A “Festival Quarter” for Makhachkala and Dozens of Other Initiatives — Dagestan’s Capital to Present Development Potential Study for the Makhachkala Agglomeration
On May 13, Makhachkala will host the presentation of the study “Comprehensive Assessment of the Development Potential of the Makhachkala Agglomeration” as part of the ARCH-IDEA festival at the multimedia park “Russia — My History.”
The session, beginning at 10:00 a.m., will present the results of an extensive analytical study initiated by Makhachkala Mayor Dzhambulat Salavov and commissioned by the city’s Department of Architecture and Urban Planning. The presentation will outline a series of proposed transformations aimed at creating an urban environment befitting the capital of a major federal region and placing the entire agglomeration on a trajectory of balanced long-term development.
The study has been conducted since the beginning of the year by the Agency for strategic development "CENTER". It included a strategic session involving representatives of regional and municipal authorities, businesses, and civil society, as well as a detailed field assessment during which the project team evaluated conditions across both urban and rural territories.
The document delivers a comprehensive analysis of existing conditions and key challenges — including the deteriorating state of utility infrastructure, road networks, public spaces, and natural territories. The authors identify significant risks, including the outflow of economically active residents due to declining quality of life and the growing threat of an environmental crisis linked to pollution in the Caspian Sea basin.
The proposed solution is a transition toward a new development model centered on the creation of additional urban centers beyond the core of the agglomeration — including Kaspiysk, Makhachkala through the “Azure Coast” project, and surrounding settlements such as Krasnoarmeyskoye, Shamkhal, Semender, and Leninkent.
The approach is based on several key principles:
- Functional diversity across emerging urban centers
- Integrated territorial planning and land subdivision
- Restrictions on new residential development without parallel delivery of social infrastructure
The study also proposes a broad portfolio of projects aimed at modernizing both urban and rural environments. Among them is the creation of a “festival quarter” in the capital of Dagestan — a project intended to unlock the republic’s full cultural and tourism potential — alongside the development of public spaces in the centers of settlements throughout the agglomeration.
The research is intended to create a framework for the future master plan of the Makhachkala agglomeration.
The session “The Future of the Makhachkala Agglomeration” will be moderated by Olga Gritsan, Project Curator and Head of Analytics at the Agency for strategic development "CENTER". Invited participants include Acting Head of Makhachkala’s Department of Architecture and Urban Planning Tinamagomed Digiev and Head of the City Department of Transport, Communications, and Road Infrastructure Andrey Guseynov.
Register for the event: https://xn----7sbnen0c9ayf.xn--p1ai/dprogram
