The Relationship Between Urban Identity and Urban Migration | Investigating a City's Image, Values, and Identity in Kabul City, Afghanistan

Over the past decade, Afghanistan's cities have undergone rapid development, particularly Kabul, the capital and largest city, which has experienced significant population growth due to both internal and external displacement and urban migration. This influx of people has had a significant impact on Kabul's urban structure and patterns, leading to the emergence of a large number of informal neighborhoods and settlements. As of now, two-thirds of the city's population resides in such neighborhoods, and their rapid growth has affected the city's visual identity in terms of historical and current urban patterns. On the one hand, formal housing in Kabul has inadequate architectural design, quality, and durability, and is often planned without due attention to architectural identity. On the other hand, modern processes of urban expansion and housing have also contributed to the erasure of Kabul's image, values, and identity by introducing foreign architectural designs that have no correlation with vernacular and indigenous Afghan architecture. Thus, this study analyzes the impact of urban displacement on Kabul's urban image and investigates various aspects of the city's identity through case studies conducted in three districts. The study examines the parameters and elements affecting the city's social and environmental identity and finds that migrants from diverse cultural backgrounds have had a significant impact on the urban structure, resulting in the emergence of informal settlements. These settlements have a direct influence on the city's urban and architectural identity. Therefore, the study's findings can aid urban planners, architects, and government agencies in identifying key elements of Kabul's urban identity for future planning and development to shape the city's aspirations for the future.