Tashkent has identified sites for the construction of multi-level and underground parking garages with a combined capacity of 200,000 vehicles, which will be auctioned off in phases, Tashkent Mayor Shavkat Umurzakov said in an interview with the state news agency UzA.
The mayor said the effort is being carried out jointly with the National Committee for Urbanization and Sustainable Housing Market Development.
Umurzakov acknowledged that some land plots previously earmarked for parking had instead ended up being developed for other purposes.
"Unfortunately, business centers were built on many of the plots that had originally been allocated for parking," he said. "To make sure these mistakes aren't repeated, we're now working closely with the relevant agencies to keep tight control over this issue."
Parking, Umurzakov said, is one of three priorities driving the development of trade and services in the capital, alongside the modernization of markets and the creation of round-the-clock tourist and commercial districts.
Specifically, city authorities plan to bring in private investors to redevelop 35 state-owned markets and trade complexes. One of the mandatory conditions for investors will be building parking facilities with sufficient capacity.
"The principle tying all three efforts together is the same: the state creates the conditions, the investor builds, service quality improves for residents, and the public interest is safeguarded through strict discipline and clear terms," the mayor said.
Umurzakov added that parking needs will also be factored into the city's "15-minute city" concept. He said that when drafting master plans for each district, authorities intend to calculate in advance how many schools, kindergartens, clinics, green spaces, and parking facilities are needed based on population size — and only then issue construction permits.
According to the mayor, Tashkent's population has already surpassed 3.1 million, with more than 1 million vehicles moving through the city's streets daily. One of the central goals of the "15-minute city" concept, officials say, is to ease traffic congestion by placing essential services within walking or cycling distance of residential areas.
Background: A history of stalled multi-level parking plans
Tashkent city officials first announced plans to build two-, three-, and six-story parking structures on the site of former garage complexes back in the spring of 2017, unveiling preliminary designs at the time. That summer, then-Mayor Rakhmonbek Usmonov approved plans for multi-level parking structures with retail and service outlets on the ground floor.
A year earlier, in March 2016, officials had announced plans to build multi-level parking facilities near the airport, the Northern Railway Station, and other locations.
Those plans were largely never realized, and in some cases, the sites earmarked for multi-level parking were instead developed into other projects, such as residential complexes and business centers.
In February 2023, a dedicated state agency was established to oversee the construction of multi-story parking facilities, which would then be handed over to private entrepreneurs as ready-made businesses. Under a presidential decree, these facilities were to be auctioned online starting at 10 percent of construction cost, with at least four such parking structures planned in high-traffic areas during the initial phase — a figure matching what officials cited this week.
In 2024, Tashkent had planned to build at least four seven-story parking garages, each with capacity for 729 vehicles, with space pricing to be determined based on vehicle emissions levels.
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