Tbilisi to become a major city of the region?
By Tea Mariamidze
Wednesday, July 8
Tbilisi will be engaged in the international project, the Morgenstadt City Challenge. The information was released by the Mayor’s Office after a meeting with a delegation from the Fraunhofer research institute on July 7, 2015.
The delegation was met by the Mayor of Tbilisi, Davit Narmania, and Vice Mayor Dimitri Kumsishvili. The meeting was also attended by representatives of relevant departments of the City Hall and specialists.
The participants discussed the details and the work schedule of the project. Foreign specialists introduced their experience in different countries to the members of government.
City of the Future is the title of the project, which includes large-scale competition between the cities. The project has been implemented by the Federal Republic of Germany. Cities which express readiness in urban challenges are encouraged to participate in the competition.
The project aims to settle European standards in Tbilisi, as well as develop and implement socio-technical innovations of the future.
According to the representatives of Fraunhofer, the work on the conception will be finished in February, 2016 and after the implementation of the project, Tbilisi will become the first future city (Morgenstadt City) in the Region.
German specialists presented their visions on how to develop Tbilisi as the city of the Future. They think that analyses in different directions are necessary and the main factors which cause difficulties in the city should be found out.
The Mayor’s Office expressed readiness and support to the project initiators.
“Together with our German partners we are working on creation of the concept of Morgenstadt City. By February 2016 we will know what the concept should be for energy efficiency, parking management, outdoor lighting, transport and mobility issues,” said the Mayor.
Along with the City Hall of Tbilisi and Fraunhofer research institute, City Institute- Georgia, Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany and the German Development Bank (KFW) are also involved in the project.
Germany has been implementing the Morgenstadt City project for many years already. Tbilisi Architecture Service took part in the competition in 2014 and in spite of taking the third place, the jury became interested in Tbilisi and involved it in the project. The German Development Bank stated that it will fund the project in Tbilisi.
