GAD Presents New Tashkent City Masterplan Focused on Accessibility and Collaboration

Global Architecture Development (GAD) has presented the New Tashkent City master plan, shortlisted in the Master planning category at the World Architecture Festival (WAF) 2023. This comprehensive vision hopes to propel Tashkent, Uzbekistan, into a new development phase through their design strategies. The New Tashkent City master plan attempts to carefully examine critical aspects of traditional city planning, setting up lasting development goals for the design. In fact, it includes efforts to strengthen infrastructure, support economic growth, improve community involvement, and enhance environmental services. Overall, the design hopes to raise the city’s overall livability.

Courtesy for GAD | New Tashkent City Masterplan.

Under the direction of Gokhan Avcioglu, the plan integrates economic, social, and environmental factors in a way that aligns with the ideals of sustainable development. It carefully incorporates things like affordable housing, planned expansion zones, large open spaces, robust public transport, architectural heritage preservation, and energy efficiency. These elements guarantee environmental accountability in addition to economic viability for the city moving forward.

The main goal is to create a city that is accessible to everyone and green, with space for a wide range of activities. The master plan includes mid-rise mixed-use buildings with architectural criteria that support a pedestrian-centric environment. Additionally, it reduces the adverse effects of tall buildings on the urban fabric and cityscape by implementing creative solutions like double-skin façade designs with ecological and sustainable advantages.

The scheme also calls for rehabilitating smaller centers into a network of residential areas, tourist destinations, agricultural hubs, and productive clusters. These networked hubs span satellite centers and suburban areas and are intended to alleviate traffic in established urban areas. Simultaneously, they utilize the untapped potential of less populous areas.

The master plan includes a riverfront region, green spaces, and a university area, boosting the city's scenery and providing various recreational options. With a strong emphasis placed on outdoor public areas, social interaction, and community involvement is promoted throughout the scheme. Furthermore, the project intends to create an eco-friendly and resource-efficient urban framework by integrating sustainable transport systems with effective waste and water management facilities. Overall, the comprehensive vision cultivates a cityscape that is practical, pleasant for its residents, and environmentally responsible.

Master plans serve as crucial blueprints for the development and growth of cities or regions. In October, MVRDV unveiled its master plan for the Lake Side development in Brussels. The master plan aims to revitalize life on the Tour & Taxis site, offering new amenities and activities for residents. Additionally, Foster + Partners has revealed the design of a new master plan to transform the seafront of Larnaca, Cyprus, into a sustainable and enjoyable area for the city residents, future generations, and new visitors. Finally, Ennead Architects has been chosen to redesign the campus of the American School in Japan to align with the school’s academic vision. The master plan envisions a new, dynamic, innovative campus that encourages learning and collaboration.

Author: Nour Fakharany. This article originally appeared in Archdaily, November 16, 2023.