World New City, New Capital Fever: Central Asia's Dubai or Shenzhen? Almaty-adjacent Kazakhstan's Astana City: A $20 Billion "City of the Future"

On March 20, Kazakhstan's joint session of parliament unveiled detailed plans for the ambitious construction of Astana City. Authorities are actively pushing forward this project aimed at creating a new urban center capable of housing approximately 2 million people.

According to the plan, Astana City will be unique not only in Kazakhstan but also worldwide.

From Village to Megacity

Astana City is built on the former site of the village Jetigen, located about 50 kilometers north of Almaty. The city spans approximately 88,000 hectares—"larger than both Singapore and Seoul."

Alleviating traffic congestion in Kazakhstan’s commercial capital was one of the primary considerations for the new city’s location. Another key factor is that Astana lies along the Central Corridor, an emerging east-west trade route connecting Europe and China. The city will feature an airport and railway hub.

Astana City will be divided into four zones: Green Zone, Growth Zone, Golden Zone, and Gateway Zone.

The Gateway Zone will serve as the commercial and financial center, hosting the airport and railway facilities. It is also the southernmost district of the city, thus closest to Almaty.

The Golden Zone will become a "center of knowledge, healthcare, and innovation," with planned hospitals and other medical facilities, technology centers, and educational institutions capable of accommodating 40,000 students.

The Growth Zone will function as an industrial and logistics hub focused on export trade, including clusters in food processing, chemicals, building materials, and light industry.

The Green Zone, situated by Lake Kapchagay and bisected by the Kaskelen River, will serve as the city’s leisure and tourism area.

Astana City lies along the main road between Almaty and Kunayev ("Kazakhstan’s gambling capital").

On March 20, Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev told parliament that test flights for air taxis between Almaty and Astana would begin this year, with public operation expected within two to three years. Bozumbayev stated flight times would be 10–15 minutes.

In addition, expansion of the Almaty Metro system is underway, with the Green Line eventually extending all the way to Astana.

Astana City will be a smart city, with development following a "default digital" principle—encouraging people to access goods and services online wherever possible, while still providing support for those who prefer traditional methods.

Funding

Kazakh authorities estimate that constructing Astana City by 2050 will require around 10 trillion tenge (approximately $20.836 billion). Kazakhstan is actively seeking foreign investment and offering favorable conditions to foreign companies.

Deputy Prime Minister Bozumbayev said: "Taxation model will be specified separately: incentives apply only to new projects in priority sectors—those requiring efficiency, environmental friendliness, and innovation."

He also added that only companies operating directly within Astana City can benefit from these incentives.

Bozumbayev denied that Astana City would be treated as an offshore financial zone. He emphasized that investors would enjoy "advantages" but also bear "obligations," such as creating a certain number of jobs, paying taxes, and completing construction on time.

Kazakh authorities claim the project will generate up to one million jobs and expect the new city to attract four million tourists annually, more than half of whom will be foreign visitors.

City of the Future

The "landmark twin towers" will serve as the central landmark of Astana City, with one tower reaching 272 meters (56 stories), though this is far from the only striking structure.

Artist renderings of the business district resemble scenes from science fiction films, while the Green Zone’s tourist areas and docks evoke parts of Dubai or Tampa Bay.

Other gleaming steel and glass skyscrapers will dot the landscape across Astana City.

Kazakh MP Snegzhana Ima sheva said Astana City will be like Dubai or China’s Shenzhen.

Kazakhstan already has experience transforming small towns into major cities. Thirty years ago, then-President Nursultan Nazarbayev decided to relocate the capital from Almaty to a small town named Tselinograd (during Soviet times), which was renamed Astana shortly after independence in 1991. The foundation of Astana took years to develop and now stands as a modern metropolis on what was once a sparsely populated steppe.

Construction of Astana City is expected to continue until 2050, with companies from Asia and Europe involved in building and infrastructure projects.

In September 2025, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a decree granting Astana City special status. At the time, he stated: "Astana is destined to become our new center of business activity and innovation."

Source: Central Asia Times

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1861246261986307/

Disclaimer: This article reflects the personal views of the author