This week, our CEO Darren Comber is attending WUF13 – World Urban Forum in Azerbaijan, sharing insights into the masterplanning of future phases of Sea Breeze, one of the country’s flagship developments.

Sea Breeze stretches across 26 kilometres of Caspian coastline near Baku. It is being shaped as a resilient, mixed-use city built around community, long-term growth and everyday urban life. Once complete, it is set to become Azerbaijan’s second largest city and a key gateway for commerce, culture and regional connection.

The ambition is clear, but the challenge is familiar: how do you design a city that performs at scale, while still feeling human at ground level? That balance sits at the heart of the work.

Alongside his presence on the Sea Breeze stand, Darren will contribute to two key sessions today. The first, a UK Government-led workshop, From Pressure to Practice, focuses on how cities can move from ambition to delivery under real-world constraints. The second, a DBT-led panel at the UK Pavilion, Designing Resilient Cities at Scale: Global Perspectives on the Future of Urban Living, brings together voices from across the industry, including Chapman Taylor and Zaha Hadid Architects, and is moderated by Alex Tyrell, DBT Country Director for Azerbaijan.

WUF13 brings together government, industry and academia to focus on the future of cities. This year’s theme centres on housing, and how collaboration can unlock more resilient, inclusive and prosperous urban futures.

What stands out is not the scale of the conversation, but the willingness to test ideas openly - across disciplines, geographies and ways of thinking. That exchange is where better cities begin.