In the center of Tashkent, between the Yunus Rajabi and Beshagach mahallas, there is an embankment along the Burdshar Canal that has significant potential to attract residents. However, due to a destroyed descent, lack of lighting, benches, and regular cleaning, this area has turned into an underused and abandoned place.
Although this area is in close proximity to busy city routes, most passersby ignore the canal itself. The path along Burdshar offers coolness, shade from mature trees, and silence broken only by the sound of water, making it a natural place for walks. Nevertheless, the condition of access to the water, including destroyed steps and the absence of basic landscaping elements, prevents its full use.
Currently, the embankment is losing its potential due to a lack of lighting, bins, and benches. Developing this area does not require major construction; it is enough to ensure convenient access, safety, and basic maintenance. Restoring the descent, installing lighting, and placing resting elements can transform the forgotten canal section into a full-fledged urban embankment.
Special attention should be paid to the lighting, which must be intelligently designed. It is recommended to use autonomous LED lamps with solar panels and batteries that accumulate energy during the day and provide light at night. In shaded areas under trees, hybrid systems can be used to increase reliability and reduce operating costs.
Benches play a key role because they encourage people to slow down and stay in the space, turning a passage into a place of dwelling. Furthermore, the presence of regularly serviced bins is critical for maintaining cleanliness, which is a matter of both infrastructure and culture.
The joint implementation of these elements helps change the logic of territory use, attracting runners, cyclists, parents, and the elderly. The principle of 'eyes on the street' by Jane Jacobs is also applicable: the more people use public space, the safer it is due to natural surveillance.
A study conducted by Podrobno.uz showed that even using budget solutions, improving this area will cost approximately 250 million soms. This amount covers cleaning, path repair, installation of eight lights, five benches, and five bins, as well as minimal landscaping of the adjacent area.
For comparison, the president stated that in 2026, about 5.5 billion soms is allocated on average for infrastructure development in each mahalla. Thus, the embankment can be brought into order using less than 5% of this budget. The result of such an investment is transforming a neglected concrete path into a full-fledged urban route for recreation and sports.
The Lisbon City Council is implementing a tactical urbanism project in Chiado, aiming to improve public space before the definitive construction of elevated sidewalks relative to the street. The initiative consists of painting the roads with patterns that imitate traditional paving.
The deputy president of the council, Gonçalo Reis, explained that subsequently, curbs and permanent sidewalks will be erected, although there is no set date for this yet. The works are scheduled to begin in the second half of August, with a 45-day timeline, leading to completion by September.
In statements given to RTP Antena 1, the municipal representative justified the choice of Chiado because it is a historical and iconic area, highly representative of the topics addressed, given its intense circulation.
When questioned about the increasing conflict between car traffic and the high demand from residents and tourists, the council classified the area as 'pressured,' stating that it felt the 'need to qualify the space' after dialogue with residents, merchants, cultural associations, and the Santa Maria Maior Parish Council, summarizing the group as the 'local economy.'
Gonçalo Reis considers this measure a 'balanced solution,' but plans to expand the program beyond Chiado. After providing a 'better enjoyment' and 'wider and more beautiful sidewalks' in Chiado, the intention is to proceed, without fixed dates, with interventions on Rua da Escola Politécnica, Príncipe Real, and Rua de Belém, expressing a desire to take the 'Viva a Rua, Lisboa' program to other parts of the city.
The council's website confirms the existence of narrow sidewalks. The widening of the sidewalks will include urban furniture and movable plants, but for now, permanent green spaces are excluded, although Gonçalo Reis admits that 'we may evolve in that direction.' It was also clarified that there will be no bike lanes on these streets, as they are not planned.
