BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 13
By Ilkin Seyfaddini – Trend:
The territory of Samarkand will almost triple, from 11,200 to 30,000 hectares, and the population of Samarkand will reach 1.1 million people by 2040, Trend reports via Uzbek media.
According to the data as of the beginning of 2018, it makes up about 540,000, i.e. two decades later the number of citizens will double.
Such a forecast is contained in the Uzbek government's decree approving the master plan for Samarkand, developed by the republic's Construction Ministry.
By 2040, the Ministry of Construction plans to increase the amount of houses in this city from 6.1 million square meters to 22 million. Moreover, emphasis will be on single and double-storey houses, which will account for 60 percent of the total volume of new buildings. Buildings three to five floors high will account for 30 percent of the city's new housing stock.
The master plan provides the construction of additional schools, hospitals, hotels, retail outlets and other urban infrastructure facilities, taking into account the growth rate of Samarkand.
At the same time, any construction or reconstruction of existing buildings in the central part of the city on the area of 1100 hectares will be carried out only after the approval of plans by the Ministry of Culture.
In general, the development of the master plan will take into account the UNESCO recommendations on the preservation of Samarkand's cultural heritage.
Samarkand is one of the oldest cities in the world, founded, according to archaeological data, between the 8th and 7th centuries B.C. The city was the center of the historical region and capitol of Sogdian satrapy.
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