Project:  Nasiriyah Euphrates Waterfront Detailed Study, Iraq

Client:  Ministry of Municipalities and Public Works, Iraq

Collaborators: Iraqi Planners Group

We were asked to carry out detailed studies as part of the major Nasiriyah City Master Plan, including the Euphrates waterfront.  These studies included planning policies that expanded on master plan policies at the strategic level and proposals for key development projects.

The Euphrates River is Nasiriyah’s most important natural feature and provides the city with enormous potential.  The Master Plan proposes that the whole of the river frontage should be fully accessible as part of the public realm, and that no part should be in private ownership.  Cultural, leisure and commercial activities have been integrated along a waterfront pedestrian route.

The purpose of the detailed study was to provide a development framework to ensure a comprehensive approach to the regeneration of the waterfront and to secure the highest design quality.  We applied our master plan policies to coordinate public realm and infrastructure improvements with investment.

For the most part this can be achieved naturally by means of appropriate soft landscaping along the corniche and waterfront parks extending the greenway theme of the overall city master plan.

We identified a number of development sites linked by a linear parkway along both sides of the river with landscaped car parking areas at regular and convenient locations.  Urban design proposals were provided for these sites supported by artistic illustrations of how we envisaged them.