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Overview
Baghdad Sustainable Forests is the largest investment in ecological development in Iraq, designed to restore the land and renew the city’s identity.
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Opportunity
By reclaiming neglected land, once filled with over 45 million tons of waste, the masterplan envisions mixed-use villages and urban clusters, set within an extensive forest.
Baghdad has played a central role in human history yet has endured significant damage to its social and physical fabric, alongside increasing land degradation and desertification. Baghdad Sustainable Forests responds to these challenges by transforming the former Al-Rasheed military site into a catalyst for regeneration. The ambition was to restore the land, create a new destination for Baghdad, and heal the city's ecosystem through restorative environments, while supporting Iraq's 2023-2030 National Environmental Strategy and long-term vision for sustainable urban development.
More about this topic
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Why This Matters
01
A New Civic Identity
Creating a new destination for Baghdad was an opportunity to elevate the city's identity, reconnect people with the River Tigris and provide a powerful catalyst for the regeneration of the wider city.
02
Restoring Ecological Resilience
Setting a benchmark for healing the city's ecosystem through restorative environments was central to the vision. This included addressing land degradation and desertification while strengthening biodiversity, improving air quality, and supporting long-term environmental resilience.
03
Driving Long-Term Economic Growth
Beyond environmental benefits, the masterplan creates a platform for investment, innovation and employment, supporting Iraq's long-term economic ambitions while improving quality of life for residents and visitors alike.
Baghdad Sustainable Forests reflects our broader vision as a company to lead transformative urban development across Iraq - creating destinations that balance sustainability, innovation, and quality of life.
Solution
By placing ecological design at the heart of the masterplan, Baghdad Sustainable Forests transforms degraded land into a resilient destination for people, nature and innovation.
The masterplan is guided by three key principles: creating a new destination for Baghdad to elevate the city's identity, embracing innovation to meet future challenges, and healing the city's ecosystem with restorative environments. Ecological design forms the structural backbone of the development, with forests, parks and green corridors restoring the landscape. Mixed-use villages, distinct gateways and an extensive micro-mobility network prioritising walking, cycling and e-scooters create a resilient, connected district that supports recreation, culture, learning, wellbeing and commerce.
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Related Content
10M
Total Project Size
1 million trees to capture 22,000 tonnes CO₂ and cool the climate
Environmental Impact
1.5 million square meters of retail, commercial, and amenity infrastructure
Economic Investment
From brief to build: how an ambitious urban vision for Baghdad Sustainable Forests will create a global model for resilience through ecological restoration and innovation.
Developing the vision for Baghdad Sustainable Forests required a collaborative, city-scale approach, bringing together Gensler’s expertise in urban design, landscape, mobility and mixed-use planning with the ambitions of Emkanat and key government stakeholders. Through an integrated masterplanning process, the team translated the opportunity to restore neglected land into a framework for a new urban district. Guided by three interwoven pillars - identity, innovation and ecological restoration - the proposal brings together forests, villages, gateways and public spaces to shape Baghdad’s future.
Landscape and Open Space Strategy
Identified landscape typologies include: public realm, productive forestry, park lands, leasure forests
Impact
Baghdad Sustainable Forests creates a vision for Baghdad’s future, transforming neglected land into a thriving district that restores the landscape and renews the city’s identity.
By combining ecological restoration with mixed-use development, the masterplan attracts investment, enables placemaking at scale and supports Baghdad’s long-term economic growth.
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What Changed Because of This
01
Urban Regeneration
The former Al-Rasheed military campsite will be transformed into a thriving mixed-use district, reconnecting neglected land with Baghdad’s wider urban fabric.
02
Environmental Renewal
More than one million trees will create forests, parks and green corridors, improving air quality, cooling the city and supporting biodiversity.
03
Economic Growth
Walkable villages, cultural destinations and commercial infrastructure will create new opportunities for investment, jobs, recreation and community life across Baghdad.
new urban forest at the heart of Baghdad will be transformative, making a major contribution to the environmental repair and long-term enhancement of the city.
Recognition
Dezeen
AD Middle East
Designboom
Team
Project Leadership
FAQ
Where is Baghdad Sustainable Forests located?
Who designed the project?
How does the project benefit Baghdad?
What is the scale of the project?
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