A new city project aims to extend Tirana’s central core, bringing modern planning and a new street grid after two decades of largely unregulated construction.
Tirana Times
TIRANA, March 15 – It has always been an anomaly in the geography of Tirana’s city core: The street grid spans widely from east to west, but it is squeezed in the north-south direction by old railway infrastructure and hills.
Now, City Hall plans to end that, giving breathing room for commercial development in a northern extension of Zog I Boulevard. The same project aims to make the banks of Tirana River into a park and a green belt accessible to the public, ending the river’s reputation as a no-go zone.
“This project will completely revitalize a fifth of the city of Tirana, will build a new economic pole, which will open up thousands more jobs, improve traffic, and would open access to previously inaccessible areas of thecapital for children and the elderly,” said Tirana Mayor Lulzim Basha at a presentation of the project.
Seven foreign architectural studios presented their projects for extension of the boulevard to the city’s northern outskirts in Paskuqan. Mayor Basha said a couple of finalists were now being considered. “The final selection will be done by a jury including, Tirana citizens, interest groups and national and international partners,” Mr. Basha said.
But more important than what project is selected, independent analysts point out, is the fact that for the first time there is a project that, if implemented properly, could bring in a new development model for Albanian cities.
“During the last 20 years,” says Remzi Lani, an analyst, “Albanians have spent millions of euros destroying our cities, because everything is built without a plan. We have today half a million illegal constructions.”
This latest City Hall project may break the pattern of unplanned development that has been destroying the environment and taking over public spaces all over Albania.
The plan
The project itself consists of extending the boulevard by 1.7 kilometers to meet Tirana River near Paskuqan.Two British, two Dutch, two German and an Italian studio brought before an international jury their projects of how Tirana should look in 2020. Almost all these projects plan for new commercial development north of the city’s current core, with multiple parks, places of entertainment, low-rise buildings and modern public transport.
Construction of the new massive Palace of Justice is also part of the project.
The projects also all have green and natural spaces, using the presence of water and hills to create green areas and a second large park in the city’s northern end to mirror the one in the south.
Work for the implementation of the project would start with demolition of the current Tirana train station which would be moved to the city’s outskirts, near Kashar. Removing the train tracks will make room for the street grid expansion.
The Deshmoret e Kombit-Zog I boulevard expansion will be in a straight light with current infrastructure. The new Palace of Justice is expected to be located where former warehouses and railway station are located today.
One interesting fact is that people who once considered themselves in the outskirts of Tirana, now say they will be considered virtually downtown.
Recently, the value of land and apartments in this area has gone up in anticipation of new infrastructure. Once the project becomes official, real estate experts will also know which area is more valuable depending on the location of commercial and green areas.
Local media have reported the mayor wants to finish this project before the completion of his four-year term, so work should start soon.
Politics
As anything in Albania, politics enter the equation, however. Prime Minister Sali Berisha attended the presentation of the new plans and used it to launch an attack on Opposition leader Edi Rama, who is also the previous mayor of Tirana before Mr. Basha.
“The predecessor was a failed painter ŠHe did not understand that people need space to walk on, not just painted space to view. ŠLet’s consider this a promising start for Tirana as European metropolis,” said Mr. Berisha.
Mr. Rama replied in kind to the prime minister shortly after the presentation.
“The Prime Minister is as likely of saying something meaningful about urban planning as he is of winning the Voice of Albania singing competition,” Mr. Rama wrote on his Twitter feed.
New parliament
Beyond using the project for political points, part of it – the construction of a new legislative building נhas sparked a lot of debate in the country over costs and location.
Albanian authorities said this week they have decided that the new parliament building will again be based on the project of the Austrian architecture studio CoopHimmelbau.
The project had also won the international jury’s decision but later the government had decided its request for ten percent of the project’s cost was too high.
On Monday the authorities decided to respect the verdict of an international jury which selected the Austrian project as the winner of an international competition last year, regardless of its higher cost compared to the project presented by an Italian studio.
The financial cost for the construction of Albania’s new parliament is estimated at around Euro 100 million, with the exact figure being disclosed once the winning architecture studio from Vienna submits the detailed implementation project.
