Architects regard Astana's construction as a national idea
14:40, 21 January 2011
ASTANA. January 21. KAZINFORM City planners discussed why the decision of the Head of State on moving a capital from Almaty to Akmola was necessary. Director of the Research Design Institute of the Astana city General Plan Amanzhol Chikanayev noted that at that time the central and northern regions, where industrial enterprises and agrarian sector were located, experienced a shortage of specialists because the southern regions of Kazakhstan were overpopulated.
"The moving of the capital led to people's moving to a new administrative center, and thanks to this the northern and southern regions began to revive", A.Chikanayev emphasized.
The city of Almaty was overpopulated and there was an environmental crisis.
Chief Architect of Astana Sagyndyk Zhanbolatov regards construction of a new capital of Kazakhstan as a national idea. "After the USSR collapse none of the leaders of the post-Soviet countries had new ideas. N.Nazarbayev arose an idea to transfer the capital", S.Zhanbolatov said.
The experts agreed that the relocation of the capital and construction of a new city in a steppe is an epoch event.