Utilizing participatory urban decision-making model to support smart growth strategies in Baghdad City

Abstract

Participatory urban decision making is a crucial component to the success of sustainable urban management where medium and long-range decisions have to be made routinely. Contrary to contemporary trends, Urban development plans in Iraq remain a linear process emanating from top to bottom in an environment of rapidly changing social, physical, and demographic circumstances. Adopting smart growth strategies is needed to transform existing conditions within the City of Baghdad metropolitan area in particular, and the remaining urban centers in general. Incorporating strong Smart Growth policies into urban development plans requires making rational and effective decisions on the municipal level. The mechanism to reach decisions must be calibrated in contemplation of accommodating and sustaining any new strategy. This research aims to explore the best framework to manage Growth in urban centers and investigate a relevant model to apply participatory decision making to reach consensus among multiple urban stakeholders. The research surveyed the opinion of experts in the field to measure the applicability of such model taking into consideration the local specificity of the Iraqi experience. The research has concluded that participatory decision-making requires the careful consideration of local mechanisms and circumstances in order to reverse urban decision making from the status quo policy to a bottom-up approach.