31 January 2022, 17:05
The Central Communications Service hosted a round table on the topic: “On new approaches to the formation of urban space”. Minister of Industry and Infrastructure Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kairbek Uskenbayev, Chairman of the Board of the Association of Urbanists of Kazakhstan Q88 Yerlan Aukenov, members of the Board of the Association Askhat Saudov and Yerzhigit Balkybekov, Executive Director of the Association Alina Abdrakhmanova and Director of the State Enterprise "Caspiy Zhylu Su Arnasy" Zhasulan Suyunchaliev took part in it.
In his speech, the Minister of Industry and Infrastructure Development Kairbek Uskenbayev spoke about the issues of urban development and the comprehensive reconstruction of engineering networks in the cities of Aktau and Atyrau. He noted that the most important task is to improve the welfare, improve the quality and standard of living of the population. The sustainable growth of cities requires new approaches to the formation of urban space, strict adherence to urban planning regulations.
“Unfortunately, now we are seeing that cities are being built up chaotically, often without taking into account the opinion of the public and the prospects for the development of the city itself,” Uskenbayev said.
For example, according to him, residents of Almaty complain about anthill houses, residents of the capital complain about dense buildings without the creation of public spaces and the need for social facilities. When developing projects, the restrictions of functional zones, the number of floors, and the requirements for providing social facilities are violated.
Over the past two years, the ministry has carried out more than 100 inspections of architectural bodies. More than 1,000 violations have been identified, including non-compliance with the RAP, lack of approval of draft designs, and violations in issuing an APL. Therefore, now, according to the minister, it is necessary to transform the systems of urban planning, the development of new urban approaches, taking into account international best practices.
“In the Address of 2021, the head of state has already indicated the need to develop new standards for the integrated development of cities. In this regard, the Ministry has developed the first edition of the standards for qualitative planning of urban areas and sent for approval to government agencies and organizations,” Uskenbayev informed.
According to him, the standards will become a simple and visual aid for designing, implementing compact housing, creating attractive and comfortable public spaces, and developing pedestrian and cycling infrastructure. They will determine the key target development models, and for each, the parameters of pedestrian accessibility of socially significant objects, landscaping, density, infrastructure provision, etc. will be set. For these purposes, it is planned to begin the implementation of pilot projects of the Concept for the development of urban infrastructure in large settlements of the country. At present, the ministry, together with the Association of Urbanists Q88, has begun work on the transformation of urban spaces in the cities of Aktau and Atyrau.
“In 2021 alone, almost 1,500 accidents occurred on heating and water supply networks. To solve this problem, we are developing a separate program for the modernization of Aktau infrastructure, taking into account the recommendations of the Akimat of the Mangystau region,” Uskenbayev informed.
According to him, in the Mangystau region, the wear of heat, water supply and sanitation networks is 49%. There are 1,705 multi-apartment residential buildings, of which 2 are in emergency condition and 287 are in need of repair. However, there is no systematic modernization of infrastructure facilities in one district / quarter of a settlement. Thus, the priority issues for the development of the concept of the urban environment in Aktau will be:
According to the minister, in the Atyrau region there are similar issues of the state of infrastructure, residential buildings, improvement of courtyards and public spaces. Depreciation of engineering networks is 46% (heat supply — 60%, water supply — 31% and sanitation — 47%), out of 1,736 apartment buildings, 62 are in emergency condition and 300 require repair.
Despite the fact that at the expense of the state budget, the reconstruction of various sections of the networks of heat, water supply, sewerage and residential buildings is carried out annually, in the Development Concept of Atyrau it is necessary to pay attention to the following issues:
“In general, akimats need to develop a comprehensive approach for the phased reconstruction of engineering infrastructure, housing stock and landscaping by developing and approving quarterly / regional plans with funding from various sources,” Uskenbayev said.
According to him, in order to create comfortable living conditions for the population, it is necessary to apply uniform requirements for urban development.
“Now the new standards we are developing will provide for these unified requirements, which in the future will become the basis for master plans and RAPs,” Uskenbayev noted.
