Citation :

Muldagaliyeva Ainur, Feoktistova Yelena, Gurskaya Oxana, Kriulko Nina, Barakbayev Arslan, "Regulating Urban Form in the Digital Age: Transitioning from Prescriptive Norms to Form-Based Codes in Astana, Kazakhstan," International Journal of Civil Engineering, vol. 13, no. 7, pp. 212-224, 2026. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14445/23488352/IJCE-V13I7P113

Abstract

This study addresses the structural incompatibility between inherited post-Soviet urban regulations and the requirements of contemporary digital planning in transition economies. Using Kazakhstan as a case study, the research aims to develop a framework for adapting prescriptive regulatory systems to automated compliance-checking environments. A mixed-methods approach is employed, combining comparative content analysis of 150 regulatory provisions, morphological simulation of development scenarios in Astana, and an algorithmization experiment. The study reveals a critical «Interpretation Gap»: approximately 70% of legacy norms rely on subjective language that resists machine interpretation, whereas in Vienna and Buffalo, on average, 87.4% of provisions are machine-readable. Morphological modelling further indicates that current norms produce a fragmented, vehicle-oriented urban structure, whereas form-oriented regulation considerably increases street-level vitality (Active Street Frontage Ratio rising from 15% to 75%) without sacrificing density (FAR ≈ 2.5–2.8). On the basis of these findings, a dual-track reform strategy is proposed: prescriptive logic is retained for safety-critical norms (translated into machine-readable formats), while obsolete urban-planning norms are replaced with adaptable Form-Based Codes. The hybrid model offers a scalable pathway for bridging the divide between technocratic legacy structures and the demands of sustainable, digitally enabled urban planning in post-Soviet countries.

Keywords

Automated Code Compliance Checking, Building Information Modelling, Form-Based Codes, Kazakhstan, Post-Soviet urban planning.

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