Local Community Vision and Priorities Consolidated as Part of the Ozurgeti General Plan
As part of the preparation of the Ozurgeti General Plan, a Local Community Workshop was held on 20 March 2026 at Ozurgeti Inn Hotel. The workshop aimed to gather the perspectives and ideas of representatives from different sectors on the city’s key challenges and development opportunities, forming an important component of the Vision phase of the General Plan.
The workshop brought together representatives from the municipality, architecture and urban planning, business, tourism, education, culture, infrastructure, and members of the local community. Conducted in an interactive format, the event included presentations, group discussions, and participatory mapping exercises in which participants identified development ideas directly on the city’s spatial map. Discussions followed the GOST methodology, enabling participants to define development goals, objectives, strategic directions, and practical actions.
The workshop highlighted Ozurgeti’s strategic location, tourism potential, natural environment, cultural heritage, agricultural resources, and role as a regional centre among the city’s key strengths. At the same time, participants identified uncoordinated spatial development, deficiencies in engineering infrastructure, environmental challenges, the need to strengthen public transport, limited economic diversification, and a lack of opportunities for young people as the city’s principal challenges.
Participants shared a common vision of Ozurgeti as a multifunctional, modern, and sustainable regional centre. Key priorities identified during the workshop included strengthening the local economy, promoting the integrated development of tourism and agriculture, improving engineering and transport infrastructure, protecting the natural environment, enhancing public spaces, and increasing the city’s visibility and attractiveness.
The outcomes of the workshop will inform the subsequent stages of the General Plan and will serve as a basis for preparing the city’s development strategy and identifying priority investment projects.