The transformation of urban spaces will lead to an increase in pedestrian traffic by an average of 30%, as a result of which store turnover will increase by 17%. Renovation of streets, taking into account the principles of creating a safe road infrastructure, will reduce fuel consumption by 30%. The investment of 1 tenge for the construction of the bike path will ensure the profitability of 8 tenge of the adjacent business infrastructure. Public spaces and green infrastructure will also help increase tax revenues and property revenues, improve the physical and mental health of citizens, improve the ecological environment and develop public transport.
Today, 58.7% of Kazakhstan's population lives in cities and towns
Chairman of the Council of the Association of Urbanists of Kazakhstan Q88 Yerlan Aukenov, in turn, dwelled in more detail on modern challenges and trends in the development of cities in Kazakhstan.
“Today, 58.7% of the population of Kazakhstan lives in large and small cities. The annual population growth in cities is 2.3%,” said Aukenov.
At the same time, in large cities, according to him, the annual population growth is 4.7% (Nur-Sultan - 60 thousand people, Almaty - 65 thousand people, Shymkent - 30 thousand people).
If we talk about the burden on the city budget, here, according to him, we can give an example of the million-plus city of Shymkent. The city budget is 430 billion tenge with a population of 1 million people. From this calculation, it follows that the annual maintenance of a population growth of 240 thousand people requires a budget allocation in the amount of 107 billion tenge.
The content of the budget includes:
- maintenance of state institutions;
- repair of streets, roads, etc.;
- public order;
- safety;
- expenses for medicine and education;
- and many others.
240 thousand people are:
To serve such a population, it is necessary to provide them with:
The forecast cost is 1.1 trillion tenge. To accommodate such a population, 3.6 million square meters are needed. m of housing worth 1.622 trillion tenge.
Given such dynamics, urban planning in Kazakhstan faces a number of challenges, including:
“Beautification of cities is one of the urgent problems of modern urban planning. It is inextricably linked with urban planning and is one of its main parts. The level of improvement development has a significant impact on the working and leisure conditions of a person,” said Aukenov.
According to him, today in the cities of Kazakhstan in this area there are a large number of problems, including: ill-conceived street space, poor lighting, ill-conceived landscaping issues, lack of nature in parks, car-centricity, unorganized public spaces, scattered urban appearance, etc.
To solve these and other problems, the Association of Urbanists actively cooperates with relevant ministries, municipalities, experts in the field of urban studies and proposes a number of projects for implementation. In particular, at present, the Association has developed and presented special projects for the modernization of the cities of Aktau and Atyrau. Taking into account the global trends in the field of urban planning, it is planned to introduce modern formats of urban planning into these cities.
The Q88 Urbanists Association was registered in August 2021. The main mission of Q88 is to make cities comfortable, safe and environmentally friendly for all residents.
“The Association plans to unite the professional community of all caring people who can influence the development of competitive, developed, comfortable, environmentally attractive, smart cities,” said Aukenov.
Objectives of the Association:
According to the head of the Association, Q88 currently implements 3 main areas:
The q88 Association conducts educational seminars, master classes and courses for city governors, experts in the field of urban studies and the public interested in various areas of urban studies.
The q88 Association develops city master plan concepts based on accessibility, safety and environmental standards.
The q88 Association is working to improve Kazakhstani legislation on urban planning, urban development and the creation of an inclusive urban environment, and the modernization of building codes and regulations.
Transformation concept developed for Kazakhstan's oil capital
Askhat Saudov, member of the Board of the Association of Urbanists of Kazakhstan Q88, urban architect Askhat Saudov, presented to the round table participants the main directions of the transformation concept of the oil capital of Kazakhstan. Atyrau is a large city in Kazakhstan, located on the banks of the Ural River. In another way, Atyrau is called the oil capital of Kazakhstan, since the main oil production is localized in the Atyrau region. Such industrial centers as Tengizchevroil and Atyrau Refinery are represented here.
