Planning and design criteria to make urban transport more sustainable: the case of Baku

Abstract

This paper examines planning and design approaches that can contribute to more sustainable urban transport, with a focus on the case of Baku. While concepts such as green architecture, ecological design, and sustainability have long been responses to environmental damage caused by human activity, transport remains a key challenge in achieving sustainability. The study reviews international planning movements such as New Urbanism and Transit-Oriented Development, which have primarily been implemented in Western contexts, and assesses their applicability in a non-Western setting with a distinct planning history. Based on this review, a checklist of planning and design criteria was developed and applied to Baku, aiming to evaluate strategies that reduce car dependency, promote public transport, and encourage walking as part of sustainable urban development.