Uzbekistan Approves Bukhara Master Plan Through 2043

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan's Cabinet of Ministers has approved Bukhara's master plan through 2043 under a resolution adopted on 23 July 2026.

The document was prepared by the state institution UzshaharsozlikLITI in accordance with a presidential decree of 11 September 2023 on improving public administration in urban planning. It was approved by the Republican Council for Architecture and Urban Planning under the Cabinet of Ministers.

Population and territory

According to the approved planning indicators, Bukhara's population is projected to increase from 289,200 to 385,000 by 2043. The city's area will expand from 7,966.78 hectares to 11,847.06 hectares.

Population density within the city limits is expected to decline from 36.3 to 32.5 people per hectare, as the city's territory will expand faster than its population.

The share of school-age children (7–17 years) is projected to decrease slightly from 14.3% to 13.8%, while their total number will rise from 41,350 to 53,130. The share of the working-age population is expected to increase from 62.9% to 63.2%, with the number of working-age residents growing from 181,900 to 243,320.

Employment in city-forming sectors, including industry, science and construction, is projected to increase from 49,200 to 77,000 people, while employment in the service sector will rise from 65,650 to 88,550.

Land use and industry

Residential land is set to increase from 7,028.63 hectares to 10,226.08 hectares.

Agricultural land within the city limits will decline from 1,679.68 hectares to 528.14 hectares, while non-agricultural land allocated for industry and warehouses will expand from 938.15 hectares to 1,620.98 hectares.

The number of industrial enterprises is projected to increase from 13,261 to 18,000, construction companies from 8,713 to 10,500, and research and design organisations from 1,323 to 1,500.

Housing

The city's housing stock is expected to expand from 4.456 million square metres to 8.085 million square metres.

Average residential space per person will increase from 15.4 square metres to 21 square metres.

Of new housing construction, 44.84% will consist of three- to five-storey residential buildings, 25.56% will comprise one- and two-storey individual houses, with the remainder allocated to cottages and taller residential buildings.

Social infrastructure

Capacity at preschool institutions will increase from 16,578 to 22,330 places, while capacity in general education schools will rise from 42,444 to 53,130 places.

Hospital bed capacity will increase from 3,990 to 9,552, while annual outpatient clinic visits are projected to rise from 6,810 to 15,780.

Hotel capacity will expand from 11,854 to 16,600 places, while cinema capacity will increase from 850 to 12,030 seats.

Transport

The length of major roads will increase from 102.6 kilometres to 203 kilometres, including 155.35 kilometres in the initial development phase.

Annual public transport passenger traffic is projected to grow from 45.5 million to 163.8 million passengers.

As the centre of a regional settlement system, Bukhara will be connected by transport routes with Tashkent, Karshi, Navoi, Urgench and Nukus.

Engineering infrastructure

Daily water supply capacity will increase from 65,550 cubic metres to 114,350 cubic metres.

Daily wastewater volume will rise from 23,160 cubic metres to 103,130 cubic metres, while wastewater treatment capacity will increase from 100,000 cubic metres to 125,000 cubic metres per day.

Annual electricity consumption is projected to grow from 358 million kilowatt-hours to 1.04125 billion kilowatt-hours, while annual gas consumption will increase from 267.9 million cubic metres to 403.5 million cubic metres.

Total heating capacity will rise from 489.51 Gcal per hour to 675.8 Gcal per hour. The share of housing fully connected to the central heating system is expected to increase from 60% to 100%.

Environment and recreation

The area of public green spaces will expand from 170.25 hectares to 385 hectares, while sanitary protection zones will increase from 6.32 hectares to 122.31 hectares.

A 30.6-hectare tourist complex, Bogi-Rabot, will be developed.

The area of irrigated land will increase to 6,104.5 hectares, while the groundwater lowering zone will reach 2,577 hectares.

Historical heritage and UNESCO coordination

The resolution places particular emphasis on Bukhara's historic centre, which is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The Bukhara regional administration, together with the Cultural Heritage Agency, has been instructed to coordinate the city's master plan and the historic centre's master plan with the UNESCO World Heritage Centre through the National Commission for UNESCO.

Any future amendments to the master plan, as well as interventions affecting the appearance of the historic centre or its buffer zones, will also require coordination with these bodies and the preparation of the relevant documentation.

Implementation and oversight

The Bukhara regional administration has been instructed, together with relevant ministries, to prepare within two months a comprehensive implementation programme for the master plan, covering short-, medium- and long-term construction priorities and the attraction of foreign investment, and submit it to the Cabinet of Ministers for approval.

The regional administration will also submit a proposal to the Cabinet of Ministers to revise the city's boundaries in line with the approved master plan.

The resolution repeals the Cabinet of Ministers' decision of 22 January 2007 approving Bukhara's master plan through 2030.

Oversight of implementation has been assigned to Deputy Prime Minister Abduvali Ramatov and Bukhara regional governor Botir Zaripov.