Development of 80,000 housing units for 400,000 Residents

A key program of Phase 1 development is the planning and construction of 80,000 housing units in Dehsabz south area.

Parcels 1 & 2 are the most important parts of program 1 as they become the launching projects for the development of the entire city. As starter projects, they are expected to be examples of success for the remaining parcels. The quality accomplishment of these parcels will play an important role in attracting further private sector investment and donor support towards the development of the new city.

Depending on the success of Parcels 1 & 2, the DCDA intends to have simultaneous release of other parcels, with small intervals in between.

There are number of projects which are prerequisites to the development of Program 1. They include Building Code Development, Zoning Bylaws, Urban Development Guidelines, Economic Strategy/ Business Plan and others.

Dehsabz south was selected as site for Phase 1 development primarily because of its proximity to the existing Kabul city. Also, according to an assessment, natural urban growth is very likely to take place along the southern part of existing Kabul-Bagram road.

The structure plan is prepared in 1:5000 in order to clearly show specific land use and its defined perimeter. This appeals to a wider range of private developers for early realization of Program 1.

Planning criteria and design standards, used in the structure planning of Phase 1 sets precedent for future new urban planning in the country. It will also guide private developers for detail planning and design of individual blocks.

Plan for the development of Phase 1

In order to accommodate the targeted 400,000 people by 2015 in Phase 1 area, the development shall proceed in multiple areas. The initial development needs to take place in areas where land clearance and acquisition are easy and large-scale land preparation is undertaken without constructing new regional artery roads and other infrastructure facilities. The natural choice for the initial developments, therefore, is along the existing Kabul-Bagram road.

The planning of Kabul City Outer Ring Road (KCORR) started long before the new city planning. Currently the alignment of the northern segment of KCORR has been modified to serve the new city development. Hence, the areas along the KCORR are also good candidates with high potential for early development. The areas along the newly proposed Symbol Road may be expected to develop during early stages as well. While the initial development is likely to take place in these areas, the subsequent development should be guided to the areas that may be developed to create high-grade urban spaces with wider appeal. The smaller circular commercial zone is considered as a good high-grade area. (See figure-1 below)

Based on the above-mentioned considerations for the development of Phase 1 and in order to better manage the urban development of this phase, it was decided to divide Phase 1 area into 11 parcels.

The Parcels are selected in a manner to include two to four neighborhoods in one parcel and bounded by main roads or gullies which are a consideration of natural topography of Phase 1 area of KNC.

The following figure shows the division of Phase 1 into 11 parcels.

Based on the above division, Phase 1 area can be developed through 11 parcels with different development programs and strategies. Depending on the success of early parcels the remaining can be released and developed simultaneously.

11 Parcels of Phase 1

Land areas, population and number of housing units of the 11 parcels are as follows: