Rustavi 2050 Goes Live

12 February, 2020

Credit: Rustavi2050

Modern cities change and their structure becomes hybrid, and their function and role indicate that cities are evolving and offering new challenges and opportunities to their residents and managers. The first and necessary step for the city development is to obtain long-term urban foresight plan. For both city leaders and managers, alike its residents, urban vision provides a combination of intellectual, practical, and political means to improve the effectiveness and quality of their decisions.

In practice, it is a set of methods allowing decision-makers to:

• uncover new ideas for development;

• challenge existing assumptions about the future, especially the notion that there is only one, singular future that is unavoidable;

• explore the interactions between future trends and the forces driving change and how they can be influenced by policies and investments.

The Rustavi Innovation Hub started Urban Foresight cycle in 2018, and several trial meetings were already held; At this stage, the active phase of workshops is being held with different target audiences.

The results of the three meetings already held are interesting and varied. Citizens offer different ideas about what Rustavi might look like by 2050 and how to define the city’s main idea that will drive the city and create a platform where everyone can identify and develop their potential. Given the local context and the individual nature of Rustavi, several models have already been developed for the development of different areas of the city.

For example, it is particularly relevant to make Rustavi a major center of vocational education and training — with modern infrastructure and facilities. The idea of turning Rustavi into a green city is also frequent with special tree species, innovative recreational spaces and beautiful decorations. The idea of ​​developing the city through industrialization, where there will be enterprises and factories of modern standards, haven’t lost its popularity. All of this is linked to increasing the city’s tourism potential in the future and attracting investment. A city of cultural-educational events, entertainment centers, street art, or a sports city — these are just a few of the ideas that came up at workshops.

The Rustavi Innovation Hub continues the cycle of meetings with various target groups and the development of the Rustavi development plan.