Social, economic and environmental aspects of current condition of municipal infrastructure in Uzbekistan: a search for new mechanisms and tools for its improvement
Donor: UNESCAP
Research areas: Governance and Development
Duration: November 2010 - March 2011
To implement the long-term urbanization strategy the impetus is to be made on urban development with the cities being the hubs of industrial production and modern services. However, at this point a number of infrastructural and institutional barriers are hindering successful urbanization and industrialization of the country. For instance, the existing municipal social and engineering infrastructure is a significant obstacle to accelerated urbanization. Continuous under-financing of housing and utilities systems is seen as the main reason for deteriorating municipal infrastructure.
Institutional barriers of urban development include the existing municipal management system, problems with delineation of powers and functions among regional, district and city administration, particularly in terms of managing the budgeting process. Lack of independence of municipal authorities in budgeting (due to regional/district subordination) is another key challenge to urban development. Maintenance and development of municipal infrastructure requires significant investment the city authorities simply do not have under the existing institutional setup. Lack of powers also hampers productive cooperation between municipal authorities and private sector which is most interested in infrastructure development.
The country is experiencing a serious lack of researches which address such issues as improving the system of municipal management, local (city) budgets and their funding sources, enhancing the role of local budgets in infrastructure development, current condition of municipal infrastructure, new mechanisms of involving the private sector in implementation of infrastructure projects in the cities, etc.
The project aimed at analysis of problems and prospects of urbanization in Uzbekistan. The results will be used to develop a set of recommendations for the government to improve national policies on urbanization.