Turning Urban Planning into a Climate Action Tool: A Path to Resilience in Kyrgyzstan

Due to fragmented urban policy and limited institutional capacity, Kyrgyzstan faces serious negative consequences of climate change, particularly in its mountain towns such as Naryn. The policy brief, prepared within the framework of the Naryn Urban Resilience Programme (NURP) and based on UN-Habitat’s legal analysis, presents key strategies for integrating climate change mitigation measures into urban planning. The policy brief highlights the absence of mandatory greenhouse gas assessment during planning, weak enforcement of sustainable construction standards, and insufficient integration of green–blue infrastructure and low-carbon transport. It proposes a step-by-step approach to reform, starting with integrating climate criteria into the planning system and strengthening institutional and financial mechanisms. The follow-up actions include consolidating climate-resilient design standards, linking climate requirements with the permitting system, developing a regulatory framework for green–blue infrastructure, and promoting mixed land use and development of pedestrian infrastructure.