Similarly to other cities that were part of Soviet Union, Tbilisi’s development was based on planning that included preparation of master plans with the primary task of changing or even reconstructing urban spaces, while meeting Soviet ideological, political, economic and social cultural requests. The government was planning and the government was implementing.
After the centralized planning system was abandoned, the development of the city has radically changed. In a market economy, new players such as individuals and companies take the lead in development and their goals, motivations as well as interest towards the city is radically different.
This panel discussed the post-Soviet transformation processes. It was moderated by – Otar Nemsadze (Tbilisi Architecture Biennial), and feature presentations by Michael Gentile (Department of Sociology and Human Geography, University of Oslo), Nano Zazanashvili (Head of Urban Policy and Research Division at the Municipal Department of Urban Development, Georgia), Kuba Snopek (Expert in post-socialist cities, Poland) and Tamta Khalvashi (Associated Professor at Ilia State University, Georgia)