With a highly developed cultural heritage, Azerbaijan has always been known for its remarkable achievements in architecture and decorations. It serves as an optimal territory for the development of the modern approach to urban planning, supported by the governmental efforts to protect the values of this country at the level of world culture. Since gaining its independence, Azerbaijan has managed to develop a strong cooperation with UNESCO, making a great contribution to heritage conservation worldwide.
This paper studies the issue of the connection of the architectural legacy of Azerbaijan with the current system of urban development in theory and practice. Considering Baku as the key example of the discussed subject, the author analyses the successful co-existence of the historic structures in a developing city and tries to find out the ways to preserve the identity of this place during the process of the globalization of cities. Instead of working on restoration projects separately, the author suggests using the urban approach to preservation of the historic places as an important element of the socio-economic and architectural structure of the city. Moreover, the issue of the balance between the traditional aesthetics and modern constructions, along with the adaptive reuse of the historic areas is considered. There is a great focus made on the importance of international cooperation and compliance with the UNESCO requirements".