According to the 2009 census (Azərbaycan Respublikasi 2010), the population of Greater Baku
was of 2045.8 thousand people. Taking into consideration the refugees and displaced people,
this indicator was 2246.0 thousand. Most of the latter group of people was temporarily settled in
the surrounding settlements of Baku. For the present, new housing buildings are being
constructed for them in the urban settlements. In some cases, special settlements (surrounding
areas of Umid, Mushfigabad and Masazir settlements) are being created for this group of
population.
The concentration of population in large numbers in the vicinity of Greater Baku has been
reflected also on the migration data. As the following table shows, in 2001-2005, the number of
the population increased by 7,8 thousand people, whereas from 2006 to 2010 this growth was
of 213,0 thousand people. Most new comers were settled in Baku city. In the meantime, the
number of the Khirdalan population grew several times. This settlement reached the status of
city, and its population number has grown by 93 thousand people (Table 2).
Therefore, new settlements and residential areas have to be displaced to other regions and to
be close to sources of agricultural production. This would also positively affect the employment.
The creation of huge living areas in the Absheron peninsula will lead to the deficiency of land
resources in the future. At present, the population density of Baku is 5430.9 people/km
2
where-
as it is 489.2 people/km
2
in the economic region of Absheron. The average population density
in Azerbaijan is 106.6 people/km
2
(2012).
Since 2010, a new city as residential area for over 600 thousand people is being constructed in
southern Absheron. In this connection, a territory with an area of 2.0 thousand hectares has
been destined. The initial investment has been identified at 125 billion USD. It would have been
more efficient to build this city outside of the Absheron peninsula, for example in Guba-
Khachmaz or Lankaran-Astara regions, where tourism is highly developed and the
opportunities to use the skilled work force is high. These territories are favourable for
developing special technologically based economic zones as well. As for the project in
Absheron, it will result in further concentration of population in the Absheron peninsula. Another
big project in Baku is the redevelopment of Gara Sheher in order to convert it to a modern
residential and business territory that will be called White City. The works are carried out based
on initial planning and we can consider this as great steps towards the renovation of the dis-
tricts of Baku. At the same time, the creation of a head plan of Baku until 2030 is underway.
Economic and Geographic Factors Affecting the Development of Greater Baku
211
Table 2
The natural increase and net migration of the population in Baku and the
surrounding administrative regions (Absheron economic region), in thousand
people
Area unit
2001-2005
2006-2010
Natural
increase
Net
migration
Overall
growth
Natural
increase
Net migra-
tion
Overall
growth
Baku city
61.0
+5.3
66.3
104.4
114.4
218.8
Sumgait city
10.3
-2.8
7.5
15.6
4.8
20.4
Absheron region
3.8
+5.1
8.9
6.2
93.5
99.7
Khizi region
0.5
+0.2
0.7
0.7
0.3
1.0
The economic region in
total
75.6
+7.8
83.4
126.9
213.0
339.9
The management of this plan would allow regulating the urbanization process in Baku and
Absheron region.
Depicting priorities for the further development of the agglomeration
The landscape of Baku city looks like an amphitheatre. The first zone in the shape of terrace is
covering 1.5 km long area alongside the Caspian Sea, and its height varies between 15-20
metres. The second terrace is above the first one, and the third zone is 140-160 metres of
height and more and it is located in western and eastern parts of the amphitheatre. The
maximum height is 200 metres, with 150 metres in the eastern part. The landscape in Bilajari
and Bakikhanov rises in weak form (Aliyeva 1988). The most intensive exploitation took place
on the third terrace in the modern period.
According to the development planning of Baku in the beginning of 20
th
century, the western
area from Chambarak (presently, west from M. Huseyn Street) was considered a landslide and
unsuitable for construction. The landslides were regularly observed in this area. The mentioned
area has not been populated for a long time, and it was occupied by private low buildings in
recent years. In subsequent periods, as a result of the landslide on the Bayil part of Salyan
highway, the Lukoil gas station was seriously damaged in 2000. Resettlement in this territory,
as well as Badamdar, Shikh and Bibi Heybat settlements, was being observed later. This
process must be prevented. In 2013, there was a landslip in Badamdar and the works on
overcoming the effects are being implemented.
The stages of Baku’s development are clearly visible in its planning. Feudal, capitalist (Vance
1971), socialist and modern stages of development are easily observable in urban planning,
architectural design and construction areas. Old City Castle, the symbol of the development at
middle ages (IX-XIX centuries) is located in the nucleus of the city centre. The part of Baku
remaining from the feudal ages has not incurred any major changes and there is no need to do
so. These parts represent the historic architectural style of Baku.
The flow of finances through the oil boom started in the 1870s entailed the creation of the
second zone of Baku. This zone of construction could be called the 'capitalist Baku' which in-
cludes the surrounding areas of the Old City Walls and the areas from the current avenues of
Neftchilar, Istiglaliyyat, 28 May, Nizami, Azerbaijan, Khagani and Bulbul to the Caspian Sea.
These areas must be planned as residential, socio-political, cultural and service areas. Nowa-
days, many modern buildings of capitalist architecture were constructed in these areas, but this
is not advisable from the view of urban planning and this kind of constructions should not be
allowed in the future.
Buildings constructed between 1920 and 1990, occupy 60-70% of the city's territory. 5-7-storey
residential buildings constructed during socialism are less in the territory compared with the low
storey houses of that period. The reconstruction of these areas should be completed in the
near future.
In the urban agglomerations, the core part of the cities affects and regulates the development
of the neighbouring settlements. In the Baku agglomeration, the economic and demographic
developments have interconnected with each other. Starting from the 60s and within the
following decades, disruptions in the functional division of Baku in the process of territorial
development has been observed. This process is underway at present as well. The expansion
of the city's territory was irregular and unplanned. The elimination of this problem is difficult in
the present. It is not urgent and very necessary to create new living blocks in the place of all
the old demolished buildings that had less height. Most five-storey buildings built in the 60s and
the following years are not actually useful for living. The construction of buildings and the
creation of new residential blocks at slopes and territories with high risk of landslip is another
problem. The increase of buildings density in the conditions of the shortage of unpopulated
Vusat AFANDIYEV,
Zakir EMINOV,
Saleh NAGIYEV
212