PLANNING STUDY FOR THE REALITY OF SCHOOL GARDENS DESIGN IN DUHOK CITY (HIGH SCHOOLS AS A CASE STUDY)

Urban Farm DB summary

A study conducted in 2012 in Duhok city, the center of Duhok governorate, Iraq, analyzed the reality of gardens and open spaces at 10 selected high schools — the distribution of classroom, construction, concrete-square, path and allocated green space — comparing them against local and international standards through architectural plan analysis, observations and personal interviews. It found that the high schools in Duhok fail to achieve the fundamental objective of school gardens, and none had an ideal garden model. Gardens represented only 27.66% of the total site area across the ten selected schools, of which only about 52.88% was effectively utilized, leaving 47.12% unexploited without activity or vitality. Ninety percent of these schools' open spaces failed to meet international standards, and 60% remained subject only to local standards. The gardens also lacked gardening craft, with plant types, numbers and distribution left randomized.