Azerbaijan hosted its first international real estate exhibition in Baku this week, drawing developers and investors from across the region as the country pursues large-scale urban expansion and reconstruction. AIREX 2026 examined the country’s property market and the challenges facing a sector increasingly shaped by technology, sustainability and changing urban needs. AIREX organiser Riad Salayev said the aim was to attract “more key players from the region” and “more international participants and investors” to the exhibition.
The exhibition comes as Azerbaijan continues to invest in urban development. Baku is undergoing major changes, while reconstruction in Karabakh is creating demand for new homes and public infrastructure. For new neighbourhoods to work, housing must go hand in hand with schools, healthcare, transport and other essential services.
Chief of Staff of Azerbaijan’s State Housing Development Agency (MIDA) Jamshid Amirov said the agency had launched 20 projects to help citizens buy homes on preferential terms. The developments also include schools, kindergartens and a medical centre. Amirov said 11 affordable housing projects have been completed so far, including five in Baku and six in the regions.
Elchin Gadimov, Chief Commercial Officer of PASHA Real Estate Group and CEO of International Projects, said his sector was moving towards “capital efficiency, customer experience, international demand and long-term asset value”. It was becoming “increasingly data-driven, predictive and customer-centric," he said. Gadimov explained that with advancements in AI, developers can now use a simple photograph to visualise a proposed project without expensive rendering software or specialised equipment.
What once required “significant time, technical expertise and financial resources” can now be explored “in minutes”, helping teams test ideas earlier. International architecture practice Chapman Taylor has worked on master-planning projects in Shusha and Jabrayil, as well as districts in Aghdam and Fuzuli. Its work in Fuzuli also includes a hospital and a vocational school.
Chapman Taylor Group Board Director Marcelina Zielinska said that successful urban development required more than designing individual buildings. Planners must consider “business, the economy, location, climate and community”, Zielinska told Euronews. Alikhan Aliyev, Director of Kazakhstan-based BI Group in Azerbaijan, also highlighted the importance of residents' experience.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
