Spatial planning for a greater Baku

By Azernews

By Amina Nazarli

Azerbaijan, bounded by the Caspian Sea and Caucasus Mountains, which span Asia and Europe, is famous for its huge hydrocarbon recourses, numerous mud volcanoes, green valleys and rich historical-cultural heritage.

The country also boasts its cosmopolitan capital, Baku, sitting on the oil-rich Caspian Sea. The extraordinary and impressive capital city of the Land of Fire is known far beyond the region thanks to its fairy beauty and sustainable development.

Back in the early 20th century, the country went through its first oil boom, and architects from all over Western Europe were commissioned to design buildings for the expanding city. The result is a charming mix of architectural styles, genuinely beautiful buildings that line the city's traffic-choked streets. 

The large-scale construction boom of recent years in Baku, also known as the City of Winds, reshaped the city with new hotels, office buildings, skyscrapers, sporting complexes and museums of modern art.

Towering above them all is perhaps Baku's most impressive sight, the Flame Towers. These three flame-shaped towers dominate the skyline, and have become something of a national symbol since they appeared in 2012.  

As the population of Baku is expected to reach four million people in the coming decades, the state has accelerated the process of modernizing the city under the “Greater Baku Regional Development Plan” covering the period of up to 2030.

The Baku Plan is a comprehensive strategic planning document that defines an integrated economic, environmental, transport and social framework for the development of the city.

Director of the Baku State Design Institute Ilgar Isbatov, talking to Azertac, said that the plan, developed on the basis of the agreement signed between the Azerbaijani government and the World Bank, consists of two stages. A group of international consultants from the U.S., Spain, Turkey and Italy were involved in the project.

The first stage stipulates the decentralization measures to reduce urban load and the second - balance measures in Baku city.

Development of the first stage of the project “Greater Baku Regional Development Plan” was completed in 2013 and the second ‘Land Use and Zoning Plan of Baku’ in 2016, he said.

Along with the reconstruction of the Central Business District, it is planned to create sub-centers in the surrounding areas to prevent the loading of the city and to give them different functions. Thus, one center will be formed more in the field of trade others will be engaged in finance, health or entertainment fields.

Taking into account the population growth, the project envisages doubling the existing housing stock. Under the project, the old buildings will be gradually replaced with more convenient and newer buildings in nine districts of Baku in order to provide more comfortable life to the residents of the capital city.

The old buildings will be demolished and replaced with new ones in next several years as part of the “Pilot Project”, according to Isbatov. 

In this regard, 63 buildings in Surakhani district, 226 in Nasimi district, 99 in Khatai district, 219 in Narimanov district, 131 in Nizami district, 18 in Yasamal district, 41 in Sabail district, 297 in Pirallahi district, that are under emergency conditions will be demolished gradually and replaced by new buildings.

Residents of emergency buildings will be temporarily resettled in rented apartments, until a new housing complex is built. The executive authorities are instructed to pay rent of rented dwellings, and after the construction of a new housing complex to provide residents with appropriate apartments, which are 15-20 percent more than their previous ones.

The project also stipulates complex planting of greenery within the framework of environmental protection proposals. As a result, up to 30 square meters of greenery will fall per person by the reporting period.

Within the framework of measures required to ensure the employment of the population it is planned to establish appropriate industrial zones, small and medium industrial zones, as well as greenhouse complexes for agricultural workers and relevant structures required for the provision of these complexes, including logistics centers.

The plan also includes complex approaches and proposals for the reconstruction of engineering and transport infrastructure.