00:00Large-scale reconstruction and urban development projects are becoming a testing ground for new ideas in city planning.
00:08As the country prepares to host the World Urban Forum, these experiences are contributing to a wider global conversation on
00:17how cities can evolve.
00:23Azerbaijan is implementing new urban models through projects across the country, including both reconstruction and new city developments.
00:32These initiatives prioritize infrastructure, environmental sustainability and quality of life.
00:39The experience will be shared with international audiences at the 13th session of the World Urban Forum.
00:45Today we apply new approaches like 50-minute city approach, green city approach, in order to make cities livable, in
00:56order to make cities easy for daily living, we introduce mixed-use zones, which consist of residential areas, commercial areas,
01:06public services, and this is very important for any modern city.
01:10The whole process could be a very good handbook for post-conflict recovery.
01:16Urbanization is transforming societies worldwide. According to the United Nations, more than half of the global population now lives in
01:25cities, a figure expected to continue to rise in the decades ahead.
01:29Against this backdrop, Azerbaijan is exploring new approaches to urban planning and development, using reconstruction projects and large-scale planning
01:40initiatives to test contemporary urban solutions.
01:44Experts say that approaches to urban planning and urban design are evolving day by day.
01:50We need firstly consider safety. As a state committee on urban planning and architecture, we work closely with relevant authorities
01:58to make sure that every settlement where people are going to move to relocate are safe.
02:06At the same time, we are keeping the patterns of their history in these new projects.
02:13Urban solutions developed within one country travel across borders. As cities face similar pressures, cooperation and shared expertise are becoming
02:23essential.
02:25The Kahramammarash case focused on environmentally friendly and energy-efficient planning, housing construction and the integration of modern infrastructure, as
02:36well as sustainable and inclusive urban reconstruction.
02:40One of the most important approaches is that housing construction is planned from the initial stage in conjunction with transport
02:48connections, social infrastructure and public services.
02:52This approach facilitates the formation of functional communities instead of isolated residential estates.
03:01The architectural firm Chopman-Taylor has extensive experience in urban design and has been actively cooperating
03:09with Azerbaijan with Azerbaijan in recent years. One of its latest projects in the country is the development of the
03:16master plan for the city of Nakchevan.
03:18It's how to create active edges that lead people through the public spaces, the shop fronts, which are bright at
03:25night, that creates this safety feeling.
03:28And then, obviously, there's a growing population, so new housing demand and new ways of dealing with it, quite often
03:37taking examples from Europe and the West.
03:40It's the introduction of the perimeter blocks in Azerbaijan with the semi-private spaces for residents. That's also new here.
03:53As cities continue to grow and evolve, the search for effective urban solutions is becoming increasingly urgent.
04:02We learn from each other. What we bring to the table is the knowledge, the expertise and experience. Starting maybe
04:08from Shusha, the pearl of Karabakh.
04:10Well, the history is unique. It's Shusha, Jabrai, also Fuzuli Hospital was in Karabakh. To me, the uniqueness is the
04:19history and, you know, the situation.
04:23And it's actually talking to people, designing for them, not for us, and seeing the feedback and the excitement when
04:31they can move back home. I would say nothing can beat it.
04:35As the World Urban Forum approaches, international cooperation is important in enhancing Azerbaijan's role in global urban development discussions.
04:45This cooperation creates an opportunity for the exchange of experience at an international level, within the framework of global discourse.
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