We are launching a site about real estate in Alatau, and we start with the essentials: what this city is, what stage it has reached, and why it is worth paying attention now.
The city was created in January 2024
Alatau is not a project on paper. By presidential decree of 15 November 2023, the village of Zhetygen was transformed into a city of regional subordination, and Alatau has officially existed since 9 January 2024. As of 1 December 2025 it had 54,747 residents — an established settlement, not an empty construction site.
The history of the place runs much deeper. A peasant settlement called Nikolaevskoye was founded here in 1873, later becoming the village of Nikolaevka and then Zhetygen. From 2006 the territory developed under the G4 City concept — four satellite cities along the Almaty–Kapchagay road. In 2023 the project was rethought and renamed, and the special economic zone was expanded.
A master plan through 2050
The concept and master plan were developed by the Singaporean firm Surbana Jurong, known for major urban projects across Southeast Asia. The plan was approved in late 2022 and formally adopted in May 2024.
The city covers 88,000 hectares. The entire territory sits inside the Alatau special economic zone, which spans over 97,900 hectares — one of the largest in Central Asia. The master plan works across three horizons: a long-term strategy, a thirty-year conceptual plan and a fifteen-year urban development plan.
The first phase of key facilities is due by 2030, with full delivery by 2050. By then the city is projected to hold 1.87 million residents, around one million jobs and a housing stock of 55.8 million square metres — 30 square metres per person.
Four districts
The city is divided into four themed districts, and for a home buyer the difference between them matters.
Gate District is the financial and business core in the south, closest to Almaty. By 2050 it is expected to hold 675,000 residents and 337,000 jobs. In March 2026 Skidmore, Owings & Merrill unveiled the Iconic Complex, set to become the tallest building in southern Kazakhstan.
Golden District covers science, higher education and a medical cluster along the Almaty–Konaev highway, with housing next to universities and clinics.
Growing District is industry and logistics on the Western Europe – Western China corridor.
Green District is a tourism cluster by the Kapchagay reservoir with a year-round resort.
Transport is the decisive factor
Alatau lies 47 kilometres north of central Almaty on the A3 highway. Its road network integrates with the Big Almaty Ring Road. The master plan calls for extending the Almaty metro line to Gate District and building 76.2 kilometres of light rail connecting all four districts. A new railway station and a major transport interchange are planned.
For a buyer this is the central question: prices in satellite cities rise alongside transport access. Until the metro arrives, prices reflect today’s connectivity rather than tomorrow’s.
What comes next
We will follow construction progress, infrastructure delivery and the first real offers on the market. Leave a request and we will let you know about units and prices as soon as they appear.
Sources: Wikipedia, the city’s official site, the master plan in the Adilet legal database.