According to Saudov, at the moment 365 thousand people live in the city, which is comparable with the cities of Florence, New Orleans. The city budget for 2021 amounted to 227 billion tenge, which is equal to the budget of Vancouver and Yekaterinburg. Atyrau accounts for 13% of the share of the country's GDP. Over the past 10 years, the population of the city has increased by more than 1.5 times.
“One of the competitive advantages of Atyrau is tourism. The chalk outcrops of Akkergeshen and Aktolagay attract the attention of not only geologists and paleontologists, but also people who are looking for meetings with unusual manifestations of nature, mysterious caves, bizarre snow-white rocks,” said Saudov.
According to him, the city consists of local centers, each of which lives its own life, most of them have a good spatial grid. Interaction between local centers is represented mainly by a small number of main streets. Weakly established interaction between local centers does not reveal the economic opportunities of these centers. Local centers outside the city are Yerkin Kala, Zarosly-Zhanatalap, Aksai, Zhuldyz. Three main centers: Aliyeva-Kurmangazy, Saryarka-Almagul, Meat-packing plant-Balausa, Zhumysker, Orken, Sarykamys, Rembaza. The small number of main routes between the centers weakens their economic potential. For the city of Atyrau, a polycentric development model is suitable, which implies supporting the concentration of the economy and social life in the identified centers, as well as providing comfortable transport and pedestrian connections between them.
Also, according to Saudov, the insufficient number of pedestrian paths and bridges near the Ural River reduces the potential for the development of the embankment as the main attraction. Between Atyrau bridges from 1500 to 3000 m. In the center of London, for example, you can notice a high concentration of bridge connections that successfully connect the two banks of the River Thames, creating a comfortable urban grid of streets. Distance between bridges is from 150 to 800 m. Connections between bridge connections in London are less than in Atyrau from 10 to 4 times. In order to increase the connectivity of urban space and unlock the recreational and tourism potential, the Association recommends the integrated development of pedestrian routes and public spaces near the Ural River.
As Saudov noted further, as a result of the survey, the residents of the city noted three main problems of Atyrau: problems of urban infrastructure (24%), lack of cultural and social sphere (32%), poor ecology and lack of landscaping (44%). The main disadvantages of Atyrau infrastructure are: a large empty space - Isatai and Makhambet Square, mud and puddles on the streets, lack of playgrounds and places for recreation in the yards, many emergency old houses with dilapidated heating, sewerage. Disadvantages of the socio-cultural sphere: the city has poorly developed career guidance centers for young people, programs for the integration of graduates on the basis of higher educational institutions do not work well, a small number of educational sites, initiatives to preserve historical monuments are poorly developed, the historical center is not being developed, many sports facilities in in the city are poorly equipped or in poor condition, large sports facilities are of the same type, the main places of recreation in Atyrau are shopping malls. Environmental problems: shallowing of the Urals, complexity of landscaping, environmental pollution, lack of fresh water.
The proposed urban infrastructure projects, according to Saudov, are as follows. Based on the analysis, it is recommended to renovate 10 main streets with high economic potential. Develop pedestrian zones and bicycle infrastructure, use Vision zero techniques to create a safe environment. It is also recommended to carry out the renovation of the pedestrian alley, places of promising placement of sites for summer cafes, shopping pavilions, children's playgrounds, outdoor exercise equipment, etc.
In addition, according to the architect, more than 150 buildings on the main routes are in need of facade reconstruction. Reconstruction of buildings, mainly from the period of Soviet standard housing construction, consists in the reconstruction of facades, the reorganization of the adjacent territory, the organization of new commercial premises on the active facade, etc.
Reconstruction of yard spaces. The current state of urban playgrounds does not attract children to play and spend interesting time. The condition of the inventory is unsatisfactory. The number of courtyard spaces requiring reconstruction is 100.
“Urban playgrounds suggest that children in such playgrounds will develop various skills, cognitive abilities, fine and large motor skills, socialization and communication skills, and socialize,” said Saudov.
