Almaty Bars
EN

Twenty per cent of the mountain is what you see; the eighty per cent below is what holds it up

20%
uncertainty
80%
chaos

The law covers 80 % of the obvious.
The remaining 20 % is the grey zone, where a person decides.
And that 20 % creates 80 % of the city’s chaos, aggression and stress.
Almaty Bars works here.

Why 20/80?

Where does the Trail lead?

A snow leopard on the slope

The Bars Trail is the right move, shown in action

We take a real situation in the city, show how it resolves without conflict, and leave an example others can repeat. Trail by trail, that becomes the new norm.

Explore Stories

The Bars Mark is not one logo — it is one meaning in many forms

Artists, makers and brands can each read it their own way — in clothing, graphics, jewellery, cars and the fabric of the city. Over time that builds a living network of recognition.

What does the Mark mean?

Three texts everything rests on

Not slogans, but agreements. You can read them in full.

  • Manifesto

    Why Almaty Bars exists and what problem we are here to solve.

  • Code

    How Bars act: clearly, predictably and without aggression.

  • Ethics

    The lines we do not cross, even in pursuit of results.

Contact

Manifesto

A large city cannot be described by laws and instructions alone.

Thousands of everyday situations remain between formal rules: how to give way, warn someone, change lanes, avoid unnecessary conflict, or help each other move through a situation where no separate law can be written for every individual case.

Many solutions emerge naturally.

People try different approaches, discuss them and share experience. Some practices take root because they genuinely make interaction easier. Others disappear or change over time.

Almaty Bars helps make this experience visible and understandable.

We collect examples, consult experts, compare different points of view, preserve materials and explain the context.

We do not set rules for society.
We do not decide how people should live.
We do not replace the law.

We create a tool that helps people see different ways of interacting, understand why they exist and make their own choices.

Three Pillars

Self-regulation

Not every urban situation needs a separate prohibition or instruction.

People can discuss practices, try them in real life, and keep those that genuinely make interaction easier.

Responsibility

A workable solution considers not only one’s own interests, but also the consequences for other people involved.

Trust

Trust grows where information can be verified, agreements are clear, and words are backed by actions.

Almaty is a city of people with very different backgrounds and experiences.

Some were born here. Some arrived yesterday. Some have lived here for many years.

For Almaty Bars, this is not a criterion for judging a person.

Urban culture is not determined by registration or place of birth.

It develops through repeated interaction between people.

An “Almaty Bars” is not a membership card or a title granted by someone.

It is an image associated with the project and the city.

Each person decides for themselves what that image means to them.

Code

The Almaty Bars Code is not a condition of membership and not an obligation to an organization. It is a set of principles for personal self-reflection for people who find the idea of the project meaningful.

01

Understand the situation first

Do not reach a conclusion simply because someone acts in an unfamiliar way. Try to understand the reason first.

02

Do not create unnecessary conflict

If a problem can be solved more calmly and simply, do not increase tension without a reason.

03

Consider the other participants

A convenient solution is not one that is convenient for only one person.

04

Distinguish rules from informal agreements

The law remains the law. An informal practice remains a practice. One should not be presented as the other.

05

Check information

Distinguish between facts, expert opinion, personal experience and assumptions.

06

Allow practices to be reconsidered

If a more convenient and better-supported solution appears, an existing practice may change.

07

Do not use the Sign as proof of superiority

The symbol itself proves nothing. Having or using it does not make a person better than others and grants no special rights.

Ethics

Review is not punishment

A person's mistake does not automatically make them a bad person. The purpose of reviewing a situation is to understand what happened and find a more workable way to interact, not to harass or shame someone.

The law takes priority over informal agreements

No urban practice, Code or Manifesto overrides the law.

Experts can be wrong

Expert opinion matters, but it remains the opinion of a specialist. When specialists disagree, those differences should be presented honestly.

Practices can change

A practice that has worked in the city for a long time does not have to remain unchanged forever. Changing conditions may lead to a more workable solution.

The Sign is not an award

Almaty Bars does not grant people the right to wear or use the Sign, and does not revoke such a right. The Sign itself does not certify a person's behavior.

There are no sanctions imposed by the project

At the current stage, Almaty Bars:

  • does not issue warnings;
  • does not impose punishments;
  • does not restrict participation;
  • does not revoke status;
  • does not maintain a list of “proper” and “improper” Bars.

If a formally organized community emerges in the future, its participation rules and procedures will be defined separately and publicly.