GENERALLY ON MASTER PLAN

At the very end of 2023, the long-anticipated Master Plan of Baku was finally approved, marking a significant milestone for the residents of Azerbaijan's capital. On December 30, the Cabinet of Ministers ratified a decree kicking off a comprehensive strategy for the city's development through 2040.

The initiative to develop the Master Plan of Baku was first endorsed by President Ilham Aliyev on June 27, 2018 and allocated ₼4m for this purpose. The State Committee for Urban Planning and Architecture unveiled the initial draft during a virtual exhibition in October 2020. But it wasn't until October of the following year that it was submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers for approval.

The project was crafted by the German international urban planning firm AS+P Albert Speer + Partner GmbH in collaboration with the Baku State Design Institute and consulting firms EY and Ramboll UK. The companies worked together to devise engineering and communication systems and address transport and economic issues. The Master Plan covers an administrative territory of 212.3K hectares in Baku.

Such an extensive development program for the country's largest city was absolutely necessary. Over the past three decades, Baku has been expanding rapidly, with a corresponding increase in population. This growth has often outpaced infrastructure development, leading to a host of problems that require a holistic and large-scale approach to solve. These include the creation of a modern and user-friendly transport infrastructure, the decentralization of major institutions to alleviate congestion in the historical city centre and transform it into a tourist hub, and the creation of new job opportunities across various districts of Baku. In recent years, the need to maintain an ecologically clean environment and curb air pollution has also become a pressing issue.

With these considerations in mind, the Master Plan is anchored in four key objectives:

- sustainable city development

- preservation of Baku's architectural heritage

- economic revitalisation

- urban and ecological regeneration

The primary goal of the Master Plan, as articulated by its authors, is to evolve Baku from a single agglomeration into a multi-centred, sustainable city fostering a conducive environment for the steady growth of new priority sectors in the capital's economy.

The Master Plan outlines priority actions for the initial years of implementation. These strategic projects encompass both unique spatial concepts and broader initiatives aimed at enhancing the quality of life in Baku. The State Committee for Architecture and Urban Planning of Azerbaijan emphasises the importance of commencing the implementation of the Master Plan with a comprehensive approach, engaging key stakeholders who lead each strategic project.

One of the central tenets of Baku's development is polycentricity. The plan envisions transforming the capital into a city with multiple centres, each surrounded by necessary infrastructure and enterprises, thereby easing the burden on the historical core.

The centres in Baku will be categorised into three types. The main one, Central Baku, will serve as an economic and administrative hub offering specialised services unique to the capital and housing high-level cultural facilities. It will comprise six administrative districts of the city (Sabail, Yasamal, Nasimi, Narimanov, Nizami, Khatai) and the Garachukhur settlement.

The sub-centers will act as gateways to the city centre from various peripheral directions. Efficient public transport systems and highways will ensure connectivity between these territories and the main city centre. The settlements of Mardakan, Alat, Zikh, Hovsan, Binagadi, and Lokbatan are designated as sub-centres. Sabunchu is planned to be an airport city featuring mixed-use residential neighbourhoods.

To ensure normal city life and development, it is necessary to address the pressing issue of transport connectivity. Baku currently grapples with the challenges typical of large megacities, including long traffic jams, road congestion, lack of a clear public transport schedule, and inadequate pedestrian zones. The Master Plan proposes solutions to these road transport issues through various strategies. These include extending the road network by 2040, developing new alternative road infrastructure, constructing a new main road connecting Baku and Sumgayit, and nearly doubling the number of railway stations from 26 to 54, and metro stations from 25 to 46.

As a result of these measures, it is projected that by 2040, the average daily metro passenger traffic will reach 1.37m people, or 499.3m annually. Currently, these figures stand at 633,000 and 231m, respectively. Railway transport in Baku will be used by 26.8m passengers annually, or an average of 73,000 people daily.

Furthermore, by 2040, the total length of bicycle paths in Baku is planned to be approximately 285 kilometres. Trams and metrobuses (bus rapid transit) will also be introduced. By 2027, new parking spaces will be created in the city centre, and all bus lanes will be constructed, increasing their total length from the current 16 to 112.2 kilometres.

To alleviate traffic congestion in the capital, a new intellectual and business district, including a "green" university campus, is proposed near the central part of Baku. This will house private and public universities, student dormitories, guest houses for foreign researchers, and residences for professors and teachers. Knowledge, eco-knowledge, and tourism centres are also planned for the capital.

Given the forecasted population growth of Baku by an additional 542.7K people to 3,169,000 from 2020 to 2040, these projects are highly relevant. Naturally, this will necessitate an increase in the capital's housing stock in addition to new transport solutions. The authors of the Master Plan assure that by 2040, the dilapidated housing stock will be significantly reduced. Specifically, from 19.5m square metres in 2020, it will be reduced to 12.1m in 2027, and further to 8.3m square metres in 2040.

Thus, the Master Plan will enhance and modernise the city's main utility networks, including water, gas, electricity, and telecommunications systems. To prevent increased environmental pollution due to the city's dense population, the Master Plan separately specifies environmental rehabilitation projects. These include the reclamation of lakes and lands, the creation of hybrid green corridors, the expansion of green spaces, and additional "green" recreational areas.

By 2040, four renewable energy (RES) power plants will be built in Absheron. An additional 676 hectares of temporary RES power plants will replace contaminated land in a phased Framework Regeneration.

The Master Plan also outlines measures to enhance the appeal of the Azerbaijani capital for tourism. By 2040, nearly 170 hectares of land in Baku will be allocated for resort tourism development, and seaside recreational centres will be established in the Zikh and Hovsan settlements of the Surakhany district. At the same time, it is planned to gradually extend Baku Boulevard to Bibiheybat in the south and to Zikh in the east. Thus, its total length will exceed 25 kilometres by 2040.

Certainly, all these large-scale works require impressive investments, which is currently estimated at ₼93.6b for 2020-2040. Almost half of this amount, ₼47.6b, is necessary for the development of the city's territory followed by transport infrastructure; ₼15.3b is planned for engineering and communication systems, and about ₼13.8b on RES and environmental protection projects.

According to the authors of the Master Plan, most of the expenditures will be provided from the state budget (₼60.5b), the rest will come from private investors. It is also expected that $30.32b of this amount will be foreign investments. In general, it is planned to allocate 24,000 hectares of land for investor projects until 2040.

It is expected that the planned renovation programme will boost the nominal GDP of the capital by 78%.

The Master Plan takes into account almost all the areas of development of Baku, provides a vision on how to solve the existing problems of the city. Most importantly, the planned projects should begin in the next three years.