Sustainable Development Goals at Baku State University.

An event titled “Architecture and Urban Sociology” was organized at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Psychology of Baku State University (BSU) by the Department of Social Work.

Head of the Department, Uzeyir Shafiyev, noted that by the decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, dated 22 December 2025, the year 2026 has been declared the “Year of Urban Development and Architecture.” He emphasized that Azerbaijan’s cooperation with the United Nations Human Settlements Programme and its hosting of international urban forums, including the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) to be held in Baku on 17–22 May 2026, demonstrate the country’s growing role in sustainable urbanization and successful international collaboration.

It was highlighted that WUF13, under the theme “Housing for All: Safe and Sustainable Cities and Human Settlements,” serves as a global platform bringing together government representatives, academics, business leaders, community stakeholders, and other participants to address pressing urban development challenges.

Uzeyir Shafiyev further underlined that the declaration of 2026 as the “Year of Urban Development and Architecture” reflects ongoing large-scale urban development projects across Azerbaijan. Referring to the Baku City Master Plan until 2040, he noted that one of its key features is the implementation of a polycentric development model, which envisages the formation of interconnected centers and sub-centers across the city rather than concentrating all activities in a single core.

Drawing on the works of Western scholars in urban sociology, he also presented proposals on potential projects that social science professionals could implement within the framework of the declared year.

The event concluded with a Q&A session addressing students’ questions.

SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals)