Gazeta published a long interview with Tashkent mayor Shavkat Umurzakov. We picked out the main points: which projects are ready, which ideas remain proposals and where the mayor admitted mistakes
The city is growing faster than its infrastructure
Umurzakov acknowledges that utility networks and roads are struggling to keep up with Tashkent’s growth. By his estimate, electricity supply capacity needs to increase by at least 200 MW a year — roughly two substations
The mayor estimates that the city needs around $2 billion a year for development
That includes $300 million for roads, $400 million for utilities and $300 million for social infrastructure. Another $1 billion would go towards projects expected to generate income for the city
School places and new kindergartens
According to the mayor, plans have been prepared for schools providing 15,500 places and 13 kindergartens with 6,000 places in total. Land and funding have been identified, but tender documents were still being prepared at the time of the interview
He proposes bringing in specialists from Estonia and Finland to help manage education in 12 new schools. Building maintenance and school meals would be handed over to separate companies
Umurzakov hopes to resolve the shortage of schools and kindergartens in roughly three years, provided the proposed system works
Who pays for the city’s growth
The mayor explained that developers pay an infrastructure levy based on a building’s volume. The money goes towards increasing the capacity of city networks. Tashkent is also moving towards comprehensive developments with requirements for social infrastructure
Land was another topic. Umurzakov said around 800 hectares of land in various categories had been returned to the state. That does not mean all of it has become parkland
For urban renewal projects, he described offering residents a choice of apartments nearby, within the same district, worth 10–20% more than their previous home
Asked about owners who do not agree, the mayor said he was counting on the offers being attractive
A thousand hectares of green space — in the plans
Umurzakov estimates that Tashkent needs around 1,000 additional hectares of large green spaces. His longer-term target is roughly 3,000 hectares by 2035–2040 within the city’s current boundaries, excluding New Tashkent
A separate project would connect around 800 hectares of existing parks and green spaces with convenient routes. This is a different figure and should not be added to the proposed thousand new hectares
Air quality also came up. The mayor said thermal plants no longer use fuel oil and that some greenhouses had been closed or converted to other uses
Proposals for roads and pavements
The project near Buyuk Ipak Yuli metro station has not been abandoned. Before work starts, the mayor promises to invite residents and the media again so specialists can explain the proposal. He describes an outer toll ring road as a way to divert through traffic out of the city
To clear pavements of parked cars, Umurzakov offered a calculation: towing 900 cars a day could change drivers’ habits within three to six months. He said the necessary legislative changes were still under consideration
He also spoke of a need for at least 200,000 managed paid parking spaces
No timetable for creating these parking spaces was given in the interview
Talk to residents first
Umurzakov acknowledged mistakes in communicating with residents, including over the city’s design code. He said he now requires meetings with residents to discuss changes before renovation work begins under the Obod Mahalla programme
Asked about direct elections for mayor, he said they could improve performance, but both the authorities and the public would need to be ready. He did not announce the introduction of elections
At the end of the interview, when asked to criticise himself, the mayor returned to the same point: agree on actions with people and explain them before proceeding
Read the full interview
The interview also covers clinics, school grounds, illegal structures and how to run the city
Read all of Shukhrat Latipov’s questions and Shavkat Umurzakov’s answers in the full interview on Gazeta (in Russian)
Tell us in the comments which city problem you would tackle first