Belarus President approves new Minsk development plan for 2030

    Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko has signed a decree to revise the development plan of Minsk and nearby territories, clarify certain aspects of its implementation.

    Major provisions of the new capital city development plan till 2030 refresh the policy of city planning and territorial development and revise the forecast targets. For example, the document envisages that the population will increase to 2 million and the housing stock will grow to 52,265 square meters.

    The new Minsk development plan provides for the stabilization of the population and optimization of the housing construction volumes in the capital city within the current administrative and territorial boundaries of the city defined as the prospective development boundary of Minsk till 2030 and taking into account the increase in the population of Minsk satellite towns by 100,000-120,000 people.

    In accordance with the plan, the construction of social housing will be continued on free territories. Residential complexes will be built instead of obsolete industrial facilities and dilapidated low-rise buildings.

    The development of the city-forming base will be ensured by the preservation of the city planning potential on the area of 4,400 hectares occupied by Minsk enterprises. The reservation of about 300 hectares of industrial territories will help create new jobs in new residential complexes Nottingham and Zeleny Bor.

    To create favorable living and recreation conditions, the general plan envisages the construction of new city and district parks on the area of more than 2,000 hectares. The natural and landscape complex of the capital city will include about 2,000 hectares of forests to the south-east of the Minsk Sea water basin.

    The new city development plan envisages the formation of an efficient radial ring structure of major streets and the improvement of passenger transportation services thanks to the development of all kinds of municipal and suburban passenger transport and.

    The development of railway passenger transport (metro, trams, and trains) will be a priority.

    The decree also envisages the development of a city planning project for the territories between the prospective city development boundary and the second ring road around Minsk. This project will determine various city planning aspects and regulate city development activities of the Minsk Oblast Executive Committee and the Minsk City Hall.