LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR TBILISI ... - LED

2. Changes of Tbilisi territorial structure in result of economy transition and
strategy implementation
The character, directions and pace of the city spatial development mostly depends
on the impact of the political, economic and social factors. Such type of impact is
considerably intensive during the dramatic changes in the public life, when evolutional,
even character of the urban development is replaced by the “leap-like” change (alteration)
and revolutionary or reformative effort finds its adequate reflection in the urban
environment. World urbanism is familiar with huge number of such examples; and Tbilisi
isn’t an exception. Moreover, because of its natural-landscape and historical-cultural
feature, Tbilisi represents one of the best examples of such discrete development.
Retrospective analysis of the spatial-planning development of the Georgian capital city
affords to state the above mentioned, which is simplified by the sharply separated stages
of the city history.
(1) Feudal (Medieval) era is long-term period of thirteen centuries – from 502,
when Tbilisi became a capital city until the turn of the 18 th and 19 th centuries when Eastern
Georgia was attached to the Russian Empire. In this period the city was gradually
developing on both banks of the river Mtkvari in the form of densely dwelled, compact
residential area. Defense held a leading role in the city functions, which is shown by the
city spatial arrangement reflected in the map of Tiflis (historical name of Tbilisi) drawn by
Vakhushti Batonishvili in 1735. In this period Tiflis represented a city locked within the
defensive walls, with small-scale settlement in the suburbs and gardens cultivated outside
of the city. The center formed by the palaces, churches and caravansaries was located
along the river Mtkvari; the resource of the city further spatial development was exhausted
under the current conditions.
(2) Period of the Russian Empire dominance (1801-1917) is characterized as the
first dramatic “leap” of Tiflis spatial arrangement. City defensive functions are loosing their
priority; a political task – creation of the leading political-administrative support for the
domination of the Russian Empire in the Caucasus - is being highlighted. The city freely
spreads up to the high terrace of the right bank of the river Mtkvari. Gardens of the King
and Queen (nowadays Freedom Square and a part of Sololaki district) are also used as a
resource of urban development. Planning of the new parts, on the contrary to the old
feudal city, is regular and sometimes even without accounting the features of the relief.
Many gorges running down from Mtatsminda are filled with soil; city engineering
infrastructure and institutions’ system are formed, central functions and institutions are
concentrated on the Golovin Prospect (now Shota Rustaveli Avenue). “Old Tbilisi”,
practically is not included in the city planning innovations where, instead of ruined
buildings, construction of basically new houses along the old streets is being held, which
gives a name of “Double-face” to Tiflis in the middle of 19th century. In this period Tbilisi
acquired such organic immanent feature as linear character of spatial arrangement, which
mostly determines functional effectiveness of already accepted or ready for acceptation
city planning solutions even till now.
Incorporation into the city space the villages (Kukia, Chughureti) in the vicinity of
Tiflis had a parallel character; for 1833 planning of the above mentioned territories was
considered by means of regular network of the streets – as well as, the territory of outer
Avlabari.
In the 1860-70s Tiflis continued growing on the left bank of the river Mtkvari,
which was supported by constructing the first in the TransCaucasia railway line – Poti-
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