Azerbaijan.US
All residential buildings in Baku that are classified as unsafe or have exceeded their service life are planned to be demolished by 2040, according to real estate expert Elnur Farzaliyev.
Speaking about the city’s long-term urban development strategy, Ferzaliyev said such buildings currently exist in 12 districts of the capital. These structures pose risks to public safety and also negatively affect the city’s overall appearance.
According to available estimates, Baku has thousands of apartment buildings whose service life has expired, as well as hundreds of buildings officially deemed unsafe. The expert noted that demolishing an old multi-apartment building and replacing it with a new one typically takes at least three years, making large-scale redevelopment a time-consuming process.
Ferzaliyev emphasized that Baku’s Master Plan has already been approved, and the city is expected to fully align with it by 2040. The timeline reflects both the scale of the task and the procedural requirements involved.
He added that the demolition of unsafe buildings is a complex, multi-stage process. It requires formal assessments and approvals from relevant state authorities. Broader involvement of private construction companies could help accelerate the process and reduce safety risks for residents currently living in hazardous conditions.
Another major challenge is compensation. In some apartment buildings, there are hundreds of property owners, and reaching agreement on resettlement terms and compensation can take considerable time.
Overall, the expert believes that a phased approach, combined with private-sector participation, will allow Baku to modernize its housing stock while significantly improving urban safety and living conditions.
