Turkestan Smart City

In 2019, the 'Smart City' project began in Turkestan Region — a human-centered approach to regional digitalization. Its culmination was the 'SMART TURKISTAN' forum (May 3, 2019, at the campus of Akhmet Yassawi International Kazakh-Turkish University), organized with the participation of the TransforNATION team.

The work began with field diagnostics across 15 directions: express interviews with akimat staff and residents, and field observations. The diagnostics revealed systemic problem blocks — the fragmentation of digital initiatives and the untapped potential of local development institutions.

The forum brought together five sectoral sessions, a plenary session, and a 'Business–Science–Government' problem session. As a result, a digitalization concept was developed: systemic, human-centered, and technical tasks, 'quick wins,' and a portfolio of projects for citizens, business, and the akimat.

A separate outcome was a proprietary methodology for designing human-centered services for cities — the 'settlement as a service' model. It became the foundation for subsequent regional projects.