formalising tirana suzanne harris - brandts , ervin goci
self-built does not mean temporar y
When many people think of temporary architecture they conjure images of camping tents, perhaps a pop-up market stall or food truck. But the temporary is also often conflated with informality in what are preferably called ‘self-built communities.’ An example of this is the neighbourhood of 05 Maji (5th of May) on the northern peripheries of Tirana, Albania, originally self-constructed by rural migrants arriving at the capital in the early 1990s following the collapse of Enver Hoxha’s communist regime. For decades, residents have established inter-generational roots and supported the city’s socio-economic activity, despite their neighbourhood being unrecognised, and often erroneously framed as ‘impermanent’ or
‘temporary.’ There are deeper historical reasons behind Tirana’s property informality, driven by a nationwide post-communist politico-economic crisis resulting in long periods of legal ambiguity and entire city districts being frozen in ad hoc and contingent bureaucracy. In the decades since the 1990s, residents and their advocates have worked to register, or formalise property, including following an April 2006 law on the legalisation, urbanisation and integration of unauthorised constructions — with varying degrees of success depending largely on the politicians in office and their plans for transforming the city.
Status of the 05 Maji neighbourhood in 2018, prior to the start of demolitions and new construction.
The new, monotonous construction of the Tirana Riverside Project (right) in the 05 Maji (5th of May) neighbourhood, Tirana, Albania.
On 31 January 2020, the Council of Ministers solidified 05 Maji’s temporary designation by declaring it a ‘forced development area.’ The government claimed such redevelopment was necessary following damage from a 2019 earthquake, and the relocation of residents from other earthquake-effected areas. Yet, schematic proposals to re-develop the district date back to 2012, following the forcible eviction of 21 Roma families in August 2006, leaving 109 people homeless. 1 Now, a fresh round of mass evictions, land seizures and demolitions of approximately 400 residential buildings aim to make way for a new neighbourhood of the future: the iconic Tirana Riverside Project, a 29-hectare ‘smart city,’ ‘pandemic-proof’ eco-district for 12,000, designed by the famous Italian firm Stefano Boeri Architetti. The Tirana Riverside Project was proposed as a key component of Prime Minister Edi Rama’s vision to rebrand the Albanian capital, in turn attracting greater tourism and investment to the city. It is connected to the larger TR2030 Masterplan also by Stefano 1. Centre on Housing Rights & Evictions (COHRE). Global Survey on Forced Evictions: Violations of Human Rights . 2006 https://www.hlrn.org/img/violation/GLOBAL%20SURVEY%202003-2006.pdf Accessed 10 May 2023.
Status of the 05 Maji neighbourhood in 2023, partially demolished (maroon) and with the start of new construction of the Tirana Riverside Project (black).
all images Harris-Brandts + Goci
Proposed plan of the Tirana Riverside Project that will replace the 05 Maji neighbourhood.
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on site review 43: architecture and t ime
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