In the second half of the twentieth century, research on urban planning was carried out in the
United States (Kresl and Singh 2012, Woo and Guldmann 2011), Canada (Yeates 1990),
Australia and Western Europe. Special attention is given also to the investigation of cities of
global importance (Sassen 1994, Taylor 1993), experience which is worth to be used.
Cities have been also studied by researchers from the rapidly developing countries such as
China, or from the Middle East (Abramson 2006, Paquot 2006, Ning 2011). In particular, the
population dynamics and the enlargement of small and medium cities are investigated. For
example, in the Ranchi city of India, which has an area of 177 sq. km., the number of new
constructed buildings has increased by 15% in the last 10 years whereas the growth of the
population number was about 29%. Consequently, the lands usable for farming were reduced,
the ecological situation was deteriorated, and traffic jams increased in this city (Shikha and
Singh 2011).
The management of capital cities and the maintenance of proportional socioeconomic
development hold significant place among different studies. These problems are studied in
most countries as an important issue (Champion and Townsend 2011). As studies carried out
in Western Europe show, the political factors influence the employment rate and the population
growth at less extent (Greasley et al. 2011). The development of infrastructure and
environmental protection (Torranse 2009, Polinna 2012), the cities’ place within the global
urban network (Ancien 2011, Krueger and Gibbs 2010, Chubarov and Sluka 2012), influence
the changing factors of the capital cities development (Heinelt and Zimmermann 2011).
In China and India, the process of cities’ physical extension is driven by the development of
market relations while strict demographic policies target the elimination of this process
(Chaberko et al. 2011, Jesitha et al. 2011).
Development and urban planning of Greater Baku was conducted on the basis of the socialist
division of labour. The principles of city-planning in Baku were followed on the basis of the
soviet methodology, and equally by various cities with different functions, natural-geographic
conditions, and economic structure. Micro-geography, management and planning of urban
districts have not been taken into consideration properly, whereas studies on core cities are
usually devoted on defining the future priorities of cities’ development. Micro-geography of core
cities plays an influential and defining role in solving the development problems. In this regard,
solutions at the problems of city-planning in Greater Baku can be reached only in a definite
time. It would be useful to take into consideration the experience gained by the studies carried
out in the United States, Western Europe and other countries in order to find solutions to
problems related to the field of city planning: the demographic development of cities; balanced
ways of development concerning the capital city and its peripheries; regulation of the urban
areas expansion and connections between cities, etc. Despite the high concentration of
population in the surrounding areas of cities, these countries have gained success in the
improvement of activities with social objectives, and also in the urban planning of the suburbs.
For many years, substantial differences were observed in the research methodology,
theoretical base and solving of cites problems and urbanization between the USSR and
Western Europe. Isolated development of regions in relation to each other resulted in
differences both for the management of development and planning, and the approaches taken
to solve the involved problems. In cities of Europe and America, the emphasis is laid upon the
study of solutions to problems appeared in the core areas of the agglomeration. In the mean-
time, special attention is given to the micro-geographical approach and the solving of socio-
cultural problems of certain territories.
In the last 20 years, the approaches of different studies in terms of methodology and scientific
analysis are getting to be relatively similar between the scientific schools of Europe and
Economic and Geographic Factors Affecting the Development of Greater Baku
207
America, and the post-Soviet space as well as Azerbaijan. The previously isolated studies
carried out by these sides become closer and integrated to each other. In this paper, the
analysis of the problems of Greater Baku as well as the development of their solutions are
considered as main issues of the study, with making reference chiefly on the theoretical and
methodological theses.
Description, analysis, statistic method and mapping were applied as main methods in
conducting the studies. In the meantime, field works were implemented during this research.
Results of the lay-out taken from different entities and agencies were used as well.
Results and discussion
Social-economic and demographic dynamics
At the end of the 19
th
century, the growth in the exploitation of oil reserves and the
development of oil industry gave an impetus to the emergence and development of hard
economic base in Baku and its surroundings, being also responsible for the higher rate of the
population growth, and the creation of new manufacturing facilities in the cities of other regions
(Fig. 1 and Fig. 2; Black dots represent the industrial facilities; the others are agricultural
areas; circumferences are drawn by each 5 km).
Looking at the historical development of the capital city of Azerbaijan in the 19th and 20th
centuries, it is mentionable that Baku developed as an isolated area from the other regions of
Azerbaijan. This resulted in sharp differences between the social-economic and demographic
potentials of Baku and the other regions. In 1873, Baku was the fifth biggest city after
Shamakhi (25.1 thousand people), Shusha (24.6 thousand people), Sheki (21.4 thousand
people) and Ganja (18.6 thousand people). By 1916, the population of Baku having 262.4
thousand residents was 4.55 times larger than the second biggest city, Ganja, which had 57.7
thousand residents (Eminov 2005).
Rapidly developing, Baku covered the amphitheatre zone completely by 1918. In 1920, there
appeared new city areas like New Baku, Bayil, Gara Sheher and Ag Sheher ('White City') in
addition to the Old City of Baku. Around the city, the territories of Keshla, Ahmadli and Zigh
also existed. Nevertheless, the city planning and developing was not well organized, and this
resulted in irregular territorial development.
Vusat AFANDIYEV, Zakir EMINOV, Saleh NAGIYEV
208
Fig. 1 – The development of Greater Baku
before 1870
Fig. 2 –
The development of Greater
Baku in 1870-1913