Sustainable urban design and the future of heritage cities

Heritage cities suffer today from many challenges and urban transformations represented by economic and social stagnation, loss of urban identity, demographic changes, technological developments, and environmental and health challenges. It is necessary to deal with heritage cities in accordance with the principles of sustainable urban design and in a manner that suits the conditions of cities by choosing the appropriate and correct strategy from sustainable urban design strategies for the purpose of making them sustainable and vibrant in the future and branding place globally while preserving the imprint of the place in it. Thus, the research problem was identified (difficulties related to the appropriate and correct selection of sustainable urban design strategies in the future of heritage cities). The study dealt with the case study with the analysis of the Hafsia quarter in Tunisia, with the possibility of benefiting from it in other heritage cities, including the Iraqi cities, due to the challenges and urban transformations they are exposed to, and to conserve their cultural identity and place an imprint on them. The research found the possibility of mixing sustainable urban design strategies according to the economic, social, environmental, cultural and physical conditions of each area, with the effectiveness of the sustainable urban regeneration strategy for being a comprehensive and complete approach and providing effective solutions appropriate to the conditions of heritage cities.