Chapman Taylor appointed to prepare a strategic masterplan for Nakhchivan City

Chapman Taylor has been appointed to develop a transformative 20-year strategic masterplan for the historic city of Nakhchivan, setting out the direction for its growth and evolution through to 2045.

Marcelina Zielinska introduces Nakhchivan City Masterplan on NTV News national media in Azerbaijan

While the masterplan is still under development, a clear set of principles and ambitions is already emerging. The central objective is to prepare the city to support a population of 130,000, more than double its current size. The strategy will focus on densifying the key urban areas, expanding parks and green corridors, and modernising the infrastructure, while delivering new schools, hospitals, and public amenities to serve the growing population.

“Our vision for Nakhchivan is to shape a vibrant, smart, and sustainable city—one that honours its past while embracing the needs of modern life,” says the Chapman Taylor Group Board Director Marcelina Zielinska. “We are positioning the city as both a future destination and a model for inclusive, resilient, and people-focused urban development.”

Chapman Taylor’s appointment for Nakhchivan builds on the practice’s growing portfolio of strategic masterplans across the region, contributing to ambitious national visions for urban development, economic growth, and environmental resilience.

Marcelina Zielinska (MSC Arch and Urb Des, RIBA, FRSA)

Group Board Director, UK

Marcelina has extensive experience of all design stages on a diverse range of projects of various scales, from individual buildings to large urban masterplans.

She has a particular passion for high street regeneration, with a talent for anticipating future trends in retail and leisure and the impact they will have on town centres. Her current projects include heritage-sensitive masterplans for historic city centres.

As an architect and urban designer, Marcelina understands the importance of placemaking and of combining uses to create socially, commercially and environmentally sustainable communities, both in the UK and internationally.

Marcelina has been with Chapman Taylor since March 2007, when she joined the company to help deliver St. David’s 2 in Cardiff. She was promoted to the Group Board in 2025.

Areas of expertise:

Masterplanning / Mixed-use / Retail / Leisure / Asset Enhancement / Placemaking

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