Sustainable Urban Development -The Role of Waters' Canals in the Morphological Urban Development - City of Basrah as a Case Study

Abstract

Where ever the life is found it's very likely to find a river or water in any form, people connected more and more with rivers, streams and canals and working hard to rehabilitate these waters' sources .The research problem is "there is a knowledgeable gap about the role of waters' canals in the morphological urban development of the cities ".While the aim of the research is to Diagnosis the waters' canals which embody the greatest importance in the morphological urban development of the city.The main research hypothesis is " canals vary in their importance or role in the morphological development of the cities ".The area of study is represented by city of Basrah because it has a network of waters' canals consolidated with the main streets' network in which every canal is parallel to one of city streets. The research studied the spatial organization of Basra city using the Arc View GIS 3.3 to see the canals that deserves rehabilitation within the city. and Studied lands' uses which align the important waters' canals by field survey. Also built a questionnaire about the character of urban development and its mechanism. The research reached in its practical study to diagnose the main waters' canals in the city which have the more importance in the morphological development of Basrah city , where its result come from the integration and the access to those canals by using major ways of transportation .The results of the program are about twelve canals which gained high values, those canals are " Sarraji River , Al Khora River , Alashar River , Alkhandag River , Rebat River , Jubailah River , Shatt al-Turk river , the vertical canal on the Shatt al-Turk river , Baghdad's streets' Canals beside Aljameyaaat district , the canals which paralleled Baghdad's street beside Alsma'i and Alaaleya districts ,alsheeaba's drainage canal and the vertical canal between Al-Sarraji and Al-Khora River) ,the research diagnoses and concentrates on the main lands' uses on the Both bankes of those Canals and they are (governmental , commercial and residential and mixed) . Research recommended that the focus should be on those important canals in the new developments.