The Impact of Urban Infill: A Study of Contemporary Malls in Baghdad

Abstract

The impact of urban infill has been an important topic within urban research. Despite the vast knowledge, however, there is a gap in reporting the effect of adding contemporary malls to Baghdad urban context; therefore, we studied two main contemporary malls built after 2003, Al-Mansour Mall in Al-Mansour district and Baghdad Mall in Harthiya district, selected for this study because of their large-scale and their contribution to the development growth of the city. The findings of this research showed they both have a strong impact on different aspects such as urban, social, economic, and the environment. The paper also highlights critical views concerning the spread of malls in Baghdad and discusses the importance of traditional suqs and the reasons of transition to the contemporary malls with suggestions for improvement. This paper contributes to the urban literature by developing a theoretical framework of urban infill indicators. Findings may have implications for future infill developments both for architecture and urban design strategies for city growth.