Phoenix 24
A city imagined from scratch that seeks modernity without erasing its memory.
Tashkent, August 2025.
Uzbekistan has launched one of the most ambitious urban projects in Central Asia: the creation of New Tashkent, a city designed to accommodate up to two million people and built over 20,000 hectares along the Chirchik and Karasuv rivers. Officials describe it as a smart, sustainable and resilient urban center that will reduce pressure on the existing capital while positioning the country as a regional hub for innovation and investment.
The first construction phase, covering 6,000 hectares, is already underway. Urban planners emphasize mixed-use districts, walkable neighborhoods and green spaces designed to break with the logic of sprawling cities dominated by cars. The project integrates international design principles but is also presented as an attempt to combine modern infrastructure with Uzbekistan’s cultural heritage.
European observers note that the initiative reflects a broader global trend where cities are reinvented as showcases of political ambition and technological vision. They also warn of the risks: rapid urban expansion can undermine historical identity. Comparisons are often drawn with cities such as Istanbul, where modernization campaigns collided with heritage preservation. For New Tashkent, the challenge will be to reconcile growth with memory.
A London-based architectural firm, Cross Works, won the masterplan contract, outpacing larger competitors. Its involvement reflects Uzbekistan’s openness to global expertise, while also signaling the importance of tailoring design to local context. The company has promised that sustainability, human scale and cultural sensitivity will guide the process.
Meanwhile, the government has not neglected Tashkent’s architectural legacy. The city’s Soviet modernist icons, such as the Chorsu Bazaar, the domed circus hall and the ornate metro system, are attracting renewed attention. The Art and Culture Development Foundation has launched initiatives to preserve these landmarks and is even promoting a UNESCO World Heritage application. Officials argue that the old and new must coexist: while New Tashkent embodies the future, historic Tashkent must remain the custodian of memory.
The project also reflects a national strategy. Since 2020, presidential initiatives have focused on entrepreneurship, infrastructure and social stability as pillars of long-term development. Analysts at the Council on Foreign Relations believe that the new city could become a magnet for domestic and foreign investment, especially if business districts are integrated into global supply chains. Yet they also highlight that building a functional “business city” requires more than architecture: it demands governance models that ensure transparency and inclusivity.
Environmental experts stress that mobility planning will be decisive. Without integrated transport and decarbonized infrastructure, New Tashkent risks replicating the congestion and pollution problems that affect other megacities. International transport researchers have pointed to the need for sustainable pathways, combining public transport, cycling networks and renewable energy grids.
From Asia’s perspective, New Tashkent signals Central Asia’s entry into the global conversation on smart cities. Observers in China interpret the project as a sign that Uzbekistan seeks to diversify its partnerships and showcase technological modernity. In the Middle East, specialists in urban development note that Gulf cities such as Dubai and Doha offer precedents for balancing global ambition with local identity, though often at the cost of social inequality. In Africa, urban planners see the initiative as a potential model for future projects in rapidly growing capitals that face similar tensions between modernization and heritage.
For citizens, however, the most immediate questions are pragmatic: who will live in New Tashkent, who will finance it, and how will it integrate with the existing city? Critics inside Uzbekistan warn that megaprojects can generate inequality if they create enclaves of prosperity disconnected from the urban majority. Supporters counter that the project will create jobs, attract foreign investment and expand the tax base, all of which could strengthen social stability.
Ultimately, New Tashkent stands at a crossroads. It can become a beacon of 21st century urbanism if it succeeds in combining innovation with inclusivity, infrastructure with culture, and modern governance with social responsibility. But if it neglects these balances, it risks turning into another case of rapid modernization detached from its roots.
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