LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR TBILISI ... - LED

Tbilisi, as a capital of the country takes functions of the central and city government, which
is reflected in the location of administrative institutional structures and relevant objects.
Central functions are mainly gathered in the centre of Tbilisi, but also there are some
exceptions. The example of territorial decentralization effort is the Constitutional Court,
moving of which was planned at first in the direction to the city of Mtskheta and now to the
city of Kutaisi. New residence of the President of Georgia is being built in the district of
Avlabari, which has a prospect for urban renewal.
As for the city administration, as a result of new reform “Greater Tbilisi” consists of 7
administrational districts. Their overwhelming sizes and the difficulties with access to the
district administrations (so-called “gamgeoba”) doesn’t respond to such fundamental
principles of the local self-government as subsidiary and, also the historically formed
tradition of structuring Tbilisi territory as natural community.
Under Tbilisi conditions it’s very important to keep public spaces. As a result of
unanalyzed and often crime like privatization, the part of such important elements of the
city space as embankments, river channel and city square moved into the hands of the
private capital. Most harmful was the privatization of such important for the city objects
against the societal opinion, as Rikhis Ubani on the left embankment of the river Mtkvari,
within the historical core of the city.
Sport-recreational objects are suffering from the attacks of the builders. It’s already
implementing or is starting building of such objects as the river Vere gorge, which was
forming as the children city “Mziuri” in the Soviet period; Hippodrome of Tbilisi, stadium
territory in Avlabari, etc. Tbilisi greenery is also under the pressure (residential house in
Alexander garden, separating territories in the park of Vake and near wood-parks for the
Embassies and Football Federation, construction of elite residential houses in Bagebi,
etc.).
Generally, may be said that Tbilisi now is in the transitional stage of getting familiar with
modern social-economic conditions and relations of its functional-spatial organization and
planning structure. Action in every particular case of urban development is an unique
combination of multi and often subjective or contradictional factors. Following the maturing
of the real estate market and generally market relations, Tbilisi spatial-territorial
development, distribution of various functions, their restructuring and formation of modern
body of the city will become more comprehensive, adequate and forecasting, what will
finally maintain economic development of Tbilisi, as a large urban centre.
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