Also, according to him, the streets of the city of Atyrau are not provided with street lighting, which does not contribute to public safety. The architect recommended the creation of an advanced lighting system for the city, which implies the installation of suitable lighting for each type of space. Warm light for parks, embankments, squares and cold light for streets, building facades.
About the areas. According to the architect, at the moment there are 3 squares in the city that require reconstruction. Saudov offers a diverse program content for the Central Square in accordance with the history, culture and characteristics of the area and residents.
“There are both parks and squares in the city, but most often they are empty, poorly landscaped and have little functional content. The number of parks and squares requiring reconstruction is 10,” Saudov stated.
According to him, walking routes, gazebos, places of attraction for children, adolescents, youth, adults and the elderly will be organized here. Interesting art objects, park decor items will be presented, creating an atmosphere of an interesting environment, as well as emphasizing the features of the place. It is also proposed to build pedestrian bridges on the example of bridges in the cities of Nur-Sultan, London, Tbilisi, Singapore.
Given the great contribution to the development of our country by oil workers, it is proposed to create a public space "oil workers' park" - MUNAISHYLAR SAYABAGY. Among the recommended socio-cultural and leisure activities is the Healthy Atyrau project. According to the architect, Atyrau has hundreds of sports grounds, but not all of them are of the proper quality. Many residential areas do not have sports fields. In addition, there are no large sports parks in the city. In this regard, it is recommended to create 3 large sports parks in the city, one of which will be dedicated to extreme sports, as well as 20 sports fields in public spaces and parks. In order to support the sports lifestyle of young people from Atyrau and develop triathlon as a type of professional sports, it is recommended to build a triathlon park in the city of Atyrau.
There are about 11 sports centers in the city, but they do not meet modern quality standards. Instead of sports centers with one direction of development, it is proposed to create a Multifunctional Center with a concert hall of international level, a Conference Hall and a transforming exhibition area for sports events.
Social projects are highlighted as a separate item in the concept.
“Atyrau is an ancient city, but the historical center and preserved architectural monuments are in decline today. We recommend a comprehensive approach to the reconstruction of some historical districts (Zhilgorodok, etc.) and more than 10 separate historical buildings,” said Saudov.
It is necessary, according to him, to reconstruct architectural monuments, create a design code for the historical center, introduce a single identity for the area, and organize cultural objects based on historical buildings. In Atyrau, there are social initiatives that require support and publicity, therefore it is also recommended to initiate programs for their development, the creation of a dialogue platform through the organization of forums for representatives of local authorities, public organizations and the private sector.
There is also a need for a universal space for integrating young professionals into the labor market and training young people to realize their potential: conducting training courses and full-fledged internships, selecting the best students of the city, and active cooperation with city enterprises.
Due to the growth of the city, it needs new qualified specialists, therefore it is recommended to create professional educational institutions according to all modern standards: a university campus, a technology park, a public area / shopping center, a sports complex. Unfortunately, according to the architect, the current trend in the construction of affordable housing and social housing, especially in the countries of the former Soviet Union, is a residential microdistrict with minimal social benefits. It is necessary to move away from the idea of building them with minimal needs: this turns the area into a ghetto, gives rise to pendulum migration, and continues to reduce the chances of the younger generation integrating into society.
Particular attention is paid to the concept of environmental projects. Poorly functioning storm sewers form large masses of stagnant water that impede movement, erode the road surface, soil, building structures, etc. To create a sustainable storm sewer, we recommend laying more than 40 km of a storm network.
In the city, in many areas there are no sidewalks and moisture is poorly removed from the streets. Asphalting roads, creating pedestrian zones, backfilling soil at the sidewalk, planting shrubs, upgrading the storm system are all recommended to prevent soil from washing away and the formation of puddles and mud.
In Atyrau, there are problems with pollution of natural objects and waste processing. The result is pungent odors. The concept recommends the regulation of waste, the creation of a working group on environmental pollution, the introduction of initiatives for the sorting and processing of waste, and the cleanup of natural objects from pollution.
Special attention in the concept is given to the logo and brand of the city.
