A tale of three cities new urban planning visions along the new Silk Road

While the center of gravity of the world economy has been gradually shifting from the West to the Asia-Pacific region for a couple of decades, the war between Russia and Ukraine has abruptly seen the emergence of new geopolitical dynamics, with implications for connectivity, trade routes, energy transmission projects, and regional conflicts. In particular, South Caucasus and Central Asia countries, traditionally under Russian influence, have had to adapt their politico-economic strategies to the realities of the newly emerging world order. China’s ambitious Belt & Road Initiative and the EU’s plans to extend the Trans-European Transport Network to Azerbaijan and Georgia are expected to bolster these countries’ position as key transportation hubs along the so-called New Silk Road. Dubbed as the “Middle Corridor”, this multimodal route will open up important avenues for both regional and external players to benefit from access to world markets.
The proposed event aims to showcase how the cities of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and the Kyrgyz Republic, that were architecturally shaped after the 18th century under the Russian Empire and then the Soviet Union, have been influenced by very similar rural-to-urban migration trends and demographic displacement, government-driven industrialization processes, top-down urban planning approaches, and mass housing construction practices, and upon the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the 1990s have faced comparable challenges in their transition to an open-market economy. Bolstered by their natural resources, including oil, gas, and minerals, and leveraging their strategic location at the crossroads of major geopolitical regions, these countries have experienced significant economic growth in recent years. Coincidentally, the capital cities of Baku, Tbilisi, and Tashkent have recently unveiled their new master plans, establishing a new vision and urban development strategy for the next two decades.
Considered pivotal nodes in the emerging transportation and economic geography of the region, the new plans appear to have many aspects in common, such as energy efficiency, sustainable use of resources, improved connectivity, and alleviation of traffic congestion through upgraded public transport systems and services, increased green spaces, the realization of ecological corridors, and the preservation of important architectural and cultural heritage. The proposed event “Voices from Cities” will offer an opportunity to share contemporary urban planning approaches and principles that are global but also innovative trends that distinguish them and may offer interesting insights to urban planning practitioners interested in this particular region.