Sabir Orujov: "BEU aims to train specialists with greater knowledge of urban planning"”

Our interviewee is the head of the Department of Architecture and Design of Baku Engineering University (BEU), Honored Architect, Professor Sabir Orujov.

-         One of the newly created specialties at BEU is urban planning. According to the holders of this specialty, what information is intended to be provided?

-         Yes, as you mentioned, urban planning is one of the new specialties opened at BEU. The main purpose of the specialty is to provide students with basic theoretical and practical knowledge of urban and regional planning at the initial stage, and to prepare them for real project practice in the second stage. As a result, urban planners will have an interdisciplinary approach. In other words, he will acquire knowledge in engineering, economics, ecology, sociology, psychology, history, statistics, in short, in all areas that connect the urban environment and the city dweller. As graduates are required to participate in the exchange of information with experts from all areas mentioned in the discussion of strategic decisions in the process of urban and regional planning, they aim to have a wider range of knowledge than other specialties.

-         We understand that students in this specialty are taught knowledge in other areas. What is the need for this?

-         If we look at the development of cities in history and the current processes, it can be seen that cities are no longer just a simple zone of several buildings and public spaces, but a complex and constantly changing, dynamic and living organism. Nearby cities and other types of settlements are already being taken over on a larger scale and developed as a region. Functional complementarity of settlements, analysis of components necessary for a successful and efficient economic zone, proper distribution of natural and human resources, protection and efficient use of natural resources, etc. Issues such as are addressed on a regional plan scale. That is why it is not enough for our cities to be architects and designers, but also to have an idea about other related fields. The reason why these specialties (architecture, design, urban planning) are taught separately from each other in the world is the increase in the scale of occupation. For the same reason, in our country, these fields are already finding their place in higher education as different specialties.

-         What does it mean to work with students on real areas?

-         In addition to providing urban planning specialists with the necessary knowledge of fundamental, humanitarian and general vocational training subjects, as in all specialties, the subjects taught in the first academic year also instill in them practical knowledge about the field. As second-year students have already learned the design requirements for a real urban environment, they work on real areas and theoretical classes explain to them the economic and social aspects of the urban environment. The third year is the year for them to start work on the scale of the regional plan. In the fourth year, along with the topics of sustainable urban environment, futuristic urban concepts, alternative energy sources, smart home projects, they will work on some modules and prepare for the diploma project. The diploma project will be one of the topics agreed by the leaders at the beginning of that year.

- What are the new software modules for those currently studying in this field?

- Relevant work has been done in this direction at BEU. In general, the modules of the new program for urban education, which meet the standards of the global environment, are on different scales - urban design, urban economy, statistics, Geographic Information System (GIS), regional planning, infrastructure planning, transport planning, real estate appraisal and management system, cadastre system , urban planning strategies, historical monuments and conservation plans, smart cities, urban planning and construction laws, sustainability in urban planning, as well as emergencies and natural disasters.

-         The main issue that everyone thinks about when choosing a specialty is the demand for that specialty in the labor market. How attractive is urban planning in this regard?

-         We are all witnesses of the great construction work going on in Azerbaijan, and there is a serious need for urban planning specialists not only in Azerbaijan, but all over the world. Urban planning is the specialty of today and the future. Graduates work in architectural and planning offices, real estate appraisal companies, design institutes, the Committee on Urban Planning and Architecture, executive authorities, economic development plans, municipalities, etc. may operate accordingly in such institutions and areas

Public Relations Department