The Role of Functional Diversity of Urban Synergy In Creative Placemaking In Urban Centers

Abstract

The concept of urban synergy emerged as a response to the challenges facing urban city centers in light of rapid urban development, contemporary challenges, and the continuous changes affecting cities. One of the most important of these challenges is the loss of the defining features of their urban centers, which once gave them their unique identity as vital urban elements, and the concept's relation to placemaking. Accordingly, the research problem was identified as a lack of knowledge about the functional diversity of urban synergy and its relationship to creative placemaking in urban centers within a contemporary vision. In light of this problem, the research objective was set to uncover the role of functional diversity of urban synergy in creative placemaking within urban centers, aiming to rediscover the potential of these centers, along with the role of synergy characteristics in enhancing the quality of the urban core. Thus, the challenge of creating creative places with functional diversity has become an urgent necessity for establishing distinctive, cohesive, and socially and culturally synergistic urban environments- enhancing social participation and forming a contemporary city with an effective, synergistic urban center that meets the needs of society. The research identifies the functional diversity index to be tested on a selected research sample within the center of Samawah City using GIS applications. The results show that urban synergy contributes effectively to enhancing the concept of creative placemaking in urban centers through the functional diversity index, leading to more effective urban centers and the creation of a synergistic urban structure.