatized GCs as Compared to State-built Housing 50 2.8.1 Fear versus Safety 50 2.8.2 Homogeneity versus Heterogeneity 53 2.8.3 Privatized versus Public 55 2.8.4 Integration versus Fragmentation 58 2.8.5 Community or Less of a Community 61 2.9 Chapter Preview 65 Chapter 3: Early Signs of Urban Housing in Baghdad (1955-1973) 67 3.1 Chapter Preview 67 3.2 Doxiadis NHPI 1955 to 1958: A Program of Nationalism and Modernization 68 3.2.1 Experimental Housing Program in Baghdad and the Ekistics Design Values 74 3.2.2 The Case of Western Baghdad Development Housing (WBDH): Sector no.10 75 3.2.2.1 Spatial and Physical Characteristics 75 3.2.2.2 Physical Appearance and Design Values 80 3.2.2.3 Socio-economic characteristics 94 3.2.2.4 Spatial Translation of Residential Safety 95 viii 3.3 NHPI 1958 to 1963: Urban Housing as a Support of a New Political Era 97 3.4 The Case of Dhubat State-built Housing 102 3.4.1 Spatial Characteristics and Physical Appearance 103 3.4.2 Socio-economic Characteristics 106 3.4.3 Spatial Translation of Residential Safety 107 3.5 Polservice Housing Program 109 3.5.1 Residential development in Baghdad Master Plan (1965-1967) 109 3.5.2 Proposed Housing Typologies 114 3.5.3 Polservice Comprehensive Development Plan of Baghdad 2000: Housing Programs 116 Revised (1972-1973) 3.5.4 Zoning of Residential Areas: Community and Neighborhood Concepts 121 3.5.5 Proposed Housing Typology and Socio-economic Consideration 123 3.5.5.1 Single-family Housing 126 3.5.5.2 Multi-family Housing 131 3.5.6 Assessment of Proposed Townscape development: Projecting a Modernized Image 132 3.6 Chapter Review 137 Chapter 4: State-built Housing and the Socialist Approach to Housing Provision (1973-2003) 139 4.1 Chapter Preview 139 4.2 Urban Housing Programs under a Socialist Economy 140 4.3 State-built Housing Implementation (1970s-80s): Typology, Characteristics, and Criticism 144 4.3.1 Hybridity of State-built Housing: Caught between Modernization and traditionalism 148 4.3.1.1 The Role of a Political Modernization Agenda in Achieving Hybridity 155 4.3.1.2 The Role of Local and International Firms in Achieving Hybridity 156 4.3.1.3 Design Approaches towards Achieving Hybridity 158 4.3.2 Socio-Spatial Integration 166 4.4 The Turn of the Century: Urban Housing as an Urban Blight 172 4.5 The Case of Saydiya State-built