Paper short abstract:

The new mass housing development schemes in the last five years offer not only housing solutions, but also create conflicts between the Uzbekistan citizens and developers. This research paper will analyze the real stories of Tashkent inhabitants who experienced the violation of their housing rights.

Paper long abstract:

The change of leadership in 2016 triggered massive new urban constructions in all major Uzbek cities. The leading construction ground is in the capital city, Tashkent, where the urban land has the highest value in Uzbekistan. Many foreign investors seek the opportunity to gain profits from the untapped real estate market in Uzbekistan. However, these development schemes mostly escalate the housing prices in general, including for the existing old housing stock. It raises the questions on social security on housing for the ordinary people of Uzbekistan: do they have minimum housing squares? do they have adequate housing conditions? can they afford to pay for increased prices for basic utilities? can they afford to purchase their first homes?

In this article, I intend to focus on new mass housing and analyze the visible transformations in all major urban centers in Uzbekistan that are fostered by numerous development projects in the last five years.

Many victims of housing rights violations, and/or their informal advocates share their struggles in Facebook groups and Telegram channels; new Uzbek bloggers bring attention to real cases of people who lost their housing in various situations. Following these stories, I noticed the common trends in these cases, which indicate the conflict between ordinary people and developers. Specifically, housing rights are being violated due to the housing law imperfections and conflict of interests. In these circumstances, the housing rights of the elderly, women and children, as more vulnerable groups, are often neglected, or even oppressed. Therefore, this paper will reveal their stories.