Urban Development Baku: From Soviet Past To Modern Future

Abstract

During the Soviet period, Baku was one of the major industrial cities in the Soviet Union. The post-Soviet history of Baku has witnessed a major re-planning and reconstruction of the city with the aim of making the capital the major city of the region. As oil revenues began to flow, the government of Azerbaijan poured billions of dollars into various projects in Baku, making the city the part of its grand strategy of advertising the country. Meanwhile, the model of Dubai became an exceedingly attractive model for the administration of Baku. This article describes the major processes and key forces underlying the transformation of Baku and examines the problems haunting the city.