CONTEMPORARY FEATURES AND PROBLEMS OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT AND PLANNING IN POST-SOVIET COUNTRIES

Abstract

The article analyses both contemporary urban development and planning features and problems in post-Soviet Union nations. This includes an exploration of both the history of socialist urban planning and the emergence of new spatial transformations following the collapse of the socialist structure within the Soviet Union. A key focus of the article is the effects of market-oriented reforms on the creation of socio-spatial inequality, infrastructure problems and the challenge of sustainable development. The second part of this research is an analysis of two former Soviet republic capitals: Yerevan and Tbilisi, showing similarities, as well as distinctive features, to the urban transformation process in these cities. The findings support the notion that the urban development trajectory of all former Soviet cities is the result of inherited spatial characteristics from the socialist era, institutional transformations following the collapse of the Soviet Union and current market conditions. To achieve effective urban development, it is necessary to integrate strategic planning and implement the principles of sustainable development into the urban development process.