Abstract
This study examines the structural continuity between the current urban planning regulations of Astana and the Soviet normative framework of 1958, and considers whether this continuity constrains the practical realization of the Just City and environmentaljustice concepts. The methodology combines a genetic (document-genealogical) analysis of five normative acts (SN 41-58; SNiP 2.07.01-89*; SNiP RK 3.01-01As-2007; SNiP RK 3.01-02As-2016; Environmental Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, 2021) with hierarchical modeling of planning priorities, triangulated with secondary empirical evidence (SUDI, NDVI, residents’ perception surveys). Three ideal-type regulatory models are reconstructed: declarative (1958), industrial-residual (1989), and contemporary market-oriented. The results suggest that the functional zoning logic of the mid-twentieth century has been repurposed toward the regulation of commercial density. Current provisions permit the substitution of soil-based greenery with artificial surrogates and the utilitarian use of protective buffers, which is consistent with observed patterns of spatial inequality and environmental privilege. A targeted revision of building codes toward adaptive norms and mechanisms of procedural justice appears warranted.