The City Game: How and why new megacities are being built in Central Asia
There has been a real construction boom in Central Asia in recent years: almost all states in the region are building new cities designed for hundreds of thousands of residents. In Kyrgyzstan, this is the Asman megacity, in Kazakhstan — Alatau, in Uzbekistan — New Tashkent. It is stated that all of them will be ultramodern, environmentally friendly and will certainly attract a lot of investors. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.
Overlooking the lake
In Kyrgyzstan, they are trying to implement a project for the city of Asman, which they want to build on the northwestern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul. It is assumed that 500-700 thousand people will live here, the cost is estimated at $20 billion. From a bird's-eye view, the layout of the city should resemble the Kyrgyz national musical instrument komuz.
According to the project, Asman will be an ultramodern city, with futuristic skyscrapers and overpasses visible in numerous photo and video visualizations. The city is expected to use renewable energy sources, electric transport, vertical greenhouses, as well as sorting plants that will provide electricity during waste processing.
The authorities first started talking about building the city in 2021. Then President Sadyr Japarov explained that it was cheaper and easier to create a new metropolis than to upgrade any of the existing ones. The head of state also promised that not a single penny of budget money would be spent on Asman. "There are external investors who are interested in participating in the implementation of such a large project," he stressed.
In 2023, the construction start ceremony was held, and Sadyr Japarov laid the first capsule. At that moment, officials said it would take only 7-10 years to implement the idea. The first investors were found fairly quickly, and the participation of Chinese and Korean companies was reported. However, problems have arisen with the transfer of construction to the practical plane.
The President of the Kyrgyz Republic at the ceremony of the start of construction of the city of Asman, June 30, 2023
The head of the directorate for the construction of the city changed several times, one of them, Timur Fayziev, was involved in a criminal case on corruption. In the summer of 2024, Kyrgyz journalists visited the construction site and found out that a year after the solemn ceremony with the participation of the president, only one barracks for workers appeared on the site. In May 2025, the authorities terminated the investment agreement with the Chinese corporation without explanation.
At the same time, Bishkek remains optimistic. In November 2025, a new construction start ceremony was held. The head of the National Investment Agency, Ravshan Sabirov, then announced that Asman would be built in stages. "One company has been allocated 100 hectares of land, the other 80. We invite all companies to participate in the project, and the conditions are the same for everyone. Those who want to implement their innovative ideas can contact the directorate," he said.
In the style of Singapore
In Kazakhstan, they are going to build the city of Alatau, which will be located 50 km north of Alma Ata. According to the project, the first stage with the settlement of 247 thousand people should be completed in 2030, by 2050 the population will amount to 1.8 million people. The city will be divided into four large districts: a business center, an educational and medical hub, a tourist cluster, and a trade and logistics zone. There will be residential buildings in each one.
Layout of the city of Alatau
In January 2024, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a decree on the establishment of the settlement. He also repeatedly said that Alatau would be a place of advanced development, attracting innovation and talent. "We intend to build a completely new Singapore—style metropolis that will become a leading international business hub that meets international standards," he noted.
Uzbekistan is engaged in the construction of a New Tashkent, which is designed to relieve the current capital of the country. It is assumed that the area of the city will be 20 thousand hectares, the population will be up to 2 million people. At the first stage, residential buildings for 600,000 residents, dozens of schools, kindergartens and clinics will be built.
The key facilities will be several giant skyscrapers, as well as an administrative center, where government offices will move in the future. In addition, there will be a National Library, a university, a botanical garden and the first trigeneration plant in Central Asia, which will be able to generate electricity, heat and cold.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev launched the project in the spring of 2023, laying the first capsule. In August 2025, he inspected the construction site, where the construction of underground utilities is currently underway. "For the first time in the 32-year history of Uzbekistan, we are implementing an exemplary project that meets international standards. He should stay for 300-400 years, for our grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and so on," the head of state reasoned.
Finally, Turkmenistan has made the most progress. In 2023, the first stage of the new city of Arkadag, which is located 30 km from the capital of the country, Ashgabat, has already been opened here. At that time, it was reported that $3.3 billion had been spent on construction, and 336 buildings, including residential buildings and administrative facilities, were built with this money.
The settlement was made a "smart city". The authorities emphasized that traffic lights respond to changes in traffic, parking lots signal motorists about empty spaces, and trash cans inform utilities about their occupancy. To preserve the environment, solar panels and wind turbines were installed, electric buses and electric taxis were purchased, and rainwater collection and purification were organized to solve the problem of water scarcity.
There are also a lot of Turkmen specifics in the city. The central avenue is named after the "famous Akhan steed", the favorite horse of former President and current Chairman of the upper house of Parliament Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. A 31-meter monument has been erected to the same horse, and a 36-meter-high monument to Berdymukhamedov himself has been erected nearby.
The declared population exceeds 40 thousand people. At the same time, independent media reported on a number of issues. Firstly, it is difficult to find a job in Arkadaga because there are no industrial enterprises. Secondly, private motor transport is not allowed to enter the city. Thirdly, a serious filter has been set for potential tenants: to buy a home, you must have a residence permit in Ashgabat or its surroundings.
Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov noted during his meetings that the pace of construction and relocation of people to the city is lagging behind planned. At the same time, the project continues to develop. The second stage of Arkadaga should be commissioned by 2027. At this stage, 110 more residential buildings, kindergartens and schools will be built, the population by this point should exceed 70 thousand people.
What the experts say
Political scientist Rustam Burnashev explains that the population is growing in Central Asia, so the emergence of new cities is quite logical.
— I would not put all these projects in one row, they are quite different from each other. Innovation centers are being created in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, the capital is developing naturally in Uzbekistan, and in Turkmenistan we see a personal project of the former president. In some cases, these are new facilities, and in others, existing megacities are expanding. In any case, it's nice that the region is trying to follow global trends and requirements for modern urban infrastructure," he notes.
Alexander Vorobyov, head of the Center for Public Diplomacy and Analysis of World Politics, a researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, says that the construction of cities is a sign of prosperity. According to him, the implementation of these projects has a positive impact on the economies of the region.
— New jobs are being created, new industrial enterprises are being created, and the economy is moving forward. At the same time, I note that in each such case there is a considerable share of PR and self-promotion. The authorities want to present themselves to the population from the best side, they report on great successes and grandiose plans, which are not always fully implemented later. We should also not forget about the peculiarities of the socio-economic structure of these countries — some of the money may be "lost" somewhere along the way, he argues.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
