Baku will adopt a polycentric urban model by 2040.
Operative Information Center-OMM reports that Anar Guliyev, chairman of the State Committee for Urban Planning and Architecture, made the statement at the 2nd Azerbaijan International Investment Forum (AIIF 2026) in Baku.
According to him, this is becoming an important component of creating competitive and future-ready cities. “This approach is particularly evident in the case of Baku. By 2040, the Master Plan for Baku defines a polycentric, connected and balanced urban vision consisting of a main center, regional and local auxiliary centers, supported by improved transport infrastructure and green networks,” he said.
Guliyev noted that the plan, covering the capital’s entire administrative territory of 212,300 hectares, provides a long-term framework for developing new urban areas, regenerating existing areas and creating new investment opportunities. “The aim is not merely to ensure growth, but also to shape the quality and structure of that growth. One of the important areas of this transformation is the regeneration of former industrial zones,” he said.
Polycentric urban planning distributes public services, workplaces and transport links among several interconnected centers rather than concentrating them in a single core. Such an approach can help balance development across a city, improve access to services and support more efficient use of infrastructure.
