Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan plans to build a new city, New Karshi, in Kashkadarya Region on a 5,200-hectare site, with the city eventually designed to accommodate one million residents. On 22 October, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed the construction plans and a proposed tourism complex along the Karshi Main Canal, the presidential press service reported.
The site for New Karshi lies between the A-378 Samarkand–Guzar highway and the 4P-79 road leading to Shakhrisabz. The area currently consists of unused desert and pastureland with low soil quality.
The preliminary master plan provides for a population of 500,000. Mirziyoyev stressed that the city should be planned as a major urban centre capable of accommodating one million people over time and serving as a modern extension of Karshi.
The regional administration and other government institutions are expected to relocate to New Karshi. Plans also include a congress hall, concert venues and hotels to enable the city to host major international forums similar to those held in Samarkand and Bukhara.
The president said the city should have convenient transport links with surrounding areas. He instructed officials to introduce electric public transport and, if necessary, an above-ground metro connecting the airport and railway station with the new city.
A separate tourism complex is planned along the Karshi Main Canal on a 235-hectare site, extending for three kilometres. The project will be implemented in four stages.
The first stage will cover 30 hectares and include a crafts village and a tourism zone. The complex is also expected to feature hotels, restaurants, shops, a museum, a water park, children’s playgrounds and an artificial lake for boating.
Mirziyoyev instructed officials to develop a detailed master plan for the new city and a comprehensive plan for the tourism complex, involving leading international design and architectural firms. Both projects should be based on the principles of safety, comfort, accessibility and smart-city development.
