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Work has begun on the study “Comprehensive Assessment of the Development Potential of the Makhachkala Agglomeration,” commissioned by the Architecture and Urban Planning Department of the capital of Dagestan and carried out by the Agency for Strategic Development “CENTER.” This will be the second document of this kind for the agency: five years ago, the company released an analytical study with the same title that defined the key directions for the development of a territory with a population of over one million people.

The new study aims to update the vision for the further transformation of Makhachkala together with the neighboring territories of Kaspiysk, Karabudakhkentsky District, and Kumtorkalinsky District. “Over the years since the first study was published, Makhachkala has accomplished a great deal, and now it is necessary to consolidate information on the work already done. Data on the socio-economic situation and infrastructure may have partially become outdated; up-to-date information is needed to move on to the next stage of development of the agglomeration,” noted Sergey Georgievsky, Co-founder of the Agency for Strategic Development “CENTER.”

Among the goals of the new study are identifying the key problems of the municipalities and developing a preliminary scenario for the spatial development of the agglomeration. The list of objectives includes improving the quality-of-life index for urban and rural environments and identifying “quick wins”—measures capable of delivering tangible results in the short term.

Experts will also define a strategic development benchmark for the agglomeration, identify undeveloped land suitable for future use, and prepare proposals to improve housing, transport, infrastructure for work and leisure, as well as unified requirements for information and advertising structures, non-stationary retail outlets, cafés, and urban furniture. Priority measures will include proposals for modernizing the street and road network and creating streets with priority given to pedestrians.

The comprehensive assessment of the development potential of the Makhachkala agglomeration is expected to become the foundation for its future master plan—a key document that will determine spatial development priorities, major investment projects, and sources of their financing.

As stated in the Program for the Economic and Social Development of Makhachkala for 2025–2027, “The absence of a master plan prevents participation in the federal project ‘Development of Tourism Infrastructure’ under the national project ‘Tourism and the Hospitality Industry,’ which provides federal subsidies for the reconstruction of the historic part of the city. Prospects for innovation in Makhachkala’s tourism sector could be highly promising due to its unique cultural heritage, natural resources, and growing interest in the region.”

According to the Head of the Republic of Dagestan, Sergey Melikov, developing the Makhachkala agglomeration through master planning
“will, in the long term, make it possible to bring order to land and property relations, urban planning, and architecture; to unlock the potential of key viewpoints and centers of attraction in a well-considered way; and to create a continuous chain of embankments and public spaces.”

Фото:  Alexey Gusev / Lori Photo Bank