Residents of Tbilisi’s Didube district gathered on Thursday and Sunday to protest plans to build high-rise residential buildings and commercial space on the grounds of Expo Georgia, arguing that the development threatens one of the area’s few recreational spaces.

The protest was the second demonstration against the proposed project. Residents said they would continue opposing the plans, citing concerns about traffic congestion, air pollution, and the loss of green space for local families.

The development is planned for the Expo Georgia site at 118 Akaki Tsereteli Avenue. Cityzen announced that apartment sales would begin on 22 October, although the project had not yet received a construction permit and no approved detailed development plan could be found in official public sources. The plans envisage buildings ranging from 12 to 32 storeys, with most of the complex intended for residential use and part for commercial purposes.

Maia Jojua, a resident of Tsereteli Avenue, said the development would add to the area’s existing traffic and air pollution problems.

‘The traffic is already terrible. People will move into these buildings with their cars, and if even more cars are added, it will become impossible to move along the avenue’, Jojua told OC Media.

Protesters hold placards reading ‘Save Expo!’ Photo: Lana Kokaia/OC Media.

She said pollution was already preventing her from opening the windows facing the avenue, and expressed concern about the additional impact of the planned construction. Cityzen has not yet responded to OC Media’s request for comment.

Jojua also described Expo Georgia as a green oasis in Didube, where she had taken her children for years to play and spend time outdoors.

‘My children grew up here. I brought them here every day for years so they could get some fresh air, especially in the summer’, she said. ‘We must not let them do this’.

Khatia Gvenetadze, a resident of Didube, said the Expo Georgia grounds were one of the few places in the district where residents could walk, take their children outdoors, and exercise.

‘We categorically oppose the construction of 16-, 20-, or 30-storey buildings here. We will protest until the end, because this is the only such spot in Didube, on Tsereteli Avenue’, Gvenetadze said.

Architect Levan Kalandarishvili also opposed the plans, arguing that the new buildings would destroy the park and undermine the character of the site.

Kalandarishvili said the area held personal and architectural significance, recalling that he had spent much of his youth there when the Cosmos cinema operated on the grounds.

He also questioned the design of the proposed complex, pointing to plans for a garden on the second floor of a 32-storey building and asking how the development would accommodate the additional parking and infrastructure required by its residents.

‘There are so many problems in Didube. This will not solve them; it will solve somebody’s private interests’, Kalandarishvili told OC Media.

The protest also drew people from outside Didube. Irakli Tibunashvili, a Saburtalo resident, told OC Media that the issue affected the entire city.

Irakli Tibunashvili with a ‘Save Expo!’ placard. Photo: Lana Kokaia/OC Media.

‘I came to this protest because this problem concerns all of Tbilisi. I want people to be able to live comfortably in this city, without apartment blocks at every other step’, Tibunashvili said.

Architect and urban designer Irakli Zhvania, who addressed protesters at the demonstration, warned that the development could leave the remaining green space in shadow for much of the day, particularly in winter, when the sun is lower. He said this could affect the trees and other vegetation, while construction itself could cause further damage.

Zhvania also argued that the scale of the buildings would change the architectural character of the site, where low-rise modernist pavilions currently stand.

He warned that the proposed residential and commercial complex could significantly increase traffic on Tsereteli Avenue and surrounding streets. The additional vehicles, alongside deliveries and waste collection for the commercial facilities, could worsen congestion and air pollution, he said.

Zhvania further warned that construction could take several years, during which dust from cement and concrete could affect people living nearby.

‘This means more time lost for you, more traffic jams, more exhaust fumes, and buses that you miss’, Zhvania told the protesters.

Cityzen, the company behind the project, said the existing park and recreational space would be fully preserved and remain open to the public, as it is now. The company added that Expo Georgia would retain its existing function.

According to the company, the development would be located along two adjoining streets — Stanislavski and Samtredia — in areas beyond the existing park and exhibition pavilions, with separate entrances.

‘The main idea behind Cityzen Expo is for Expo to retain its function and setting, while gaining a maintained and expanded recreational space, and for a new, high-quality space to be created in the surrounding area. The success of the project will be felt by people who currently live and work around Expo or use the park’, the company said in a statement.

Tbilisi City Hall’s Urban Development Service told OC Media that the project was last at the detailed development plan stage and that no construction permit had been issued.

Expo Georgia’s history dates back to 1957, when an exhibition venue opened on Tsereteli Avenue.  Today, the site covers 139,244 square metres and continues to host exhibitions.