This article is part of a spotlight series highlighting Mayors for Economic Growth (M4EG), a joint EU and UNDP regional initiative, hosting a network of 400+ municipalities in the Eastern Partnership – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine. M4EG’s goal is to reimagine urban and local spaces for positive economic transformation and future-readiness.
In a time where progress often overshadows history, Kutaisi, an ancient Georgian city, is making moves to become a forward-thinking eco-smart hub. Over the course of a comprehensive multi-year engagement, Kutaisi’s municipality, together with local stakeholders, is working with Mayors for Economic Growth (M4EG) to chart a new approach to transformative urban initiatives as part of a broader economic development strategy. This municipal-level collaboration is underpinned by a commitment to support one of the city’s pivotal goals – achieving a balance between economic prosperity and a sustainable and environmentally resilient future. Kutaisi’s effort is a practical example of what is often referred to as ‘mission-oriented innovation or economy’ approach.
As cities are both significant contributors to greenhouse gas emissions and ever more vulnerable to climate change impacts, there is a pressing need to confront environmental crises, such as air pollution and resource depletion, as we push for economic progress. To this end, eco-smart cities prioritize actions to cut emissions, boost energy efficiency, and navigate a shifting climate landscape. As technological advancements make eco-smart cities a reality, it’s now more feasible than ever for cities to adopt sustainable practices to reduce their environmental footprint.
Kutaisi’s vision of tomorrow is spearheaded by local authorities who are committed to empowering citizens in new ways. With support from M4EG, Kutaisi is leveraging the portfolio approach to test a range of strategic options – from catalyzing environmental resilience to addressing urban challenges using smart management, green transportation, and sustainable energy use. One key goal unifying this multifaceted approach is to transform community-based organizations, businesses, academic institutions, and everyday citizens into stewards of the environment. Moreover, these portfolio options aim to attract additional resources from stakeholders with sustainable agendas, while also generating insights to help launch pilots in other parts of the country and inspire policies at the national level.
In the midst of these transformative shifts lies a profound challenge – even when equipped with state-of-the-art technology, this endeavor often entails the delicate task of reshaping the intricate social narratives, norms, and practices woven into the very fabric of the city.
For Kutaisi, a city boasting a remarkable 3,600-year-old legacy, this dilemma takes on a particularly monumental character. Prominently featured in Greek mythology such as the enduring epic of Jason and the Argonauts, Kutaisi stands as a living link to antiquity. With a claim to the title of one of the region’s oldest continuously inhabited areas, its roots can be traced back to the Kingdom of Colchis, which dates back to at least to the 2nd century BC [1].
Centuries-old monuments, such as the iconic Bagrati Cathedral, bear witness to the city’s resilience. This 11th century landmark has not only withstood various attacks in the 17th and 18th centuries, but has also undergone significant-yet-controversial renovations at the start of the 21st century [2], characterizing the difficulty of striking a balance between preservation and progress.
Much like with the Bagrati Cathedral, Kutaisi continues to navigate this nuanced path between honoring its epochal past and embracing a future that fits the needs of its residents. “Kutaisi is one of the oldest cities in the world with great traditions, and simultaneously it’s a city of innovations. We’re very glad that our city has joined the M4EG joint EU-UNDP Initiative to mutually start working towards an eco-smart city,” says the Mayor of Kutaisi, Ioseb Khakhaleishvili.
Georgia’s third largest city now stands poised to parallel this journey, ready to step out of the shadows of its more recent past as a major Soviet industrial center. “The main challenge for us is the transformation of the city because the city has its history, traditions for centuries,” notes Mirza Khidashelli, a portfolio team member representing Kutaisi’s Office of Infrastructure. “The industrial part of this city, as it was expected, did not have capacity to maintain the enterprises in free competition…[the transformation process now] is more like an invention or something new, but it should be connected with its historical part.”
Weaving Kutaisi’s significance as an industrial hub into its eco-smart city aspirations is a complex endeavor – years of manufacturing and production have set the stage for persistent air pollution. When intertwined with its terrain and local climate conditions, this underscores the city’s vulnerability to natural disasters. The urgency to bolster resilience has been further accentuated by recent events – a 3.5 magnitude earthquake this past April, swiftly followed by flash floods in June.
The city also grapples with an additional challenge: a decline in economic prominence has triggered a phenomenon known as “brain drain,” resulting in depopulation and contributing to a larger countrywide trend. Consequently, Kutaisi’s urban transformation portfolio hinges not only on its ability to preserve its cultural heritage and introduce innovative green solutions but also on the crucial mission of making the city more comfortable and attractive for residents. Sustainable economic development and a fundamental shift in perceptions about the city are integral parts of this multifaceted approach. “After all, as in many post-industrial cities, people always want to have a better life,” explains Irakli Goglichidze, Portfolio Team Leader and Head of the Department of Economic Development and Transport at Kutaisi’s City Hall. “So we need somehow to recover opportunities in the city and to raise our citizens’ awareness that something will be improved, transformed and changed inside of the city.”
