Investor.ge - Issue 1, 2010 (original) (raw)
TBILISI 2010
Investor.ge looks at the Tbilisi’s newest master plan and City Hall’s vision for the Georgian capital.
Nina Akhmeteli
The Forty Year Plan
Tbilisi’s first new master plan since the Brezhnev era will put an end to an era of chaotic development, city officials hope.
Urban planners and city officials say the capital’s far reaching plan – basically a map for how the city should develop – will be the basis for proper growth.
Tbilisi City Hall is trying to marry the ancient charm of the capital with the realities of today in its new master plan.
The Head of Tbilisi City Hall’s Architectural Service, Mikheil Avaliani, told Investor.ge that, before the new plan was adopted, it was difficult to comprehend how new construction plans would affect the overall development of the city.
“It was impossible to study the issue because a fast decision was needed for a concrete area,” he said. “Naturally we were not insured against making mistakes.”
The new master plan significantly differs from previous one by being more flexible and can be easily changed if needed, Avaliani said.
“In this document we can make changes – not in five or ten years – but very quickly,” Avaliani said.
He stressed that city officials are making the planning process as open and transparent as possible – requirements for construction permits are online now, as is the master plan itself (See http://urban.tbilisi.gov.ge/pdf/Documents/genproeqti.pdf).
According to Papuna Dzidziguri, a specialist at Tbilisi City Hall’s Architectural Service and the coordinator of the master plan, the city will only need a new master plan if the principles of the city’s vision changes.
One such principle is that in the new plan, industries may be located “mosaically” throughout the city, not just in predetermined areas if their environmental affect is not excessive, Dzidziguri said.
“If there are any projects whose affect on the environment goes beyond their cadastral territory, they should not be built in the city,” he added.
De-jamming Tbilisi
Reigning in city’s traffic is one of the plan’s main concerns.
According to Dzidziguri, transportation communications are divided into three levels: the internal network of streets, internal city highways and transit highways each with requirements for pedestrians’ and vehicles’ interests. Each level, he noted, denotes a different relationship between cars and pedestrians, which affects how the area is developed.
Drivers and passengers alike should feel immediate relief, according to city officials, when the two new highways open later this year.
The Head of the Public Service and Amenities Municipal Department, Giorgi Lipartia, said 80 million lari will be spent on roads from the city budget in 2010. New roads under construction include the 3.5 kilometer Varazis Khevi-Tamarashvili Highway that will cross Vake-Saburtalo. Other projects include repairs to University, Jikia and Mukhrani streets.
One of the biggest anticipated changes will take an estimated three years to complete: the rerouting of the railroad from the Central Station to the suburbs to create a new district in the heart of the city.
“Today the territory where railway route passed is practically cut off from the rhythm of the city,” Avaliani said. “In addition the railway creates the deadlock for traffic… With the opening of these deadlocks, the roads will be connected and it will be followed by immediate development of the area.”
He stressed the newly created district will be a “new polygon” for developers.
An estimated 70-100 hectares will be free for development once the bypass is built, according to First Deputy Mayor Mamuka Akhvlediani.
Officials are planning for parks, commercial buildings and residences in the district.
The removal of the railway from the central part of the city is also a relief for Vake and Vera, according to city officials, as construction and development projects migrate to the new district.
An illustration of the future highway on Gmirta Moedani (Hero’s Square) in Saburtalo
Creating Green
But not everyone is pleased about all the new road construction. Critics fear the Varazis Khevi-Tamarashvili Highway project will leave the neighborhood’s limited green space vulnerable to development.
The new highway in Vake-Saburtalo is planned to traverse the Vere River Valley, which separates the Zoo in Saburtalo and Mziuri Park in Vake.
But officials maintain there are no plans to open the territory up for further development. Tbilisi Deputy Mayor Mamuka Akhvlediani stressed that the zoo needs to be relocated in order to develop but, according to him, even without its animals, the land along with Mziuri Park is a “protected landscape zone” defined by a presidential decree.
In addition to existing parks, a new park is actually being built on the left side of the river at Rike.
According to Akhvlediani, the new park of around 12 hectares will recreate Rike into “a modern urban monument.” The project also includes renovated tunnel for traffic.
“I think it will be one of the most attractive places [parks] for Tbilisi residents and foreign guests,” Akhvlediani said, adding that the project will relieve traffic congestion because cars will be able to reach the tunnel from the embankment highway.
A planned pedestrian bridge and the road will be completed by May 2010; the park will be completed by the end of this year, according to him.
Old Tbilisi New Life
The emphasis on rehabilitating the city’s historic neighborhoods is unchanged, officials stress. An overall 50 million lari is allocated for renovating the oldest parts of Tbilisi. Now that work is nearly completed in Kalaubani (a neighborhood in Old Tbilisi) and Rustaveli Avenue, a renovation project on Agmashenebeli Avenue is underway.
But officials agree building facelifts are not enough to save many of the houses and structures in the historic districts. Their solution – last year’s New Life of Old Tbilisi project – will continue in 2010.
Last year the city budgeted new apartments for over 200 families via tenders with eleven development companies. This year, more tenders will be announced as the city seeks to relocate more families.
According to Akhvlediani, work to renovate and revive Old Tbilisi will start only after families have received new apartments and the city is able to privatize their former property.
“As an outcome of the project we have the possibility to have new buildings instead of old houses in Old Tbilisi,” he said, adding that the city will be able to preserve the look and feel of Old Tbilisi.