Shavkat Mirziyoyev Put Forward Key Initiatives on Sustainable Cities in Baku
2026-05-18 17:25:00 / News of ministry
In his address, the President emphasized that urbanization is not only about construction or population growth, but also a matter of global sustainability, social justice, and human dignity.
Key highlights of the speech:
— Over the next 15 years, Uzbekistan’s population is expected to reach 50 million people, while the urbanization rate is projected to rise to 65 percent;
— Over the past 10 years, the volume of housing construction in the country has increased tenfold, reaching 238,000 housing units in 2025;
— Nearly 2 billion dollars are allocated annually to affordable housing programs;
— Within the framework of the “Green Space” and “Clean Air” programs, the share of green areas in cities is planned to reach 30 percent by 2030;
— The “New Tashkent” megaproject, designed for 2 million residents, is being developed based on the principles of a “green,” “smart,” “safe,” and “15-minute city”;
— Investment programs worth 25 billion dollars have already been launched at the very first stage of the project.
The President also proposed several important initiatives to the international community:
▪️ broad implementation of the principle of “balanced urbanization”;
▪️ establishment of the “Alliance of Smart and Safe Cities”;
▪️ holding an international forum in Samarkand dedicated to housing finance and investments;
▪️ creation of the UN-Habitat international “Green City” award;
▪️ proposal to host the World Urban Forum 15 in New Tashkent in 2030.
One of the main ideas of the speech was that the city of the future is not only about modern buildings, but also about creating a comfortable, safe, environmentally sustainable, and technologically integrated living environment for people.