Sustainable Urban Development in Georgia: Trends, Challenges and Opportunities

Giorgi Gavtadze

E-mail:george.gavtadze@atsu.edu.ge

Doctor of Economics, Professor Akaki Tsereteli State University

Kutaisi, Georgia

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6080-0163

Lili Maghlaperidze

E-mail: lili.maghlaperidze@atsu.edu.ge

PHD student in Economics Akaki Tsereteli State University

Kutaisi, Georgia

https://orcid.org/0009-0001-2034-9715

ABSTRACT

Sustainable urban development has become one of the most important and complex directions of contemporary development, driven by accelerated urbanization, the concentration of economic activities in cities and growing social and environmental challenges. Cities, as the main engines of economic growth, simultaneously represent spaces of opportunity and concentrations of sustainability risks, which makes the adoption of integrated and long-term urban policies indispensable.

The purpose of this article is to analyse the sustainability of cities and settlements in Georgia within the framework of urban development policy and the conceptual basis of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 11 (“Sustainable Cities and Communities”). The research employs a mixed methodological approach combining theoretical and conceptual analysis, policy review and case studies. The empirical component assesses the Smart Sustainable City Profile of Tbilisi and the Eco-Smart City initiative of Kutaisi, allowing an evaluation of how global sustainable development principles are adapted to different local urban contexts.

The findings show that urban development policy in Georgia only partially aligns with the goals and targets of sustainable development, especially with regard to basic infrastructure, housing, urban mobility, and environmental management. Significant structural gaps persist in social inclusion and environmental governance. The study confirms that sustainable urban development requires not only formal compliance with international frameworks, but also their deep and substantive integration into national and municipal policies.