Although the majority of the general local plans (also known as masterplans), drafted for all municipalities as the result of the territorial reform, was already finished by the end of last year, several municipalities only started the public procurement procedures this year, after the publication of the National General Local Plan. This means that the
According to the Law on Planning and Development of the Territory, Territorial Development Agency (AZhT), which falls under the the Ministry of Urban Development, is supposed to maintain a national registers containing, among other information, the decisions taken by the National Territorial Council (KKT), headed by Prime Minister Edi Rama. This is further made explicit
Despite adopting a new masterplan for Tirana supervised by Italian architect Stefano Boeri, which was approved on April 4 by the National Territorial Council, it appears that Mayor Erion Veliaj will continue the implementation of the so-called “French Plan,” the first masterplan of Tirana drafted under former Tirana Mayor Edi Rama. In an interview with with Blendi
As Exit already announced in August 2016, Prime Minister Edi Rama has decided to construct a new skyscraper behind the Tirana International Hotel. Yesterday, the National Territorial Council (KKT), which is chaired by Prime Minister Rama, approved the construction of 111-meter tower in the center of Tirana. According to documents secured by Gazeta Shqiptare, the
The Administrative Court of First Instance in Gjirokastra cancelled an order issued by the Ministry of Culture that removed the status of cultural monuments of the second category from two residences within the historical center of the city! The order had followed a decision of the National Restoration Council (KKR) from September 201,6 which proposed the removal of the status for
Even though most urban regeneration projects initiated by the government end up in destruction, corruption, and maladministration, that doesn’t mean they need to be ugly! Today, on the national holiday of Dita e Verës (Summer Day), Prime Minister Edi Rama and Mayor of Tirana Erion Veliaj opened the renovated Pazar i Ri (New Bazaar) in the
On November 10, 2015, Atelier Albania, the National Territorial Planning Agency (AKPT), and the Ministry of Culture launched the international architectural competition “Design of a Bypass Road in the UNESCO Protected City of Gjirokastra.” Gjirokastra is built on a site with archeological evidence showing habitation dating back to the early medieval period, and the best preserved
Hiding behind the veil of the good politician who doesn’t interfere with the technical issues of planning, pretending to care for the future of Tirana, being part of a dedicated team that according to him is full of goodwill and has worked tirelessly for many months, Erjon Veliaj and a group of architects, many of
Read part 1 here. 5. The National Stadium During the summer, a quick succession of decisions and maneuvers led to the lightning-fast destruction of the Qemal Stafa stadium including its historical and monumental façade. Through a public-private partnership between the Ministry of Culture and the Albanian Football Federation, all public procurement procedures were handsomely avoided. The architect,
Scaffolding on the façade On September 15, 2013, Edi Rama entered office. He was eager to sign the first decrees of government that he had to wait for eight years in the opposition! On top of the first document he signed it said: “Ministerial Code of Ethics.” Black on white it contained forty-one articles, among which