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|b The study will examine a geographical analysis of the reality of the residential function in the city of Mahawel located in the eastern and northeastern part of Babil Governorate. The study will focus on analyzing the residential reality of the city by identifying the factors that helped the emergence of residential function and its growth and expansion. Moreover, to learn about the morphological stages that have passed through its construction until today, as it has led to the development of the residential system in terms of the number of housing units, their capacity and their architectural style. The research aims to analyze the reality of housing, defining its cultural, social and economic characteristics, identifying the problems it faces and finding solutions to reduce it. Furthermore, to develop a strategy and plans that help to expand the area of residential using multiple directions, in addition to anticipating the number of residents and families in order to forecast the number of residential units required until 2030. The research relied on the historical, analytical and descriptive approach to evaluate and interpret the research problem as personal interviews, field analysis and questionnaire were used, distributed to the 12 neighborhoods of the city, and the sample size of the study was calculated by (260) houses from the total (5093) houses of the city. Besides using maps, tables and graphs to examine the nature of the residential function and to explain geographical phenomena in the study area and the extent of their effect on the realities of housing. The study found that the residential function in the city was the product of the existence of many factors, such as the location and place of the distinguished city of Mahawil, as it connects northern Iraq to its south. Furthermore, the flat earth and the availability of good soil and water supplies are all assets that have enabled the population to stabilize and carry out different activities, thus establishing the city's first core. Historical, cultural and political factors combined to increase residential use. Consequently, the most significant consequence of the demographic element in housing reality is that the high gender ratio in favor of males demands the provision of housing units appropriate for their numbers. Besides the emergence of primary, secondary and rural transport routes and the availability of railways, which led to the concentration of neighborhoods in their vicinity, increased their urban expansion, and enabled the development movement. The study also showed that the residential sector in al-Mahawil had three morphological stages, which indicated that its expansion was random and unplanned in the first and second stages, while the third stage was planned and organized. But, cases of random overtaking and construction have spread in recent years, particularly in the outskirts of the city, and the study has revealed that residential usage rates are high compared to other uses. The designs of the housing units in the first and second stages were appropriate to the prevailing climate, while the third stage did not take into account the climatic conditions. The study confirmed that the role of the state, housing associations and real estate banks would have had a significant impact on the expansion of housing use. Beside, housing structure was analyzed based on several indicators, including urban, social and economic, so it became clear through the results of the field survey that the housing units that were built in the third period occupy the highest proportions. The majority of the land area of their houses from (201 - 300) square meters were built of cement and bricks. As for the ceilings, reinforced concrete was used to build them. Moreover, the percentage of double-decker housing increased and, through the research, it became apparent to us that the housing owned by its owners amounted to (75) percent of the sample. The majority of the household heads are from the employee category and they reach (47%) of the study sample families. These are indications that the study area residences are in good condition, but they suffer from the deterioration of services, such as the lack of water reaching the houses and their inefficiency, the low amount of electrical energy that does not correspond to the reality of residential use, the absence of sewage networks and rainwater drainage networks. Besides the issues with the high cost of constructing housing units as a result of high land prices, construction materials and workers' wages. Finally, the most important reasons that helped to cause these problems are the weakness of the government in taking firm decisions to find solutions for immigration and developing services. Moreover, they should pay more attention to the city's environment and the development of building materials as well as strive to build horizontal and vertical complexes that help raise the reality of residential use within the city.
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