Kabul Urban Survey - Groupe URD

Figure 10
Map 22
Airport
Protected
areas
Residential areas
Kabul River
Cross road
Critical point
Old Center
Barier of hills
Source: Z. Breshna
“At the moment, the chief characteristics of the historic centre are, primarily, poverty, misery
and ruin; about 80% of the structural fabric of the old town (450 ha) has been destroyed".
Comments
The beginnings of a spatial analysis
Looking at maps of Kabul from the past and the present gives us some clues for
understanding the present urban situation, such as:
- Specific physical position
- History linked to this position
- Current situation
- Spatial location of different type of urban needs
- Strategic development of the city firstly in the protected areas in the east and then
informal expansion on the west side in agricultural areas.
Strategic and vulnerable
The strategic defensive position with the hills meant that the city enjoyed a certain
amount of natural protection for its development. However, over the past few decades,
this position has also led to the city’s destruction, as represented by the black areas in
Breshna’s diagram.
Crux of the city
This strategic point is today at the origin of a huge traffic problems and severe
constraints. This problem has reached such a critical level that it could serve as a
pretext for putting in place a public transport system as mentioned in some reports. It is
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