Urban inequality in T'bilisi

The plane starts its descend and the view outside of the window lets me see one of the driest climates I have been to with a city of this scale. Maybe also due to the fact that it is actually peak summer. More surprisingly however are all the many brutalist buildings originating from soviet times. Especially from my aggregated airplane view these look like someone has literally placed them there without much of a rationale Nevertheless, these buildings are housing hundreds of people, in the most efficient, yet also ugliest way possible. Over 30years after the collapse of the USSR the infrastructure has not seen any glimpse of restoration or renovation, as I was told later mostly due to institutional conflicts who is in charge of such tasks.
Being in the taxi from the airport, the large, widely sprawled character of this city is experienced on a new level with a kind driver explaining me where we are and what everything is. Just because the space is available does not necessarily mean you have to use it all up with stones and concrete; by that make large parts only accessible by motorised vehicles, but I acknowledge to have different standards arriving from the Netherlands.
The capitol of Georgia appears to show similarities with South-East Asian cities at first sight, but more and more the Middle Eastern, as well as Russian vibe becomes apparent, making it very unique from any other city I have seen so far, that could usually be classified with a certain atmosphere. The smells often remind me of Asia, while the chaotic public places (and transport) display much more so an atmosphere that I have only seen on television about the Middle East, while the soviet heritage is particularly apparent in building structures and the orthodox mentality of some elderly people.
Interestingly enough, the other side of the river (which banks are entirely motorized and function as two highway axes) displays a completely different, much more familiar, western, European atmosphere. Potentially due to the amount of tourists, but more so vibrance of life, facilities, and condition of public places. This is also, unsurprisingly, the area where many expats and digital nomads settle on their 1year visa. The old town's streets, once designed to fit two carriages are now struggling severely to accommodate two car lanes as well as parking lots. However, this concentrated character of T'bilisi's old town facilitates walking (in very aggressive Georgian traffic). The city's long standing history is astonishing, and only after taking a free walking tour I realise how much Georgians have fought throughout history to remain and preserve their unique cultural heritage. The contrasts and urban inequality could not be more obvious than in this city, which will take years and ambitious spatial planners to even out the scars from the past, and create a more inclusive, green, liveable capitol of the beautiful Republic of Georgia.