Government to launch unified electronic registry for all urban planning documents

During a review meeting on June 10, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev was briefed on strategic structural reforms designed to upgrade urbanization and urban planning practices across the country. The rapid rise in population and building density has amplified the national demand for advanced city master plans, the preservation of urban green zones, the safeguarding of historical heritage sites, and the coordinated expansion of engineering and transport networks.

Out of 8,604 recognized human settlements across the republic, comprehensive master plans have been fully developed for just 2,506 locations, representing a modest 29% coverage. Regional planning departments intend to finalize master plans for an additional 154 settlements this year, with another 144 scheduled for completion in 2027. Currently, 1,044 active master plans have been digitized.

While urban developers successfully formulated 275 individual master plans for specific development zones during the 2024–2025 period, these initiatives remain disconnected from a centralized database. The lack of integration with broader municipal blueprints continues to create significant bottlenecks for comprehensive infrastructural and regional development.

Digital integration of municipal planning

To overcome these structural limitations, ministries have proposed a revised administrative system to govern all urban development documentation. The initial phase focuses on aggregating and updating raw master plan figures, followed by comprehensive digitization, the deployment of continuous tracking systems, and the final rollout of a unified information-analytical platform.

A cornerstone of this administrative transition is the creation of a unified electronic registry for all urban planning documents. Moving forward, any development plan or zoning document that fails to secure formal registration within this electronic registry will be stripped of legal validity. Furthermore, the state-run Center for Urbanization will take over expanded operational responsibilities, including managing the development of the geographic information system, coordinating topo-geodetic field engineering, and providing direct methodological guidance to local architectural directorates.

Academic restructuring and professional talent pipelines

The briefing highlighted a growing deficit of qualified domestic specialists skilled in modern urbanism, geodesy, land surveying, design engineering, and metropolitan agglomeration management.

To bridge this domestic skills gap, the government plans to reorganize the Tashkent Technical School of Geodesy and Cartography into the newly designated Technical School of Urbanization, Geodesy, and Cadaster. The restructured institution will train technical professionals in geodetic survey operations, cadaster management, computer graphics, and advanced digital cadastral systems.

In parallel, the Tashkent University of Architecture and Civil Engineering will establish a dedicated faculty for modern urbanization and agglomeration management. To foster industry innovation, authorities plan to set up creative parks across every region of Uzbekistan. These specialized zones will house advanced laboratories, architectural design workshops, IT and design hubs, shared co-working spaces, and professional networking platforms. Registered corporate residents operating within these creative parks will be eligible for targeted tax exemptions.

Cracking down on unlicensed building projects

The government also reviewed strict enforcement measures aimed at enhancing institutional accountability for construction violations. Regulatory bodies report that unauthorized construction, protracted project delays, and the inefficient exploitation of allocated land parcels remain widespread nationwide.

State inspectors identified 1,952 distinct cases of completely illegal, unlicensed construction over the course of 2025. In direct response to these compliance failures, the newly proposed regulatory framework introduces significantly tougher financial sanctions and amplified penalties for entities violating national urban planning laws.