Urban Planning Education in a Democracy with a Market Economy: Learning Economic, Political and Social Skills

As Albania goes through a political, economic, and social revolution, and a population explosion in the capital region, its urban areas are going through drastic transformations. Urban and planning issues have come to the forefront as cities have to figure out how to provide adequate infrastructure, direct and control private development, meet transportation needs, respond to automobile traffic, and protect the environment in a market economy. This paper discusses the progress of university-level education in urban planning in Albania. Through interviews of students and practicing planners and direct observations, the author investigates the extent to which planning schools are training Albanian students to operate in the new post-communist context

Urban sprawl and weak regional transport in “Durana”

After the fall of the communist regime, a substantial amount of residential and commercial sprawl has occurred in the Tirana metropolitan area, especially in the western and north-western side, in the direction of Durrës. The Tirana-Durrës region has become Albania’s economic powerhouse. Some urban planners are now talking about the eventual fusion of Tirana and Durrës into a new metropolis called “Durana”. Notwithstanding the importance of this region as a whole, the political power is fragmented among several municipalities, with no regional coordination. The area is served by a poor-quality regional transport system, mostly based on private cars and informal minivans. This paper provides a brief overview of regional transport issues in the Tirana metropolitan area and in the Tirana-Durrës corridors. The authors argue that strengthening the regional transport system is crucial in order to ensure a healthy future economic development and a sustainable physical growth pattern in “Durana”

Public transport and its privatization in East Europe: the case of Tirana, Albania

The purpose of the article is to discuss the operations of the public bus sector and the impacts of its privatization in Tirana, the capital of Albania. In addition to a synopsis of public transport operations in post-communist East Europe, the first part of this article presents an overview of public transport operations in Tirana from 1990 to the present day. The second part of the article discusses the findings of three sets of transportation surveys

Përmirësimi i kushteve të jetesës në Tiranë: Ulje e dendësisë së banorëve apo trafikut të automjeteve?

Much of the public debate related to Tirana’s urban problems focuses on how fast the city ought to grow, and how dense it should be. The author takes the position that the quality of residential neighborhoods rather than their density is critical for improved quality of life in Tirana. The first part of this article discusses the advantages of dense neighborhoods pointing out urban problems in countries where society favors low densities. The second part of the article discusses the upgrading of residential neighborhood that has taken place in recent in Tirana. Such upgrading, although very positive for the city, does not necessarily include traffic calming measures. The third part of this article talks about traffic calming schemes in residential neighborhoods of other countries and argues about their applicability in the case of Tirana. years in Tirana. Such upgrading, although very positive for the city, does not necessarily include traffic calming measures. The third part of this article talks about traffic calming schemes in residential neighborhoods of other countries and argues about their applicability in the case of Tirana