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National Urban Forum of Kazakhstan 2025

"A city is not just buildings; it is the quality of life that we leave to future generations"

Yerzhan Tazabekov

General Director of Kazpetrol Group LLP

The international forum "National Urban Forum of Kazakhstan 2025" was held in July in Kyzylorda. Kazpetrol Group LLP acted as the general sponsor of the event.

The forum brought together leading architects, urbanists, experts from international organizations and government officials to talk about the main thing: what should a city be like if you want to live in it?

Katya Schaefer, regional adviser to UN-Habitat. - We are not just discussing how cities are changing here, - she said. It is important to understand for whom these changes are happening. A city is not concrete, not infrastructure, not technology. A city is people. These are emotions, safety, opportunities for communication, development and life in harmony with nature.

Acting Executive Director of UN-Habitat Raphael Toots spoke about global challenges - climate, social injustice, urbanization without a strategy. In his opinion, it is important for Kazakhstan not only to borrow international experience, but also to rethink it in the context of its own realities.

Deputy Akim of the Kyzylorda region Ardak Zebeshev noted that the region is already actively introducing elements of a smart and inclusive city.

- Our goal is to create a comfortable, safe and modern environment where every resident feels like a participant in change. These are not only digital solutions. We are talking about a holistic approach, where technology works for the benefit of people.

UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Kazakhstan Sukhrob Khodjimatov focused on inclusiveness. His speech reminded all forum participants: without taking into account the interests of all social groups, no urban strategy will be complete.

Famous British architect and founder of the Harry Dobbs Design studio Harry Dobbs spoke about the connection between architecture and human psychology and everyday life.

The speech by Riccardo Marini, the founder of Urban Living, became a philosophical conclusion to the session. He reminded that a city is not the sum of buildings and roads. It is, first of all, connections between people.

Today, urban development is no longer just a matter of construction, engineering or expansion of territories. It is a whole philosophy, at the center of which is a person, his lifestyle, needs, sense of security and belonging. Regional urbanization is the most important tool for sustainable and balanced growth, allowing each city to preserve its uniqueness, while meeting modern standards of comfort and ecology.

These were the issues that were the focus of the second thematic session of the National Urban Forum of Kazakhstan 2025. The session was called "Implementation of the urban agenda of Kazakhstan in the regions" and became a real platform for the exchange of views between representatives of government, business, the architectural community and international organizations. The main goal of the discussion was to build practical steps to implement urban policy at the local level - taking into account regional specifics, local communities and economic realities. In the context of a rapidly changing climate, cities are becoming not only centers of economic and cultural development, but also the front lines of adaptation and survival. This is especially acute in regions where natural conditions are already extremely vulnerable - such as the south and west of Kazakhstan. Rising temperatures, lack of precipitation, desertification - all these are not just environmental terms, but real challenges that residents and municipal authorities face every day. It was in this context that the third thematic session entitled "Climate and Urban Resilience in Arid Regions of Kazakhstan" was held in Kyzylorda as part of the National Urban Forum of Kazakhstan - 2025. The session became an important platform for discussing climate-adapted solutions, where both scientific data and practical approaches to creating a comfortable, sustainable environment in the face of increasing heat and water shortages were voiced.