Sustainable Cities in Turkmenistan: Integrated Green Urban Development in Ashgabat and Awaza

Action Implemented

The Sustainable Cities Project aims to: - improve opportunities and favourable conditions in Ashgabat and Avaza to identify, develop and implement integrated low-carbon and climate resilient solutions; - reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other negative environmental impacts; - disseminate experience and scale-up the results of pilot project activities at the national level through information exchange, capacity building of institutions and relevant managers, promotion of sustainable urban development strategies and related regulations.

Outcomes and Expected Impact

Component 1. Sustainable urban development in Ashgabat: · Energy-efficient public lighting implemented in Ashgabat, with technical justification prepared for replication · Sustainable urban transport solutions in Ashgabat developed and applied · Waste volumes reduced and recycling expanded in Ashgabat · City-wide sustainability plans developed and approved Component 2. Sustainable Tourism Infrastructure and Management Practices in Awaza: · Practices to reduce energy consumption, water use, and waste implemented by hotels in Awaza · Demonstration and replication of solar-powered public lighting · Optimally efficient surface transportation implemented in Awaza · Managerial and technical capacity of planners, officials, and facility managers in Awaza enhanced via training Component 3. Municipal and National Policy: · National policies developed and adopted in support of integrated and scaled-up green urban practices, supported by capacity enhancement for responsible agencies and individuals · National incentives and standards adopted for fuel efficiency of imported cars

Sustainability and Scalability

With the purpose of experience sharing and scaling-up of the results, project specialists maintain a regular interaction with the main national partners: the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection, the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Construction and Architecture, Hyakimliks (municipalities) of Ashgabat and Turkmenbashi cities, “Turkmenavtoulaglary” Transport Agency, Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan. This cooperation is realized through consultations, training sessions, seminars and establishment of working groups.

Innovative and Cultural Aspects

The project is planning the procurement of power transformers with further installation and conducting energy audits, as well as the introduction of new innovative technologies in the street lighting system at an allocated pilot site in Ashgabat to upgrade Ashgabat city energy grid system and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. ver the past period, the project took an active part in development of drafts of two new Laws of Turkmenistan, which contributes to the sustainable development of the electric-energy sector of Turkmenistan. ith the aim of improving the environmental monitoring system in cities of Turkmenistan, the project has procured two sets of laboratory equipment for the monitoring the air and water pollution, as well as laboratory equipment and chemicals reagents for environmental laboratories of subordinate organizations of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection. Project is also working on preparation of the draft Programme for improving the system of environmental monitoring and control of the atmospheric air pollution and pollution of water facilities in Ashgabat and Avaza. The project started the development of a number of normative technical documentation and regulatory legal acts to the Law of Turkmenistan "On Waste" and supports the development of the draft National Strategy of Turkmenistan on waste management as another step towards sustainability. In 2019 and 2020, the UNDP project implemented a number of activities to collect plastic waste. Together with the Nature Preservation Society of Turkmenistan, Project launched a campaign on collection of waste in residential areas aimed at building the waste sorting practices and skills and increasing the scale of processing. The first stage of the campaign included only collection of plastic waste, the second stage now includes the collection of plastic, glass and paper waste.

Lessons Learned

A sustainable city involves strategic planning, looking to the future, and caring for future generations. The sustainable city strategy applies to all communities and includes both economic self-sufficiency and ecosystem protection with the active participation of citizens.

Social Inclusion

A sustainable city is a city in which the living conditions of individuals and the healthy environment around them are improved through cooperation between government, business community and non-profit organizations.