WASHINGTON (World Bank press service) — Residents of three cities in Uzbekistan will benefit from improved municipal services and urban infrastructure, thanks to the Medium-Size Cities Integrated Urban Development Project, approved today by the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors. The project will be supported by a $100 mln loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD).

In Uzbekistan, medium-size cities, with populations of between 50,000 and 100,000 people, are the economic and services backbone of larger urban centres. Over 40% of the country’s urban population — 1.5 mln people — are estimated to live in cities and towns with fewer than 100,000 inhabitants.

This project aims to improve infrastructure, public spaces, and municipal services in medium-size cities, starting with Chartak, Kagan, and Yangiyul, which have a combined population of 165,000. It will strengthen the institutional capacity of central and local governments to manage assets, infrastructure, service delivery, urban mobility, sustainable tourism, and partnership with the private sector. Moreover, lessons learned during implementation of the project in these pilot cities will later help to develop the National Medium-Size Cities Program.

The Medium-Size Cities Integrated Urban Development Project was prepared with a $410,000 grant from the Europe and Central Asia Regional Capacity Development Trust Fund, to support feasibility studies, a project investment plan, and bidding documents for the first year of the project’s implementation. The Energy Sector Management Assistance Program, the Korean Green Growth Trust Fund, and the Global Facility for Disaster Risk Reduction also supported project preparation.