Anar Guliyev: Master plans of seven Azerbaijani cities at approval stage

The master plans of seven Azerbaijani cities are at the approval stage.

Report informs that Anar Guliyev, chairman of the State Committee on Urban Planning and Architecture, said this at the High-Level Urban Dialogue of the Organization of Turkic States held as part of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13).

According to him, the spatial planning system has been restructured since 2018:

"Cities across the country are now governed by 20-year master plans that are regularly updated. Today, 65 of our 79 cities are covered by these plans, while plans for seven more cities are at the approval stage. Detailed planning has also been completed for nearly 2,230 settlements and villages."

The committee chairman noted that Azerbaijan's flagship project, the Baku 2040 Master Plan, is guiding the capital toward a polycentric, people-centered and environmentally responsible growth model, where residential areas, workplaces, services and public spaces are brought closer together.

"We view housing not as a commodity, but as the foundation of social stability and inclusive growth," he stressed.

Guliyev added that modern, energy-efficient homes below market price are being provided in the country through the State Housing Development Agency (MIDA) and the Mortgage and Credit Guarantee Fund:

"This is supported by long-term concessional loans at rates significantly below market levels. More than 55,000 families have benefited from this financing, and about 70% of them are young people.

"Perhaps the most important experience for our region is the reconstruction of Karabakh and East Zangazur. After decades of occupation, destruction and displacement, we are rebuilding based on the principle of ‘building back better.' We are not simply restoring what was lost, but replanning entire cities and villages based on smart city and smart village principles, green energy and people-centered design."