Site and Situation
Tbilisi is situated in the south west of the Republic of Georgia. The country lies in a fertile valley which is in between two ranges of the Caucasus mountains making Tbilisi's hinterland extremely fertile with good soils and consistent precipitation. The city is located on a narrow point of the Mtkvari river. A bridge was built there along with a fortress to protect the river crossing. This quickly made the city a major trading center and even a major thoroughfare on the silk road. The Mtkvari river further gives Tbilisi good water access to a large sections of its hinterland. The river extends from the center for Georgia it flows through half the country and the entirety of Azerbaijan to the Caspian Sea. However, there are certain sections of the river that are not navigable.
The area in which Tbilisi is located is characterized by very steep though small mountains with fertile slopes and valleys. Both of these factors have played and intricate role in the city's development and planning. The mountainous landscape has caused growth to occur in a unique fashion where various sections of the city are entirely cut off from each other. The fertile landscape however allows farmers and market gardeners to grow fresh crops during the long growing season very close to the largest market in the country.
Presently, the city is vital to Georgia nd the Caucasus region as it has become a primate city. With over 1.3 million inhabitants it is home to over a quarter of Georgia's population. It's situation as a primate city is evident since the next largest city in Georgia, Kutaisi, has only 250,000 inhabitants. Tbilisi grew rapidly during the last century and sprawl has overtaken most neighboring cities (see map below) despite the rugged landscape that separates the urban centers. Rustavi to the south west of Tbilisi is the 3rd largest city in Georgia though has now been enveloped by the rapid sprawl taking place in the area due to rural to urban migration.
Planning Before and During the Tsarist Period
Early Tbilisi had a very organic growth pattern. The center of the city was concentrated on the primary bridge across the Mtkvari river, the caravansary (hotel for caravans) and the Narikala fortress. Houses were built in irregular fashion usually stacking up on top of each other and connected to streets by stair cases and small alleys. Squares and plazas were built around churches which supported markets. Since the city was consistently sacked, the city rebuilt itself multiple times allowing for older and more decrepit buildings to be cleared out.
This pattern occurred until the city was occupied by the Russian Empire and the new authorities applied some small amount of planning to the city. The main boulevards were widened to facilitate more traffic and western style horse drawn carts and carriages. The Russians made Rustavelis Gamziri the central thoroughfare of the city by making it run from Tavisuplebis Moedani (square) to Respublikis Moedani. It was upon these two squares and Rustavelis Gamziri that the Russians built the new imperial government buildings including city hall and the georgian parliament as well as many galleries and aristocratic palaces. The Russians also built schools, churches, and cultural centers throughout the city, however the majority of the city was neglected and thus was quite underdeveloped at the turn of the century.
Soviet Planning
During the Soviet era, Tbilisi underwent many radical changes. Since the city became the capital of the new Georgian SSR the city became a center for migration. Rural Georgians sought to better their lifestyle by finding industrial jobs in the new economy. The migration to the city was tremendous and large scale planning was needed in order to handle the massive population growth. The Soviets had eight basic principles to urban planning:
1. Limit the size of cities
2. Create a symbolic landscape in the city center
3. Provide equal access to consumer and cultural facilities for all urban residents
4. Provide a possibility for short journeys to work by building housing near factories
5. Provide stringent land-use zoning, enforced by laws
6. State controls housing
7. Planned development of housing districts
8. Provide for extensive green spaces and a variety of recreational facilities
These were followed to the best of their ability in Tbilisi, however due to the mountainous landscape and the size of the old city certain principles could not be achieved, such as numbers three and four.
The Soviet government built new suburbs on the outskirts of Tbilisi. These followed the standard Soviet micro rayon model (see below). However the majority of these developments were built extremely quickly and without consideration of residents' needs. These new regions were poorly connected to the center of the city and other areas that were employment centers. The metro system was built in order to improve the connectivity of certain districts, but the city quickly outgrew the extent of the metro system.
Source: Curran Hughes, 2004
Another problem with Soviet housing development in Tbilisi was that there was almost no commercial space in residential neighborhoods, even for the Soviet command economy. Thus many people would have to go great distances in order to purchase goods in addition to waiting in long lines. Falling in line with central place theory, the city center become extremely desirable since it had all of the services concentrated in order to serve the entire city. Thus transportation networks were designed in order to bring people from the surrounding suburbs into the center. As a result this made travel from suburb to suburb almost impossible.
On the uphand, the Soviets did modernize the city, pulling it out of its forgotten state from the Tsarist period. Electricity, water and gas were standard in all homes as well as the implementation of a telecommunications system. Roads were paved and many bridges over the Mtkvari were built and improved. A highway system was set up which connected Tbilisi with other major cities in the region as well as being made a node on the Soviet rail system. Lying in the center of the transportation system in the South Caucasus the city grew much faster than similar capitals like Baku, Azerbaijan and Yerevan, Armenia.
The Soviets also built major government infrastructure like ministries, police stations, state run hotels for foreigners, military facilities, schools, libraries, universities, and athletic facilities. This was supplemented by the construction of cultural buildings in the center like the Philharmonic.
Current Restoration and Redevelopment
During the Soviet era the majority of the historic center was neglected after initial modernization. In addition to the anarchy that swept through the city and the former USSR as a whole, the city fell into essential chaos and disrepair. City services were essentially nonexistent for the first half of the nineties and conditions only started to improve after 1996. Since the 2003 Rose Revolution, conditions have increased considerably, however it is still common to see candles in all establishments in case of power shortages and hot water is only available on certain days. The city government does not promise guaranteed full power until 2006.
The old city is undergoing a massive renovation as a result of a government plan to revitalize the city's center and bring in tourism and foreign investment. The metro system is also currently being expanded in order to reach many of the far flung suburbs what were previously cut off from the city center except by private transport.
Many new buildings are being constructed in the old city due to demand, however this is at the consequence of the destruction of historic homes. The new government has taken major steps in order to curb this activity and has been quite successful in doing so.
The periphery Soviet suburbs have largely been forgotten, and have fallen into disrepair. Some of the blocks have been purchased for renovation, and many private homeowners do their own renovations. This was at first rare, but is now becoming more common due to the improving economic situation.
Georgia's economic situation is rapidly improving, and the country is striving to find its role in the larger global system. As Georgia's capital, Tbilisi is rapidly changing and improving itself in order to facilitate its new role as the political and economic center of the South Caucaus and possibly beyond.
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Many buildings in the old city are in need of major renovation. |
