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Akbar Novruz

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On May 17th, between 15,000 and 25,000 individuals will make their way to Baku for the 13th edition of the UN World Urban Forum. Urban planners, infrastructure investors, representatives from the World Bank, technology firms, and local government representatives from over 130 countries will gather to discuss housing, resilience, and sustainable cities, all centered on the theme of "Housing the world: Safe and resilient cities and communities." For Baku, however, this event holds a particularly significant level of importance.

The conference, first held in 2001 and repeated biannually since then, is the primary United Nations platform dealing with urbanisation, with the Cairo session scheduled for 2024 gathering 25,000 representatives from 182 nations. Being added to the already prestigious list of venues, which have included Barcelona, Vancouver, Rio de Janeiro, and Abu Dhabi, lends credibility to the conference. The World Bank Group will be responsible for a dedicated Urban Expo pavilion, and UN-Habitat, one of the partners in organising this global summit, will integrate its findings into the New Urban Agenda report for the UN Secretary General in 2026.

Looking at urbanization's context in a global aspect, we see that the share of the world's 8.2bn people now living in cities, which is more than double of 1950's share of the 1950s, which was estimated at around 45%. People in informal settlements worldwide are around 1 billion, and the projected share [68%] of the world population in cities by 2050, adding 2.5 billion urban dwellers. These are all the central themes for the upcoming WUF13.

Now, for Azerbaijan, WUF13 serves three overlapping purposes. First, there is conventional event diplomacy – staging a UN landmark conference creates an institutional profile which cannot be easily bought, an experience that also shed a light back in November 2024 during COP29. Second, the message of investments – the arrival in Baku of numerous foreign delegations, including those representing international financial institutions and private infrastructure funds, provides an ideal platform for showcasing the urban projects of the country. Third, the most difficult and the most complex part of the message is to position the redevelopment of Karabakh and East Zangezur as an example of smart-city urbanism.

In contrast, the Baku column boasts some tangible evidence. The Baku City Master Plan 2040, prepared by the German company Albert Speer + Partner and officially adopted towards the end of 2023, envisages a development project that is projected to cost 93.6 billion manats ($55 billion) by 2040. In particular, the master plan outlines an ambitious redevelopment strategy to transform Baku from its current monocentric and car-centered configuration to a polycentric and pedestrian-friendly metropolis, featuring the implementation of the "15-minute city" idea, the establishment of green corridors linking parks, the revival of the tram system destroyed in 2004, extensive metro expansion, and increasing public transportation's share of passenger transport to 40%. The State Program for Transport Infrastructure Development for 2025-2030 officially confirms this modality shift, positioning Baku on the path consistent with the sustainability mission outlined at WUF13. Abu Dhabi signed a twin-city agreement with Baku in early 2026 explicitly to enhance urban mobility and green technologies.

A little issue is perhaps the disparity between the ambition of the master plan and its practical implementation in Baku itself. For example, while the master plan for 2040 calls for the demolition of around 122,000 residential houses, the tram system it envisions would require the reconstruction of the infrastructure that was physically demolished in 2004. Local transport industry experts have shared their thoughts on the plan, expressing some concerns that it might be challenging to implement within the suggested timeframe. Ultimately, only time will tell how this will unfold.

Liberated territories

The more politically charged element of Azerbaijan's WUF13 narrative is the reconstruction of the liberated territories. Since 2020, over $10.3 billion has been invested by Azerbaijan in rebuilding the region of Karabakh and East Zangezur, with another $2.35 billion earmarked for the next year of 2025. About 60,000 people have been settled back in the territory through a "Great Return" campaign, with the government aiming at having resettled 150,000 by 2027. Three new airports at Fuzuli, Zangilan, and Lachin have already been built. Plans are underway for 30 new settlements, relying mainly on renewable energy sources. The territory has been recognized as a green energy zone for a decent amount of time.

Aghali, Zangilan’s leading “Smart Village” pilot program, which incorporates renewable energy technologies, smart administration, intelligent lighting systems, and an adjacent agricultural technology park, has been hailed as a successful example of sustainable town planning by constructing a new village from the ground up. Shusha will be reconstructed based on meticulous archival data regarding its past architectural designs. In 2024, Karabakh University was founded in Khankendi.

Karabakh is, of course, not the only post-conflict or purpose-built urban project. There are several examples of this.

Rwanda, Kigali post-genocide recovery; long-term rebuilding plan 2013. Africa's first smart city pilot: a citywide fiber network. GDP per capita tripled from 2000 to 2020, becoming a regional tourism hub.

South Korea, Songdo: $35 billion purpose-built since 2003, featuring IoT infrastructure and pneumatic waste disposal systems. It experienced below 40% occupancy for years, but has partially recovered since.

UAE, Masdar City: a $22 billion zero-carbon city established in 2008. It features solar power, driverless transit, and a smart grid. However, the project has been repeatedly scaled back and never fully occupied as originally designed.

Post-conflict reconstruction can produce genuine urban success, and this can be seen in the example of Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, which is often referred to as Africa’s most livable and quickly growing city. It is important to note, though, that specially designed cities lack a good record when it comes to success: in their technological advancement, devoid of natural economic density, they achieve great infrastructure and very few people. But purpose-built smart cities have a notably poorer track record: Songdo and Masdar both demonstrate that technological sophistication without organic economic density produces impressive infrastructure and underpopulated streets. As for Azerbaijan’s Karabakh project differs in an important respect, as it focuses on the restoration and revitalisation of territories that were previously inhabited. The resettlement process is ongoing, with a growing number of former residents returning to the region under the “Great Return” programme. As with many large-scale reconstruction efforts, the process is gradual and evolving, reflecting both the complexity of rebuilding infrastructure and the broader objective of ensuring sustainable, long-term development.

In this setting, presenting the reconstruction of Karabakh as a model of smart and sustainable urban development will call for not only strong planning credentials but also a measured and balanced approach in communication.

WUF13 seems to be more of a forum that presents diverse models and experiences rather than one that will provide firm conclusions. There is no doubt that the rebuilding of Karabakh may appear to some participants as a model of development after conflict, while to others it is an example of urban planning and sustainability.

*WUF13 details: 17–22 May 2026, Baku. Theme: "Housing the world: Safe and resilient cities and communities." Co-organised by UN-Habitat and the Government of Azerbaijan. The World Bank Group, IFC, and major multilateral development institutions will operate pavilions and sessions. The event takes place at the midpoint of the New Urban Agenda's ten-year implementation cycle.