Expert on Bishkek authorities’ policy: high-rises are profitable for construction companies

Tuesday, April 22, 2025 – 15:34 “Under the old Land Code, you could be granted 4 sotkas for individual housing construction” The Bishkek City Hall wants to ban the allocation of land plots for individual housing construction. This was stated by Deputy Mayor Azamat Kadyrov. “Of course, each municipality decides for itself how much land should be allocated for low-rise and high-rise development,” economist Iskender Sharsheev said in an interview with Vesti.kg. “Under the old Land Code, you could be granted 4 sotkas [approx. 400 m²] for individual housing construction if you didn’t own a home. Some residents waited for years, but it was possible.” The expert agrees—construction companies greatly benefit from building high-rise apartments. “They want to accommodate more people. City Hall talks about vertical growth. Given the housing shortage, this policy is understandable. On the other hand, the lack of urban planners in the country and in municipalities is becoming evident. Dense development has its issues too. For example, Bishkek is located in a basin, and tall buildings disrupt air circulation. The consequences of such development affect all residents,” he noted. As a compromise, Sharsheev suggests zoning the city for different types of development. “We need to divide the city into zones and allow low-rise construction in some areas to improve airflow and reduce smog, while permitting high-rises in others,” he believes. To recap, it became known during a session of the Bishkek City Council that City Hall wants to halt the allocation of plots for individual housing. “We lean more toward high-density development,” said Deputy Mayor Azamat Kadyrov, adding that by the end of 2025, a draft master plan will be published, taking into account newly annexed lands as part of the administrative-territorial reform. In Bishkek, to free up land for construction companies, the authorities also propose demolishing Khrushchyovkas and Stalinkas [Soviet-era apartment buildings], relocating the railway, removing garages, handing over historic and cultural heritage buildings to sponsors, and implementing a renovation program. Read more: https://vesti.kg/obshchestvo/item/138116-ekspert-o-politike-vlastej-bishkeka-stroitelnym-kompaniyam-vygodny-mnogoetazhki.html Bishkek, строительство, урбанистика, генплан, жилье, многоэтажки, экология, земля, Бишкек, мэрия, highrise, urbanplanning, zoning, renovation, smog, транспорт, инфраструктура, плотная застройка, строительство в Бишкеке, городское развитие, индивидуальное жилье, Bishkekcity, Kyrgyzstan, экологические риски, строительные компании, жильё в Бишкеке, генплан Бишкек, urban density, real estate, Bishkek architecture