As Tirana sees historical building after historical building demolished to make room for skyscrapers, a pilot project launched by architect Jora Kasapi is attempting to preserve the city’s architectural memory.
An open-source database created to be populated with theoretical research, ethnographic interviews, and fieldwork mapping and photographing, the project is intended to be a communal resource for citizen knowledge at a time when local institutions and governance seem unable or unwilling to provide it. It aims at reactivating the community’s collective memory of Tirana and re-appropriating the city for its inhabitants.
The project has so far attracted a number of contributors from related fields who keep supporting it.
The ongoing project was chosen as the winning one for Smart Cities and urban development in the World Summit Awards, representing Albania. As a pilot project, it has been designed to be also potentially implemented for other cities in the region.
