Basra: the influence of territories, rich for crude oil, on the development of Iraqi governorates

Introduction. The article presents the results of the analysis of changes in the planning structure of an urbanized area, addresses land use for crude oil recovery purposes in the Basra governorate, and explores the influence, produced by this activity on urban development and the environment using the city of Basra as an example. Crude oil recovery reduces the size of natural areas. The practical aspect of the scientific research entails the development of an information system designated for land management and the maintenance of databases focused on the study of urban planning tasks to ensure well-balanced development of areas, rich for crude oil in the Basra governorate with regard for a structured regional planning pattern as one of the most important objectives of Iraq. Growing residential areas, on the one hand, and expanding areas occupied by oil recovery and industrial enterprises, on the other hand, have been a relevant post-war problem since 2003. The environmental disorder, caused by substantial changes in land use, involves various disruptions, which translate into grave problems of the urban environment experienced by the governorate of Basra. Materials and methods. Official data, submitted by the Basra administration, tables, documents and cartographic materials were used to perform this research, let alone the open source information, including maps that contain statistical calculations made using the ArcGIS10.x software package and Microsoft Excel. The co-authors also performed a retrospective analysis of the Basra territory using remote sensing, which allowed them to determine the boundaries of the city and to track its spatial transformation. Results. The retrospective analysis has identified changes in the city borders. High economic growth, boosted by oil production and developing industrial territories, drives the need for well-balanced territories focused on sustainable development, especially in the historical part of Basra which is suffering from degradation. Conclusions. The problem of unbalanced use of urbanized territories and environmental sustainability of cities, affected by wars and military operations, requires the development of regulations governing the delimitation of borders within the framework of a land-use plan to be developed.