BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 22. The ancient Silk Road
cities can provide many clues for creating a 21st-century service
city in the Central Asian region, British architect Harry Dobbs,
founder of Harry Dobbs Design Ltd and member of the Alatau City
Development Council, said during a session titled "New Capitals and
New Cities of Central Asia. Water-Sensitive Urban Planning and
Housing for Climate Resilience" within the framework of WUF13,
Trend reports.


"And not only at the level of urban structure, but also at the
level of urban culture: from the ancient culture of caravanserai to
the culture of a modern business district. There are aspects of
human dynamics and relationships that have actually not changed all
that much, and they give us clues on how to create something that
is simultaneously culturally connected and modern," he said.


Dobbs noted that technology could become part of this
dynamic.


"Although today we have, as already mentioned, completely
different scales and paces of urbanization, creating environmental,
social, and technical challenges, we have also gained tools that
allow us to address these problems in completely new ways. And this
is where 'smart' technologies can help. They provide the
opportunity to understand, monitor, and manage the efficiency and
impact of cities in ways that were previously impossible.
Therefore, if you combine the ancient logistics of a service city
with the capabilities of a 'smart' city, we get not just a top-down
digital infrastructure typical of a smart city, but a smart service
city based on an open data ecosystem, where residents are at the
center of service delivery and city development," he said.


Dobbs noted that this stimulates the search for solutions,
supporting the local economy and the service sector.


"And, in essence, this creates a city that is not only physical
infrastructure, but also social and informational infrastructure —
a system of thinking that puts residents at the center of
developing urban services and solutions. An integrated digital,
social, and physical infrastructure makes technical and sustainable
development not just an engineering task, but a culturally
meaningful and people-oriented process," he said.


Meanwhile, today Baku is hosting the final day of WUF13.


On the first day of the forum, a ministerial meeting on the New
Urban Agenda, a ministerial roundtable, women’s and civil society
assemblies, business sessions, and discussions on urban well-being
took place. The forum also featured a flag-raising ceremony for the
UN and Azerbaijan.


The second day of the forum was marked by the first-ever
Leaders’ Summit. On this day, high-level discussions were held on
the global housing crisis, urbanization policy, and urban
sustainability. Also, as part of WUF13, the Mexico City pavilion
was inaugurated, presented as a key platform for expanding
cooperation with the Latin American region and preparing for
WUF14.







The third day of WUF13 was also marked by an extensive program
of events. Discussions on this day covered topics such as the
global housing crisis, the creation of safe and inclusive cities,
climate resilience, artificial intelligence and urban governance,
“green” urbanization, social equality, and sustainable
transportation.


One of the highlights of the third day was the signing of a
sister-city agreement between the Azerbaijani city of Shusha and
the Turkish city of Trabzon.


The fourth day of WUF13 featured an extensive program of events
dedicated to the themes of urbanization, climate change, inclusive
urban development, housing policy, and sustainable management.


On the fifth day of the forum, discussions continued on the
global housing crisis, the creation of safe and inclusive cities,
climate resilience, the use of artificial intelligence in urban
management, “green” urbanization, and social equality.


One of the key events of the Cities Forum of the United Nations
Special Program for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA), held on
the fourth day, was the announcement of Almaty’s official accession
to the “Declaration of Intent on the Establishment of the SPECA
Forum on Smart Cities Resilient to Climate Change.”


Also, for the first time in WUF history, the “WUF13 NGO Forum:
Global Partnership and Decision-Making” was held at the initiative
of Azerbaijan.


The WUF13 Forum, dedicated to the theme “"Housing the world:
Safe and resilient cities and communities", brought together
governments, international organizations, experts, and civil
society representatives to strengthen global cooperation in the
field of sustainable urban development. More than 40,000 people
from 182 countries registered to participate in the forum.