Boku is becoming one of the key areas of the global urban development agenda.
According to Farid Shahbazli, the WUF13 forum to be held in Baku demonstrates Azerbaijan's role in global urban planning and urban development.
In the coming days, the World Urban Forum — WUF13, one of the most influential global platforms under the UN in the field of sustainable urban development, will be held in Baku.
Representatives of governments, urbanists, architects, international organizations, and experts from various countries around the world will participate in the forum, exchanging views on sustainable cities, social inclusivity, climate-related challenges, and future models of urban development. The holding of the forum in Azerbaijan once again confirms the country's successful experience in organizing international events and demonstrates Baku's increasingly prominent role on the global urban development agenda.
Through WUF13, Azerbaijan is showcasing to the world not only its technical capabilities and high-level organizational capacity for international events. At the same time, the country is presenting its urban planning model, national development concept, and philosophy of urbanization to the international community.
This model harmonizes modern technologies with national architectural traditions, social inclusivity, environmental sustainability, and a human-centered approach. Projects implemented in recent years show that for Azerbaijan, urban planning is no longer just about building infrastructure but has also become a matter of preserving national identity, cultural heritage, and social harmony.
In this process, the restoration and reconstruction of Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur hold particular importance. Projects carried out in the liberated territories are seen as a key example of Azerbaijan's new urban development strategy.
The "smart city" and "smart village" concepts being introduced in Aghdam, Fuzuli, Shusha, Zangilan, and other cities are based on principles of green energy, digital governance, modern transport infrastructure, and ecological balance.
At the same time, special attention is being paid to preserving national architectural elements, historical heritage, and cultural memory in these projects. Through this experience, Azerbaijan seeks to demonstrate to the world that post-conflict urban restoration is not merely construction but a process of rebuilding society and restoring the national spirit.
At the center of the urban planning model presented by Azerbaijan is the human being. The main goal of modern urban policy is not limited to constructing new buildings and roads but consists of creating a safe, comfortable, and socially inclusive living environment.
Creating a favorable urban environment for children, the elderly, persons with disabilities, and socially vulnerable groups is considered one of the priority directions of the country's urban development strategy.
Baku has long confirmed its status as a venue successfully hosting international events. Formula-1 races, international humanitarian forums, the summit of the Non-Aligned Movement, as well as the COP29 event, have demonstrated Azerbaijan's growing role on the global stage. WUF13 holds a special place among this series of events. Because through the forum, Azerbaijan is presenting to the world not only its organizational capabilities but also its vision for the cities of the future.
The broad participation of the Uzbekistan delegation at the forum is also noteworthy. In recent years, cooperation between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan in the fields of urban planning, architecture, and regional development has expanded significantly.
Brotherly Uzbekistan has also become one of the important centers of Central Asia in modern urban planning, architecture, and urban development in recent years. Major reconstruction and infrastructure renewal projects implemented in Tashkent, Samarkand, and other cities indicate that the country has entered a new phase of urban transformation.
As two important states of the Turkic world, Baku and Tashkent are demonstrating similar approaches in developing modern urbanization while preserving historical heritage.
From this perspective, WUF13 is becoming not only a global dialogue platform but also an important opportunity for shaping a new model of urban cooperation in the Turkic world.
The main idea of the forum in Baku is clear: the cities of the future must be built not only on technologies but also on the principles of humanity, culture, and social justice. Today, Azerbaijan is entering this global discussion not merely as a participant but as a country presenting its own development model to the world.
Farid Shahbazli
Public Association "Young Reformers of Azerbaijan",
Editor-in-Chief of the Editor.az media group
