ENHANCING CONNECTIVITY AND LOCAL COMMUNITIES IN UZBEKISTAN: building resilient and adaptive governance

Abstract: This paper discusses initial findings of the fieldwork conducted in Angren town of Tashkent region and Pop district of Namangan region in August 2021. Angren-Pop railway construction and electrification, its impact on the lives of local communities have been main objects of this research. The paper argues that implications of this infrastructure project implementation have been mixed. People could improve their connectivity with many other parts of Uzbekistan, enhance economic opportunities and revitalize local communities. There is noted, that at the same time, positive effects of this project have not been distributed evenly and could not create long-term economic development without further additional investments, coordination with the implementation of other projects and considering concerns of local communities within these changes.