“The emblem of the city of Atyrau is used as its logo. Today, the city of Atyrau does not have its own brand and does not have its own logo, corporate colors. Therefore, the urban appearance, advertising signs, etc. look different and fragmented,” said Saudov.
According to him, city facades and signboards look like anything (everyone has his own style). Color schemes and cladding materials for each object are heterogeneous. Signs at each store are made in their own style.
“There are several historical districts in Atyrau, for example, Zhilgorodok. The area has been preserved, but its historical potential is practically not revealed,” said Saudov.
According to him, 75% of the facilities in the region are in disrepair, 15% are abandoned and 10% are in a satisfactory condition. For the development of intra-city tourism and historical areas, it is recommended to reconstruct historical areas, create a tourist infrastructure in the form of hotels, commercial premises, and establish a comfortable pedestrian environment and transport links.
“Atyrau has a unique nature, but natural objects are located in inaccessible places, which hinders the development of tourism. We recommend stimulating the development of tourism organizations, repairing roads and creating tourist routes. For example, Sarayshyk is an ancient city of the XII-XVI centuries. on the right bank of the Ural River,” said Saudov.
To unload the existing airport and promote the city on the territory of Kazakhstan and beyond, it is recommended to open a new airport terminal.
Aktau's Potential is in Tourism Infrastructure
Aktau is the only city in Kazakhstan located by the sea, which has given a new dimension to Kazakhstani urbanism. Presenting the concept of transformation of the city of Aktau, members of the Association Suyunchaliev and Balkybekov first of all noted the tourist potential of the city. According to them, the entire potential of the city lies in the tourist infrastructure, its comfort, both for the citizens and for the guests of the city. Aktau should be a magnet for a comfortable stay in the west of the country. Urbanism is not limited to the development of comfortable cities and public spaces.
Comfortable and sustainable cities presuppose the sustainability of all life support systems of the city, namely the reconstruction of spaces. They formed the basis of the priority of the transformation of the city of Aktau - both the reconstruction of engineering networks and urban landscapes. In practice, urbanists call this "what is above and below the ground."
“Reconstruction must be done sequentially. First - engineering networks, and then - the transformation of streets,” said Suyunchaliev.
Since the founding of the city, the reconstruction of networks has practically not been carried out. To date, the total length of engineering networks is more than 1,200 km. In the period from 2012-2015. modernization of engineering networks with a length of 74 km or 6% of the total volume was carried out.
- heat supply 464.4 km (depreciation 84%);
- water supply 437.8 km (depreciation 82%);
- sewerage 329.6 km (depreciation 80%).
Their average wear is more than 80%. According to the speakers, due to the high wear and tear on the networks, in 2021 there were 1,495 accidents in the city, or 4 gusts per day.
Shutdown and repair on networks leads to a shutdown of water and heat supply, including during the heating season. All this leads to indignation and dissatisfaction of the residents of the city of Aktau. In addition, the issue of providing thermal energy to the city is acute. Today, due to the intensive development of the city, the need for thermal energy is about 750 Gcal/hour. However, the only source of heat energy produced by MAEK-Kazatomprom LLP is about 500 Gcal/hour, the deficit is 250 Gcal/hour or one third of the city. Based on this, it is necessary to urgently take measures for the construction of boiler houses on the territory of the regional center. In this regard, at present, the Akimat, together with the Ministry of Industry and Infrastructure Development, are working on issues to address these problems.
In conclusion, the speakers noted that urbanism is not limited to the development of comfortable cities and public spaces. Further development of the city implies the creation of resort areas, new social facilities, new infrastructure - all this is possible only with the replacement of engineering and transport networks. At present, the main driver of economic growth in most cities is the attraction of business, domestic and international tourism. In this regard, the main priority for the transformation of the top-level model is the change in public spaces - the formation of a comfortable city for living and attracting tourists. This primarily implies the formation of pedestrian and transport corridors within the city, the creation of connected zones that will not be separated from public spaces.
