Tbilisi's Dendrological Park, a 250-hectare (618-acre) botanical haven near the Tbilisi Sea, was established in 1956 as Georgia's answer to Paris's Bois de Boulogne. Once the largest designed forest in the Caucasus, it boasted a rich variety of local and exotic species, an irrigation system, a greenhouse, and a reflecting pond with swans.
However, civil wars in the 1990s led to its devastation and abandonment. In 2020, Tbilisi City Hall announced a competition for the park's rehabilitation, which was won by Ruderal. Their master plan aims to "re-civilize" and "re-wild" the park, introducing a multi-use circulation system, safer connections to the Tbilisi Sea, and pedestrian links.
The transformed park will cater to various passive park programs and host educational and recreational programs, aiming to address existing inequality in access to natural and outdoor activities. Embracing modern sustainability standards, new construction will use "soft" infrastructure, with rainwater being captured on-site in bio-diverse wetlands.
The future Tbilisi Dendrological Park will be a hub of ecological diversity and sustainable urban development, providing a refuge for relaxation, play, and exploration.
