Towards a Green, Resilient and Inclusive Recovery: Applying the Sustainable Cities Implementation Framework in Azerbaijan

This session examines Baku’s urban development trajectory, highlighting how its Soviet-era housing legacy and centralized governance structure have shaped current sustainability challenges. Despite formal planning and governance systems, the city shows limited progress toward livability, resilience, and affordable housing due to a lack of holistic and integrated urban policy approaches.

Using a sustainable cities implementation framework, the session assesses housing conditions, urban resilience, and recovery capacity in Baku, linking them to broader SDG targets. It critically discusses whether a centralized development model can support sustainable urban transformation or whether decentralised governance and stronger local capacities are required.