Evaluating Proactive Social Responsibility and the Potential for Responsible User Behaviour in Riverfront Development: Abu-Nuwas Street, Baghdad as a Case Study

Riverfronts are significant public spaces, promoting belonging, social interaction and collective use. This study seeks to evaluate how proactive social responsibility is reflected in riverfront planning and assess how spatial quality indicators may provide conditions that support responsible user behavior, focusing on Abu-Nuwas Street in Baghdad as a case study. PSR is considered a planning and administrative framework embedded in design decisions, while responsible user behavior is a potential outcome. The study adopted a quantitative descriptive-analytical approach through two five-point Likert scale questionnaires. The first surveyed users and visitors of the recreational riverfront area (n=143), while the second surveyed architects and built-environment specialists regarding the road expansion project (n=47). Data were analyzed using means and standard deviations. Users reported high levels of place identity and attachment, safety and comfort, social interaction, and aesthetic and visual quality, in contrast accessibility, walkability, and environmental quality received moderate evaluations. Specialists reported moderate performance across PSR indicators, with stronger spatial connectivity but weaker place identity, pedestrian priority, environmental impact, and long-term social sustainability. The findings indicate that the recreational riverfront provides spatial conditions that may support positive collective use and place attachment, whereas the road expansion project prioritizes traffic-functional performance over social-environmental objectives. The study develops a descriptive-analytical framework for evaluating how proactive planning and riverfront environmental quality may foster conditions supporting socially responsible user behavior.