Eastern paradigm of urban mobility: the case of Erbil city, Iraq

Abstract

This study aims to investigate people’s behavior toward mobility system by identifying the factors contributing to car dependence in the city. Understanding whether people can change their behavior and shift toward sustainable modes is essential for shaping effective transportation policies. The research methodology comprised theoretical and experimental parts. The theoretical part was built on the concept of car dependency within the context of Middle East cities. The empirical part was based on field observations, where data on the mobility system were collected according to the survey protocol and analyzed using SPSS software. The questionnaire covered a wide range of people with different social and economic statuses. It was conducted on 385 households with 600 participants residing in Erbil City/Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The survey employed a probability sample based on a random walk survey conducted through face-to-face interviews. Final results show a statistically significant relationship between behavior change and the proposed independent variables. Empirical findings suggest that forced dependency is the pattern of the mobility system in Erbil city, and a wide range of participants was unwilling to change their behavior and shift to sustainable modes, where only 41.3% of the sample were ready to use alternative modes, such as the bus system, walking, and shared taxis, and 87.18% of all passenger journeys were made by private cars. The study concludes that the urban transportation policy of the city needs to be revised and replaced with sustainable transportation planning to fulfill the community's needs and aspirations.