From Energy Hub to Green City: Applying the Växjö Model to Mingachevir, Azerbaijan

Abstract

This paper examines the applicability of the Växjö (Sweden) green city model to Mingachevir, Azerbaijan—a mid-sized industrial city of approximately 106,000 inhabitants functioning as the primary energy hub of the South Caucasus. Växjö, widely recognized as “Europe's Greenest City”, achieved more than a 60% reduction in per-capita CO₂ emissions between 1993 and 2023 through an integrated strategy of biomass-based combined heat and power generation, renewable district heating, active mobility infrastructure, and inclusive multi-stakeholder governance. Mingachevir possesses comparable structural advantages—significant renewable hydroelectric capacity, a large reservoir ecosystem, a manageable urban scale, and alignment with Azerbaijan's national green energy transition agenda—yet lacks a coordinated green urban development framework. Drawing on qualitative comparative case study methodology and a structured parallel analysis, this paper identifies transferable elements of the Växjö model and proposes a phased implementation roadmap for Mingachevir across three time horizons (2025–2035). The findings indicate that Mingachevir's unique position as an energy-producing city, combined with Azerbaijan's post-COP 29 sustainability commitments and the forthcoming World Urban Forum 2026, creates a historically opportune window to pioneer green city transformation in the South Caucasus. The study contributes to sustainable urban development scholarship in transition economies and offers actionable policy recommendations aligned with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11.