London School of Economics names Baku an example of high-quality urban environment

Baku is one of the few cities that have succeeded in creating truly high-quality and comfortable public spaces, Deen Sharp, PhD, a Visiting LSE Fellow in Geography and the Environment at the London School of Economics (LSE), said during a panel session at the international conference "Building Human Capital for Sustainable Urban Development" in Baku, Report informs.

Sharp said that during his visit to the Azerbaijani capital, he was particularly impressed by the organization of the urban environment.

"I've been fortunate to visit many cities around the world, and I must say that yesterday I literally fell in love with your public spaces: the greenery, the areas for children, the way young and old people interact, the way the spaces are organized not necessarily for consumption, but simply for relaxation-benches everywhere, places for people to sit," he noted.

The expert emphasized that this result is the result of professional urban planning and effective cooperation between various structures.

According to him, creating a comfortable urban environment requires the coordinated work of specialists, municipalities, the state, and the private sector.

"This is extremely difficult to achieve. Having seen many different urban environments around the world, I can tell you that many cities are failing to do this," Sharp said.