Understanding the Configurations of Street Networks and Their Effect on the Quality of Urban Morphology and Pedestrian Flow in Baghdad, Iraq

This article offers an insight into the impact of street networks, how they affect the quality of urban morphology, and their impact on pedestrian flow in two neighborhoods in Baghdad, Iraq. Using multiple centrality assessment as a systematic method to determine betweenness centrality (a metric value of street quantity), 12 streets within two different neighborhoods were surveyed. An ethnographic technique was adopted in conducting site observations over three different periods in a day when pedestrian density was studied to determine both movement and activity. Subsequently, the correlation between street centrality and pedestrian intensity was calculated and compared for the two selected neighborhoods. The results indicate that a hybrid pattern accommodated social interaction, action, and intensities with a high level of betweenness, which differed from the modern pattern with its low level of betweenness. This indicates that street patterns and their centrality values play a significant role in shaping street life and fostering social interaction. Thus, adopting an integrated and comprehensive approach to planning by considering environmental conditions at different levels (micro, meso, macro, and local) and applying street centrality can significantly promote urban life.