Astana sets example for foreign urbanists, expert says

Nurkozha Bauyrzhanuly, Senior Urbanist at the Astana Urbanism Center, noted that European specialists are taking a strong interest in the capital’s rapid infrastructure transformation.

"I think the era when we relied exclusively on foreign experience and sought to adopt it is gradually becoming a thing of the past," Bauyrzhanuly said. "Today, Astana is showing the world what modern urbanism should look like. Experienced specialists from Europe, including London, visit the capital and are amazed at the projects here. They even say they only dreamed of such a city. These specialists have a clear vision of what a modern city should look like, but putting such ideas into practice in Europe is not easy."

The layout of many European cities was formed in the era of horse-drawn transit, resulting in narrow streets and restricted pedestrian access, the urbanist explained. In contrast, Astana, being a young city, has vast opportunities for modern urban-planning solutions.

"The akim (mayor) of Astana has a professional background in architecture. That's why the capital is not just studying international practices — it has reached a stage where it can share its own solutions with other cities. The steady flow of foreign experts visiting Astana to study our projects proves this shift. This is evidenced by the growing interest from foreign specialists who travel to Astana to examine the projects here firsthand," Nurkozha Bauyrzhanuly noted.

According to the expert, in an ideal model of urban development, most buildings should not exceed three to four stories.

As previously reported, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev had called for a stepped-up effort from urbanism centers across all regions of Kazakhstan.