The “Protect Expo” initiative group has identified nine major concerns regarding the CITYZEN Expo development project, according to architect and urban planner Misha Baliashvili. Speaking on Business Morning, he said the project would reduce already limited green spaces, leave historic exhibition pavilions unprotected and increase the risk of traffic congestion in Tbilisi’s Didube-Nadzaladevi district.
According to Baliashvili, the project envisages demolition of two existing pavilions, Nos. 7 and 11, with a combined area of 5,500 square metres, to be replaced by a single 3,500-square-metre pavilion. The group also disputes claims that green space will be preserved, estimating that only 11,000 square metres of the planned 26,000-square-metre park would remain publicly accessible. It also warns that the planned 1,500 parking spaces will not meet demand from 1,600 apartments, the shopping mall, offices and exhibition facilities.
Another major concern is traffic. Baliashvili said the project's traffic impact assessment does not adequately account for visitors to the shopping mall and Expo Georgia events. He also noted that four major development projects within a one-kilometre radius have a combined construction area of 1.15 million square metres, but their traffic impact assessments have not been evaluated cumulatively. The group's calculations suggest that even two of these projects could cause congestion on Tsereteli Avenue.
The initiative group is calling for a public meeting with the developer and municipal authorities to discuss the concerns. Baliashvili also questioned changes to the site's privatization conditions: while the original 1994 terms required the preservation of its exhibition function, a 2024 government decree allowed for construction permits covering up to 250,000 square metres. Under the revised zoning, 51% of the territory is designated for construction and 49% for exhibition and recreational purposes. The project has passed its initial approval stage, while the final stage of its Detailed Development Plan is currently under consideration.
