Iraqi cities are suffering from an escalating urban planning crisis. Former member of the Parliamentary Services Committee, Manar Abdul-Muttalib, confirmed today, Friday (July 3, 2026), that this crisis emerged prominently after 2003 as a result of the exceptional circumstances the country underwent, including security unrest, economic repercussions, displacement, and forced migration. Abdul-Muttalib explained that these factors led to weak law enforcement, which negatively impacted the reality of the cities, coinciding with an exacerbating housing crisis and the absence of a strategic plan to address it.