“The current trend is such that public spaces and parks, among other things, play an important role in increasing the attractiveness of cities in general and individual city blocks, in particular, and directly affect the quality of human life,” Suyunchaliev said.
According to him, the parks and public spaces of the city are not only an integral part of the soul of the city, but also have a huge impact on the financial well-being of the city. For example, parks increase the property value of surrounding houses, which generates an increase in property taxes. They help reduce air pollution, and help with stormwater management. This, in turn, saves money.
Green space helps to encourage an active lifestyle and reduce stress, in turn, indirectly reducing health care costs. Numerous tourists who visit famous parks create additional income for businesses and city authorities. The influx of visitors to the parks, the holding of various events in the territories of public spaces, where people of different social strata meet, create social capital and a sense of community and belonging to the life of the city. Too often, parks are viewed only as inert objects, created solely for the peaceful recreation of citizens, and not to motivate vigorous activity. Considering parks without taking into account their cost is a mistake. The city's parks and public spaces are an asset that generates income and generates savings for various sectors of the city's life.
The Association has proposed more than 20 projects that involve the creation of connected urban spaces, transport and pedestrian corridors. Creation of corridors from the embankment to the central districts of the city of Aktau. The sequence of their creation is maximally focused on improving the quality of life of citizens and increasing the tourist potential of the city.
“At the same time, it is necessary to focus on the fact that each tenge invested in the transformation of public spaces should generate 3-4 tenge in the next 3-5 years,” Suyunchaliev noted.
Another important priority, according to him, in the development of public spaces should be pedestrian zones. The city should be comfortable for pedestrians and cyclists. Any city is a city for people, not for cars, and in a city it is not the buildings that matter, but the space between them.
Pedestrian spaces are increasingly conquering modern cities in different countries. An excellent example is the pedestrian promenades in China (a park on Guanda Street, Qing Zhen), Spain (Madrid), Ukraine (Ekaterinoslavsky Boulevard in the city of Dnipro), whose length is much less than those in Aktau, but they are equipped much more presentable and efficient. From domestic examples of a harmonious pedestrian promenade, one can cite Panfilov Street in Almaty with a length of 1.3 km.
The embankment of Aktau is the pride of the city.
The length of the existing embankment is 3.1 km, the area is 11.73 hectares. It is recommended to extend the embankment by 1.8 km, with an area of 3.65 hectares, with the introduction of infrastructural recreational solutions for vacationers. At the heart of the reformation of the embankment, it is planned to apply world practices, such as Marmaris, Alanya, Warsaw, etc., since the cases of these cities have already shown their effectiveness.
A well-designed embankment becomes part of the city's transport and pedestrian structure and part of the green frame of the city, which inevitably attracts a large number of people to the new public space. Accordingly, the environment of the embankment is also developing, service and trade functions, public catering, transport infrastructure, and public transport appear and expand.
“Thanks to a well-made embankment, the city can get a new life, an impetus for rapid development. This practice is already quite popular in Europe, where the reconstructed embankments do an excellent job with their function and attract crowds of tourists and investments to the city,” said Balkybekov.
For example, in Vancouver, over 10 years, $500 million was invested in the construction of the embankment, over the next 8 years, all costs were fully paid off. Now the city is already making a profit, because during all this time jobs and recreational areas have been created, which has contributed to the attraction of tourists and local residents. Thus, the embankment has become a generator of the city's economy, which will only grow in the future.
The Association also proposed a number of projects aimed at creating public spaces in the city of Aktau. Thus, new construction (reconstruction) of space for a creative hub is proposed. At the same time, it is planned to develop eco-culture in construction — the construction of creative hub objects from CLT elements.
It is proposed to create a creative industries center on the basis of 4 colleges, which will be a complex of several blocks: educational, creative entrepreneurship support center, professional workspaces with studios, necessary equipment and software, an event platform and a modern multifunctional gallery. It is also planned to use the territory adjacent to the building.
The renewed public space is designed to inspire, unite, be the center of urban life and a comfortable, open space for residents.
