BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 15. Azerbaijan is shaping a new model of urban development, Elchin Babayev, rector of Baku State University said at an international conference on “Shaping Human Capital for Sustainable and Resilient Urban Development” in Baku, Trend reports.
"We are witnessing a transformation in which cities are not only being rebuilt but also reimagined. From the reconstruction of territories liberated from occupation to the implementation of ‘smart city’ and ‘smart village’ concepts, Azerbaijan is shaping a new model of urban development. This progress gives us not only confidence but also responsibility," he said.
Babayev noted that today we must ask ourselves the key question: are current education and training systems preparing people capable of sustaining this transformation over the next 20, 30, and even 50 years?
"Cities fail not because of a lack of plans, but because of a lack of capacity—when urban planners do not understand climate risks, when economies ignore spatial inequality, and when engineers create systems that citizens cannot use. They fail when data exists but no one knows how to interpret it," the rector emphasized.
According to him, it is important today to move from discussions to practical action.
“We must develop interdisciplinary programs in the field of urban studies,” Babayev said.
