The Center of Urban and Regional Planning for Postgraduate Studies at the University of Baghdad reviewed a master’s thesis entitled “Urban Poverty in Balad City: A Study of Causes and Treatments” by student Mohammed Qais Hamid, supervised by Assistant Professor Dr. Abbas Hashim Sahan. The thesis aimed to study the urban reality of Balad City and its urban quality of life indicators by analyzing the spatial variation in quality of life in the study area, as well as presenting a realistic picture of the spatial distribution of the study indicators.
In his thesis, the student hypothesized that a number of demographic, economic, and social geographic factors contributed to shaping the quality of life in Balad and led to an imbalance in the distribution of population and services due to these factors. These factors resulted in the emergence of areas with a high quality of life and the lack or decline of quality of life in other areas.
The thesis recommended the need to empower the poor by raising their educational and health levels and helping them find job opportunities with relatively high financial returns, enabling them to improve their living conditions and lift them out of the poverty they live in.