In an effort to actively engage a wide range of stakeholders in the transformation process, the M4EG team carried out a large-scale citywide event that introduced citizens to the portfolio journey. It involved in-depth interviews with local residents, academics, youth, local non-governmental organizations, the private sector, and investors to gather their invaluable insights. Above all, its primary goal was to cultivate local enthusiasm for contributing ideas on how to improve the city as the portfolio team embarked on the mission of conceptualizing an eco-smart city with and for the community.
“We can say frankly that whatever we have planned in the first phase, within the framework of this project, envisages the opinions of many of our citizens,” says Ketevan Tskhakaia, co-founder and executive director of Spectri, a non-government organization that fosters cross-sectoral partnerships to ensure sustainable development in Georgia. “And this is one of the factors of high engagement in this project. The idea and concept of an eco-smart city is something new for our city.”
Embracing the spirit of “something new” has earned the Kutaisi municipality prestigious recognition in the form of a 2022 Best Practice Award from the National Association of Local Authorities. It garnered two nominations for best practices in local governance and municipal performance; the first applauds the city’s achievements in local economic development planning and participatory economic development innovation. The second accolade highlights the city’s outstanding track record of successful collaboration with international donors.
“One of the goals is to help our citizens change behavior, to improve awareness in order to meet the requirements of a smart and eco city because this process is strongly dependent on human behavior and human awareness,” Ketevan explains.
“Kutaisi was the first city in Georgia where waste separation and composting took place. We have made significant changes to create an environment-friendly public transport system as well as to improve the inner-city and suburban ecosystem,” explains the Kutaisi mayor. In their pursuit of promoting eco-friendly behavior, the portfolio team launched experimental initiatives in three key areas: smart management, green transport, and sustainable energy. In just one year of collaboration, they’ve made significant strides: testing a smart waste management system using bin sensors and analytics; establishing an Eco Innovations Academy that offers training, hackathons, and mentorship to foster innovation; installing solar panels on buildings; preparing the electrical grid and charging infrastructure ahead of a procurement of a fleet of electric vehicles; and reducing the expenses associated with adopting electric vehicles by eliminating specific charging fees and city tolls.
Instead of concentrating on a single-point project as seen in traditional development project management, M4EG project coordinator and UNDP Georgia representative Otar Konjaria explains the benefit of piloting multiple actions at the same time aimed at behavioral nudging. “Implementing small initiatives give us an opportunity to see whether we are on the right track, whether these are the initiatives which will promote transformation of the city into an eco-smart city,” says Irakli and further adds that, “the way that one intervention has a positive influence in different directions enables us to impact citizens’ awareness.”
The startup-inspired portfolio process serves as a catalyst to nurture innovation and adaptability in an increasingly fast-paced and uncertain world. However, as Irakli points out, the accessibility of resources for rapid idea testing through iterative implementation is generally out of reach for many Georgians. “People are lacking the luxury of investing in experiments because it is somehow risky, isn’t it? So our municipal team accepted this responsibility.”
The city’s ambitious journey towards sustainability is rooted in its ability to lead by example. “We wanted them to see how these municipal services could work. For example, we believe that businesses will copy these services and implement them in their activities. We believe that we can propose and show our citizens something new, something useful,“ explains Irakli. “Then our people will see that this is really good municipal practice and they will try to implement this in their everyday life.”
Beyond its municipal boundaries, Kutaisi seeks to take on a broader role. The team endeavors to leverage the portfolio to not only inform but also spearhead a national agenda for sustainable policies and incentives. “This is the first attempt in our country and even in the region to develop a model of an eco-smart city,” says Ketevan. “Our experience might be shared, not just by other cities in Georgia, but our neighboring countries as well.”
Even in the face of potential post-election changes, the team’s high-octane enthusiasm remains intact, partly due to the administrative safeguards in place that protect the process. The municipal team has designated eco-smart city development activities as essential for the city and has even integrated the project frameworks into local development initiatives at City Hall to protect them from the effects of political transitions.
“We clearly understand that economic welfare and an ecologically sustainable future are of equally essential tasks, and the local government aims to develop these two components harmoniously,”says the Mayor Ioseb Khakhaleishvili.
When it comes to envisioning the lifespan of the portfolio and its long-term impacts, Irakli is tenaciously resolute. “This is a long-term responsibility and we’ll work on this. We’ll do our best to allocate human and financial resources from the local budget, maybe donors can also help.” Then he muses, “You can’t give food one day to someone and then leave them starving the next day. No, we’ll continue feeding this process and permanently supply our society with something new, leading to eco-friendly development. That is our plan.”
[1] Okrostsvaridze, A, et al. “A Modern Field Investigation of the Mythical “Gold Sands” of the Ancient Colchis Kingdom and “Golden Fleece” Phenomena.” Quaternary International, vol. 409, no. Part A, 2016, pp. 61-69, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2014.07.064. Accessed 20 Oct. 2023.
[2] “Reconstructing the Sacred: The Controversial Process of Bagrati Cathedral’S Full-scale Restoration and Its World Heritage Delisting.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Nov. 2020, www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-journal-of-cultural-property/article/abs/reconstructing-the-sacred-the-controversial-process-of-bagrati-cathedrals-fullscale-restoration-and-its-world-heritage-delisting/B8048773BF4338C57D254DA76C5E674D. Accessed 20 Oct. 2023.
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