An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

The future of the International Zone

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Amanda Callahan
  • 447th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs
BAGHDAD, Iraq --  Reconstructing downtown Baghdad has proven to have many challenges for the Iraqi government, but a new plan devised by the Department of Basing and Urban Planning may lead them in a direction to have the "Green Zone" green again within five to 10 years.

The department is part of the Joint Area Support Group Central and is headed by U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Monte Harner. He and his team have integrated with Coalition forces and the government of Iraq to create a plan to redevelop the International Zone into a thriving urban community for the citizens of Baghdad.

Colonel Harner explained that he and his high-impact, 16-person team worked the redevelopment of the IZ in different phases. The first phase is IZ consolidation.

"That phase plans the organized reduction of the property currently occupied by [Multi-National Force-Iraq] forces within the IZ and consolidates those organizations into a much smaller footprint," the colonel explained. The department is currently responsible for more than 90 individual properties and is working with the government of Iraq to execute the transition of these properties to the GoI.

Several ongoing agreements, which require MNF-I to provide medical and security support to different international organizations, such as NATO and the United Nations, complicate the transition.

"As we consolidate and get smaller, we had to plan how we continue to honor these agreements to support the U.S. mission in Iraq while transitioning the property to the government of Iraq," added Colonel Harner, who is deployed from the Office of the Civil Engineer at U.S. Air Force Headquarters.

Some of the property to be transitioned has a questionable history of ownership due to how Saddam Hussein's regime acquired private property.

"When Saddam seized the "Green Zone," he grabbed property from private citizens," the colonel said. "A lot of litigation is going through the Iraqi court system to find out who the rightful owners of the properties are." In some instances, the regime paid for private properties, but the amount paid remains in question. There is additional litigation to determine whether fair market value was paid for these properties.

Rightful owners must be established prior to properties may be leased to private developers. The Iraqi government is mulling through the cases, but it is a time-intensive process.

Although there are still pending cases for property issues, Colonel Harner and his team have helped create the last piece of the IZ puzzle - how to take the IZ from the current militarized area to a business district for Baghdad.

The colonel stated that his department has been invited to participate with the Iraqi IZ redevelopment committee, chaired by the Secretary General of the Council of Ministers.

"We've provided them our plan, and they've been very receptive," he said, adding that the committee is using the department's proposal as a starting point for their redevelopment activities.

"It was never intended to be an American plan for the IZ," he said. "We just want to provide some concepts and ideas to present to the government of Iraq to facilitate their planning. This is their community. We just have the unique expertise and we think we could give them ideas of the possibilities here."

One of the ideas provided is an improved framework for private developers. According to Colonel Harner, the framework didn't exist in recent history.

"There are numerous private investors currently poised to begin major community projects in the IZ, such as hotels, condominiums, and office parks. Unfortunately, i, they can't do it right now," he said, adding that the Iraqi government is creating legislation to build a process for developers to purchase property. After this legislation is framed into action, the land will have a zoning structure established to ensure consistency with the redevelopment plan.

"The idea here is a full urban renewal. We've created a proposal for the government of Iraq to help them with the redevelopment plan," he continued. "This is a traditional urban renewal plan that focuses on zoning, the types of facilities that should be built, such as high-end quality residential areas, hotels ... areas where business can move in and thrive."

In addition to creating an aesthetically pleasing environment for diplomacy, the demolition and construction will provide many jobs and opportunities for skilled labor among Iraqis. After the rebuilding of the new, improved international zone, the employment rates should continue to rise with the establishment of both small and big businesses; service industries, financial hubs and other planned businesses.

"We want to return it to ... a thriving community for not only big business, but small businesses as well." Colonel Harner went on to add that an established community will help in the security arena as well. "A thriving business owner has stake into their clientele and notices who is on their streets, versus what you have in the IZ today, where a lot of people are living in slum-like areas," he said. "That environment doesn't breed secure areas or happy people."

He added that his department is providing the government of Iraq with recommendations that can be molded to fit Baghdad's and Iraq's needs. As the center of government and diplomacy in Iraq, the International Zone must be redeveloped differently than other forward operating bases. Most FOBs will be cleared and turned over to the government to continue their use as a military installation. The Coalition's military footprint in the IZ may be completely removed in the future or replaced by contract security or other forms of security, adding to the challenge of redevelopment.

The department isn't alone in their venture. They work continuously with the Iraq Transition Assistance Office, the Joint Reconstruction Operations Center and the Amanat, Baghdad's city hall.

Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari has already touched on the funding for the redevelopment of Baghdad.

"I think the government has a responsibility, definitely, to care for its people, to provide services and to use the oil money for reconstruction and development," he said recently.

Ambassador Ryan Crocker said April 11 that the U.S. is seeking to ensure that our assistance, in partnership with the Iraqis, leverages Iraq's own resources. Colonel Harner's office is helping to do just that by providing the framework for a complete International Zone redevelopment.