The proposed project will be characterized by:
As part of the creation of a center for creative industries, it is also proposed to create new children's and sports grounds. Urban sports - workout, skate areas, areas for yoga, street dances, basketball and football games - all this will attract children from all over the city to gather in several districts, and will allow quality time to be spent in urban sports spaces.
It is possible to increase sports interest among city residents by creating comfortable and safe conditions and sports infrastructure. It is proposed to create a triathlon park in the coastal zone. Climatic conditions and a special natural landscape, location by the sea already have the population to go in for sports. All that is needed is the development of space.
A healthy nation is a happy nation.
“If the city is a single organism, then outdoor lighting should create its whole night image. The main thing is a thoughtful, thoughtful, conceptual approach to lighting issues,” said Balkybekov.
According to him, architectural lighting of buildings is an integral part of the information and image system, a powerful means of advertising and lighting design. It plays a fundamental role in creating the image of the city at night as a whole. Architectural façade lighting highlights buildings, emphasizes individual elements or helps to hide imperfections.
It is light that forms the space visible to man with its subject content. Only light can reveal all the advantages of an architectural object or park area and make them truly unique. It is planned to develop a new concept of architectural and artistic illumination of the city, to create and offer a high-quality energy-saving and energy-efficient model of street lighting.
Berekely Bastama: Urbanists presented a platform for online collection of proposals for the transformation of the city of Aktau
Executive Director of the Association of Urbanists of Kazakhstan Q88 Alina Abdrakhmanova presented a new dialogue platform in her speech.
“Urban studies as a science and world experience in city management shows that 40% of the success of any ongoing reforms depends on effectively built channels of communication and dialogue with residents,” Abdrakhmanova said.
According to her, the role of the Association of Urbanists Q88 is to involve the expert community, residents, public organizations in a dialogue with the state and create a platform for constructive communication. At the initiative of the Ministry of Industry and Infrastructure Development, together with the Association of Urbanists of Kazakhstan Q88, voting is launched on the reformation of objects in the city of Aktau on the platform Berekeli Bastama, in which each authorized participant will be able to propose an idea for the transformation of Aktau and vote for the decision they like. Aktau should be a magnet for a comfortable stay in the west of the country.
Mangystau has a historically developed feature. It is called the land of 360 saints, because 360 saints of the Kazakh people are buried here. The best minds from all over the Soviet Union arrived in Aktau (Fort Shevchenko) to build a wonderful city by the sea. As of 2020, the city's population is 192,494. There are no names of streets and microdistricts in the city, addresses are indicated only by numbers.
“Aktau has a unique natural landscape, favorable weather conditions, mild climate in winter. These conditions contribute to the influx of tourists, the development of SMEs, a decent standard of living for the population,” said Abdrakhmanova.
According to her, citizens note that, unfortunately, today Aktau is a city made of concrete, with an insufficient number of public spaces, places for sports and children's recreation, focused more on cars than on pedestrians. Through the platform, the Ministry of Industry and Infrastructure Development encourages citizens to engage in dialogue, which will take into account the opinion of every resident of the city of Aktau, people who directly use the city's infrastructure. Every resident can be involved in making decisions about the future of their city.
“All citizens of Kazakhstan can participate in the voting. Voting takes place on the website Project proposals, voting and their implementation in the cities of Kazakhstan (budget-uchastiya.kz),” Abdrakhmanova said.
According to her, participants can leave feedback on each proposed project, as well as vote for their favorite project. To date, the platform already has voting projects proposed by MIIR and the experts of the Association, such as:
“Recent events, including a massive power outage in the southern regions of the country and neighboring states, have shown the priority and high dependence on an uninterrupted life support system (water supply, heat supply, electricity),” Abdrakhmanova said.
Engineering and transport systems are the “blood vessels” of the city. And as Abdrakhmanova noted, their timely replacement, maintaining the tone of the "walls of blood vessels" and careful operation are very important. Each proposal is backed up with references and illustrations with the best similar examples in the world.
The deadline for collecting proposals is 2 weeks. Then there will be an online voting, according to the results of which the projects will be implemented.
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