Modernization Theory and House Garden Transformation; Erbil City as Case Study

Recently, the concept of modernity and its influences on global warming comes to be a common topic in architectural debates. The disappearance of gardens in the contemporary house layouts generated a need for new approaches to create a sustainable network of green areas within residential neighborhoods. The objectives of this paper intend to emphasize on the holistic phenomenon of house garden transformations. The rationale behind selecting cases inside Erbil city, Iraq return to its historical background which passed through rapid transformations due to the political, economic, and cultural changes. This paper aims to identify reason behind disappearance of house gardens in new developments. Moreover, it describes the physical elements of local traditions in different periods. The analytical methodology used in this paper relies on four different periods of the city evolution. It discusses the building garden visual elements in terms of architectural physical factors. The study emphases on two types of analyses, the morphology analyses for each period individually, and comparative analyses between different periods. The findings of this paper will indicate the crucial factors that affecting the disappearance of house garden as well as the general positive effects of vegetation in urban contexts.