(CNN) -- Azerbaijan's capital Baku might have an ancient heart, but it is getting a remarkable modern face.
Funded largely by money from oil and gas exports, the city has become one of the most vibrant places on the planet for grand designs, with numerous head-turning projects towering above low-rise Soviet-era apartments and medieval walled city.
One ground-breaking work of public planning is known as "White City" -- an optimistic title and flip of Baku's old moniker of the "Black City"; a title gained because of oil-related pollution.
On a 220-hectare site that was formerly a storage hub for the industry, ground is being cleaned up and prepared for offices, hotels, homes and facilities for 50,000 Baku residents and 48,000 workers.
Across the country improvements are being made in infrastructure. Within five years in Baku more roads, new parks, a new transit system, water supplies and internet connections will all be in place.
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