In just a few days, Baku will come alive with ideas, creativity, and innovation as it hosts Baku Archifest 2025, one of the region’s most vibrant architecture and urbanism festivals. Part of the Azerbaijan Urban Campaign (AUC2026) launched by UN-Habitat, the festival brings together architects, planners, designers, academics, and young visionaries to explore the theme “Navigating Urbanity.” It’s a chance to rethink how cities can grow in ways that are human-centred, sustainable, and culturally rooted. Organised by Design Bureau and Aslı Partners in partnership with ADA University’s School of Design and Architecture, Archifest 2025 runs from 5–7 November at the new Italy-Azerbaijan University campus. The program includes keynote talks, panel discussions, workshops, and student presentations, sparking conversations about future urban trends, climate resilience, and the role of creativity in shaping cities.
Supported by PMD Group and PASHA Real Estate, with ASAN Radio and ASAN TV as media partners, the festival expects to welcome over 3,000 participants from across the region and beyond.
UN-Habitat’s Anna Soave, Head of Country Programme at UN-Habitat Azerbaijan, highlighted the broader significance of the festival, saying, “Azerbaijan will again be at the center of global urban issues when it hosts the World Urban Forum in 2026.” She stressed the need for creativity in construction and urban development worldwide: “Modern urban planning must respond to climate change and consider the sustainability of our buildings. Next year, WUF13 will look at these issues — and what we need to do for people without roofs over their heads,” Soave noted.
Baku Archifest 2025 is more than a festival — it is a milestone in Azerbaijan’s journey toward WUF13, reflecting the country’s commitment to sustainable urban development, forward-thinking design, and inclusive solutions for all citizens. Through exhibitions, workshops, and interactive discussions, the festival embodies the spirit of the Azerbaijan Urban Campaign: connecting communities, fostering innovation, and positioning Azerbaijan as a hub for knowledge-sharing on the future of cities.
- Official festival website: bakuarchifest.com
- Festival overview page (theme, venue, dates): bakuarchifest.com/en/bakuarchifest25
- News article: “Baku Archifest 2025 opens at Italy‑Azerbaijan University’s new campus” on Trend.az
- News article: “Baku set to host Archifest 2025, one of region’s leading architecture festivals” on Turkic.World
- News agency APA report: “Baku Archifest 2025 architecture and urban planning festival held” Apa.az