Baku: Residential areas in Karabakh are being built based on the 15-minute city principle, Gulshan Rzayeva, Deputy Head of the Office of the State Committee on Urban Planning and Architecture and Deputy National Coordinator of WUF13, revealed at a high-level dialogue titled 'Global Housing Crisis - What's the Plan?' during WUF13.

According to Azeri-Press News Agency, Rzayeva highlighted the importance of blended finance for affordable housing, involvement of development banks and international financial institutions, and the use of digital technologies and modern construction methods. She explained that governments play a role in shaping housing policy, land use, and legal frameworks, while the private sector contributes investment and innovation. Civil society reflects community needs in this process.

Rzayeva noted that climate resilience and inclusive urbanization are key aspects of Azerbaijan's national socio-economic development priorities until 2030. She mentioned that the State Agency for Housing Construction (MIDA), created under a strategic roadmap in 2016, constructs energy-efficient and modern apartments on state lands at prices below market value.

The Great Return Program in Azerbaijan's liberated territories exemplifies the practical application of the New Urban Agenda, Rzayeva emphasized. Residential areas in these regions are developed using 'smart city' and 'smart village' concepts, alongside green energy zones and climate-sensitive planning. Housing is integrated with transport, education, healthcare, employment, and social services under the 15-minute city principle.

Rzayeva concluded that affordable housing is about building functional communities and a living ecosystem, not just houses.