Analyzing the Impact of Landscape Architecture and Urban Heritage Preservation on Iraq’s Tourism and Economy from 2005 to 2020

The historical sites of Iraq face escalating threats due to increased urbanization, economic volatility, and inadequate planning measures. Notwithstanding their cultural and economic importance, scientific research connecting economic variables to the sustainability of urban heritage remains few. This research combines economic and spatial analysis with heritage protection to provide a framework for long-term city planning. The study creates a quantitative model that links economic success with urban design and landscape engineering. This gives policymakers useful information. Time series data from 2005 to 2020 were used in a scientific way. With SPSS, descriptive statistics, correlation matrices, and linear regression were used to look at key variables like tourism income, tourism spending, GDP, inflation, and the political stability index. The findings indicate a robust correlation between tourism income and expenditure, with GDP exerting a significant influence on tourism performance, thereby affirming that economic growth positively impacts heritage-related tourism. Political stability exerted minimal influence, especially in religious and historical cities, where cultural factors-maintained visitor traffic. Inflation exhibited a moderate impact. Economic expansion is positively correlated with increased tourism revenues, highlighting the role of urban design and landscape planning in enhancing site sustainability. The research underscores the importance of integrating sustainable urban design within national tourism strategies and promotes interdisciplinary collaboration for the preservation of Iraq’s urban heritage.