Baghdad gets a makeover: Iraqi capital undergoes major renovation • FRANCE 24 English

Key Concepts

• Urban Renovation and Redevelopment: Efforts to modernize and improve the infrastructure and appearance of cities.
• Historic Preservation: The act of protecting and restoring buildings and areas of historical significance.
• Infrastructure Development: The creation and improvement of essential services like water, electricity, and sanitation.
• Housing Shortage: A deficit in available housing units to meet the needs of the population.
• Social Stratification: The division of society into different classes or groups, often leading to disparities.
• Economic Disparities: Unequal distribution of wealth and income within a population.
• Slums: Densely populated areas characterized by substandard housing and poor living conditions.
• Fire Safety Systems: Measures and technologies implemented to prevent and combat fires.

Al-Rashid Street Renovation Project

The Iraqi capital, Baghdad, is undergoing a significant transformation, symbolized by the presence of construction cranes. A key initiative is the renovation of Al-Rashid Street, a historic shopping street. The project aims to restore the street's original architectural features, including decorations and engravings, and to transform neglected storage buildings into more functional spaces for users, owners, and visitors. This 20th-century architectural heritage has suffered from decades of neglect, weather damage, and conflict. The Iraqi Central Bank is the primary sponsor, contributing 90 billion Iraqi dinars (over 60 million euros) to the renovations. The project encompasses buildings from the 1930s, 1940s, and 1960s, representing diverse architectural styles.

One section of Al-Rashid Street is nearing completion. Following pedestrianization, it will feature Iraq's first tramway, with the goal of revitalizing the area as a center for tourism and community life. The vision is to create a genuine city center for Baghdad, encouraging the development of new hotels and activities to attract visitors and residents. This revitalization has already begun to draw visitors, with some expressing happiness and a sense of regained dignity, recalling the street's former elegance.

New Residential Complexes and Housing Challenges

Concurrently, new residential complexes are being developed approximately 5 kilometers west of Baghdad. The Ministry of Housing estimates a need for over 3 million new homes in the city due to a constant influx of people from rural areas and strong population growth. While these projects address the housing shortage and scarcity of serviced urban land, they present several disadvantages. Infrastructure such as water, electricity, and sanitation is often affected, leading to service deficiencies. Furthermore, these developments can create social problems due to a lack of integration between residents of apartment blocks and those in houses, fostering a social divide.

The projected price for these new flats is around €1,700 per square meter. This is significantly beyond the reach of the average Iraqi citizen, whose monthly income is just over €400. The transcript highlights the stark contrast, noting that over a thousand slums exist in Baghdad alone, making it impossible for current slum residents to afford housing in these new complexes.

Challenges in Poorer Neighborhoods: Sha'ab Market

Investment has been slow to reach some of Baghdad's poorer neighborhoods. Sha'ab, located near Al-Rashid Street, is home to the country's historic wholesale market, considered the economic heart of Baghdad. However, this area suffers from a severe lack of access to public electricity. Residents resort to a makeshift system of connecting cables from various generators, creating a dangerous and chaotic network. This situation poses a high risk of fires, as cables touch, overheat, and can ignite with the slightest spark. Last year, a major fire destroyed 12 warehouses above the shops, and several smaller fires have occurred since, with the risk remaining constant.

A new system is being installed in one alley, marking the third time it has burned down. The fire brigade insists on the installation of an automatic fire protection system. The cost of this system is borne by the shopkeepers, divided according to the size of their shops. The smallest shop will pay 350,000 dinars.

Socioeconomic Disparities

As luxury towers and boutiques begin to open, a significant portion of the Iraqi population, 30%, continues to live below the poverty line, underscoring the deep socioeconomic disparities present in Baghdad.

Conclusion

The transcript illustrates a dualistic development in Baghdad: ambitious urban renewal projects like the Al-Rashid Street renovation, aiming to restore historical grandeur and create modern amenities, are juxtaposed with the persistent challenges of a severe housing shortage, inadequate infrastructure in poorer areas, and widening socioeconomic divides. While the government and central bank are investing in visible improvements, the benefits do not appear to be reaching the most vulnerable populations, who continue to face precarious living conditions and a lack of basic services. The contrast between the aspirational new developments and the reality of poverty and risk in established neighborhoods highlights the complex and uneven nature of Baghdad's urban transformation.