Urban changes and its impact on the tangible and intangible heritage of City’s Centre: Najaf City as a Case Study

Abstract This paper focusing on the recent transformations that happened on the urban landscape of the traditional city centres which threatens the local identity of these centres. Thus, the aim of the research is to clarify the impact of the transformations on the urban landscape in order to benefit from transformations to recreate a traditional future sight for the historical centre of Najaf city. The research concluded that the absence of the modular unit that connecting the composition of the urban landscape, in addition to the absence of the urban regeneration concept in the whole context, led to decay and threatens the historical value of the traditional city centres. The paper recommended that the supporting of the tangible and intangible heritage is a necessity to preserving the traditional value of the city centre. Moreover, creating new activities that considering the urban transformations, should be done within social sustainable planning, and activating the environmental and economic aspects in built environment.