A LANDSCAPE MANIFESTO FOR A NEW NATIONAL IDENTITY: Yangi Oʻzbekiston Bogʻi

Strategic Vision and the Genesis of the Project:

More than a recreation ground, Yangi Oʻzbekiston Bogʻi (New Uzbekistan Park) is the most powerful spatial expression of the “New Uzbekistan” vision proclaimed at the 30th anniversary of independence. Spanning 104 hectares, this monumental landscape fuses ecological urban design with national identity-building, conceived not as decorative scenery but as a social contract space and an ecological threshold, signalling the state’s transformative resolve. Its genesis lies in a direct presidential mandate — a rare instance where political vision and design ambition converged at national scale. This ideological foundation shapes every square metre of the park’s physical form.

The Five-Leaf Metaphor: Geometry of State Strategy:

Viewed from above, the park’s five-branched tree form radiating from a shared trunk is a direct spatial embodiment of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s five-axis Harakatlar Strategiyasi (2017–2021 National Development Strategy): state governance, rule of law, economy, social development, and foreign policy. This living manifesto transforms public space into a pedagogical landscape, integrating national priorities into citizens’ daily experience. Reflecting Uzbekistan’s deep cultural reverence for green space, each “leaf” is defined by a distinct tree square characterised by a dominant species: Platanus, Liriodendron, Quercus, Aesculus, and Tilia.

Ecology at Scale: An Urban Forest, A Lake, A Stage:

The hardscape and softscape design is composed around the 60-meter-tall Mustaqillik (Independence) Monument at the park’s heart. All programme elements are connected by a perimeter road that supports circulation while minimising service-vehicle intrusion into the core. Strategically selected to mitigate urban heat island effects, the 235-species dendrological palette and over 10.000 trees give the park the depth of a botanical garden and high ecological resilience. The 6-hectare artificial lake functions not merely as a water feature but as an active thermal regulator, lowering ambient temperatures through evaporative cooling. A 5.000-seat amphitheatre anchors a rich civic programme encompassing sports grounds, playgrounds, picnic zones, restaurants, kiosks and craft workshops, transforming what could have been monumental silence into a living civic stage.

The Making of the Impossible: Speed and Mobilisation:

A project to which the design team provided direct on-site supervision throughout construction, Yangi Oʻzbekiston Bogʻi represents a rare fast-track achievement in landscape architecture. From the foundation ceremony on 1 May 2021, the entire park was completed in just four months, less an act of construction than a physical declaration of national determination.

Urban Paradigm Shift and Strategic Expansion:

The project constitutes a strategic urban intervention that has shifted Tashkent’s development axis eastward, extending the city’s administrative boundaries from Qibray into Mirzo Ulugbek district. The park now serves as the ecological backbone and pioneering infrastructure for Yangi Toshkent (New Tashkent), a planned urban extension of approximately 20.000 hectares, serving as a green threshold for the city’s future growth.

Living Space: Public Memory and Diplomatic Presence:

Inaugurated by President Mirziyoyev, the park immediately assumed the ceremonial role of the former Mustaqillik (Independence) Square, becoming the nation’s new diplomatic stage. From Navruz celebrations to triathlon competitions, the space has embedded itself in collective memory. State visits by heads of government, including Putin, Lukashenko, and Berdimuhamedov, confirm its standing as an international prestige landmark. Unparalleled in contemporary urban literature, Yangi Oʻzbekiston Bogʻi merges ecological sustainability with national idealism to demonstrate how landscape, as national infrastructure, can transform both a city and a society. In doing so, it pushes the boundaries of what landscape architecture can achieve and redefines the discipline’s role in nation-building.

PROJECT CREDITS:

– Project Name: Yangi Oʻzbekiston Bogʻi (New Uzbekistan Park)
– Location: Mirzo Ulugbek District (former Qibray zone), Tashkent, Uzbekistan
– Total Project Area: 104 hectares (1.040.000 m²)
– Completion: 2021 (Official Opening: 31 August 2021)
– Project Type: Public Park / Monumental Landscape
– Client: AKFA Mimar Group
– Masterplan – Landscape Design & Construction Supervision: Mdesign
– Project Management: Natural Peyzaj
– Landscape Lighting Design: LDA
– Architectural, Structural & MEP Design: Sigma
– Monument Design & Construction: Outdoor Factory
– Monument Ground Works: Natural Zemin
– Civil, Electrical & Infrastructure Works: Koc Construction
– Lighting Installation: Akfa Lighting
– Traffic Design: Atac Muhendislik
– Asphalt Works: Nesce
– Biological Pond: Bioart

41.32707293024939, 69.43826523009957