On 3 February, the Czech resort construction company Green Resort received official permission to start the construction of a multifunctional green city in Georgia’s Black Sea resort town of Kobuleti, bringing 500 million GEL (about $185.53m/€ 164.60m) in European investments to the region of Adjara, reported agenda.ge.

The investment agreement between the government of Adjara and Green Resort was signed in March 2019. “This will be the largest investment ever made in Adjara, in our touristic infrastructure. We are talking about the construction of a new green city that will become a calling card for all of Georgia,” stated the former Georgian Prime Minister Mammuka Bakhtadze after the signing of the agreement. 

The project includes the construction of a golf pitch, a football stadium, tennis courts, swimming pools, recreation zones and bicycle trails. Besides creating sports infrastructure, a new 250-room hotel, shopping centre, parking space for 500 cars, food facilities, apartments and villas will also be built. 70 per cent of the area will be a recreation zone. The project, which is scheduled to be completed by 2022, will employ more than 500 people. 

According to the UN Environmental Programme (UNEP), Green Cities are defined as environmentally friendly. The greening of cities requires some, or preferably all, of the following: (1) controlling diseases and their health burden; (2) reducing chemical and physical hazards; (3) developing high quality urban environments for all; (4) minimising transfers of environmental costs to areas outside the city; and (5) ensuring progress towards sustainable consumption.