Urban renewal in Tirana’s 5 Maji faces resident resistance amid forced evictions and property insecurity.
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The 5 Maji neighbourhood, near Tirana city centre, is undergoing a major urban renewal project called Tirana Riverside, designed by Stefano Boeri, which involves building 3,500 flats and demolishing 400 existing houses. While marketed as a sustainable, smart eco-district, the project proceeded despite an earthquake in 2019, with critics suggesting the disaster response allowed the government to bypass normal procedures. Demolitions began in 2021, but residents claim they were not properly informed or agreed to relocate. The neighbourhood’s current residents are largely internal migrants from the post-socialist era. Gjin Nikolli’s experience exemplifies the precarious situation: after regularizing his home, his family was forcibly evicted in 2022, and although they were allocated new flats, they lack title deeds, leaving them feeling unregistered. Other residents, like Ndue Marku, share concerns about the instability and potential future evictions due to the lack of property ownership documentation.
