Within the framework of the preparation process of the Master Plan of Baku by the State Committee on Urban Planning and Architecture based on the instructions of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, the process of public acquaintance is started in accordance with the requirements of the legislation. 
Taking into account the special quarantine regime announced by the Operational Headquarters under the Cabinet of Ministers in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection in our country, the initial draft of the Master Plan of Baku will be presented to the public for 60 days in the format of a virtual exhibition.
The initial draft of the Master plan, prepared on the order of the Committe with the participation of experts from leading international urban planning companies and relevant local agencies, is available on the official website of the Committe in the section “Baku Master Plan”. 
Those who get acquainted with the draft Master plan can send their comments and suggestions to the e-mail address baki@arxkom.gov.az. All proposals will be recorded and evaluated by field experts, and taken into account in the preparation of the final draft of the Master plan of Baku. It is also planned to organize a number of events in the next 2 months to discuss the proposals submitted by the relevant agencies and the public in the framework of the process of the preparation of the Master plan of Baku. 
The draft Master plan of Baku covering the entire 213,500 hectares of the administrative territory of the capital, contains the main development priorities of the city for 20 years, including organized multicenter city that will ensure strong and sustainable development, sustainable urban environment formed as a result of complex use of lands, protection of cultural and historical-architectural heritage, as well as a new urban economy that will ensure the transition to the post-industrial era. The plan describes the characteristics and development directions of different types of the city centers,  proposed transit hubs, street-road network and “hybrid corridor” solutions for the creation of a multi-mode transport system that ensures the mobility of the population, as well as the development scheme of engineering communication systems and public spaces calculated on the basis of the population density of the capital. In addition, according to the document, in order to improve the enviromental situtaion, it is planned to take measures such as rehabilition of contaminated areas, increase of greenery, prevention of constructions that may damage the appearance of historical sites. 
The main purpose of these and other planned measures is to lay the foundation for the harmonious development of Baku, now a single-centered agglomeration, as a multi-centered and sustainable city, to determine the directions, as well as to create favorable conditions for the sustainable development of new priority areas of the capital’s economy. 
It should be noted that the process of preparing the Master plan of Baku was organized in two stages in accordance with international practice. In Phase 1, the Committee developed a concept of the development of the capital with the support of “Boston Consulting Group” (BCG), an international strategic consultant. In Phase 2, based on the development concept, a relevant project was prepared and an international tender was announced, and the preparation of the Master plan was entrusted to the German company AS+P, a prestigious international urban planning and architecture company that won the tender. Also, the British cosulting companies “Ernst and Young” and “Ramboll”, as well as “Baku State Desing” Institute as a local partner, were involved in the preparation process of the Master plan. At the same time, on the basis of the survey, various information on the development of the city provided by about 40 government agencies was systematized and formed into a single database, and were given to the use of a group of the specialist working on the Master plan who had held more than 300 meetings and discussions. 
It is planned to continue works on the initial draft of the Master plan of Baku, by taking into account the views of relevant government agencies and experts, as well as suggestions from the public.