Uzbekistan - Livable and Productive Cities Operation Program

Overview & Synopsis

The objective of the Livable and Productive Cities Operation Program for Uzbekistan is to enhance subnational governments’ capacity for planning and delivery of improved municipal infrastructure and services in participating districts and cities. The Uzbekistan Livable and Productive Cities Operation (LPCO) aims to enhance the capacity of Uzbekistan’s subnational governments, including but not limited to regional and district/city levels, to plan, implement, and manage resilient and sustainable municipal infrastructure. It introduces a performance-based financing mechanism to strengthen capital investment and spatial planning, institutional capacity, and civic engagement at the district/city level, and execution capabilities for capital investments at the regional level. The Operation focuses on supporting district/city planning as the foundation for localized decision-making. It also leverages the coordinating and supervisory role of regional governments, which oversee district/city administrations and execute delegated capital investment budgets. Embedded within Uzbekistan’s strategic development agenda, the Operation supports sustainable urban and territorial development while directly contributing to the Uzbekistan 2030 Strategy, which prioritizes sustainable urbanization, improved municipal services, and stronger subnational governance. These objectives are especially relevant considering the Government of Uzbekistan’s (GoU) goal of increasing the urban population share from 51 to 60 percent. The Operation also aligns with the World Bank Group (WBG) Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for Uzbekistan for the Period FY2022–2026, particularly CPF’s Objective 1.5 on promoting sustainable urbanization and territorial development, contributing to broader goals of infrastructure modernization and inclusive private sector growth. Additionally, it advances the country’s climate and green development agenda, including its enhanced Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and the 2022 Presidential Decree on Green Development (amended in December 2024), by promoting climate-resilient infrastructure and the use of geospatial and climate and hazard risk assessment tools in planning processes.