Tirana: Demolitions taking place in the name of urban development in the 5 Maji district

Friday, Feb 20, 2026

OBCT

Controversial urban renewal in Tirana’s 5 Maji district displaces residents amid unclear processes and housing insecurity.

🔗 Read the article on balcanicaucaso.org

[This is an automatically generated summary, for reference only]

The article details a controversial and opaque urban renewal project, Tirana Riverside, in Albania’s 5 Maji neighborhood near Tirana. This project, designed by Stefano Boeri, plans to build 3500 apartments through the demolition of 400 existing homes, marketed as an eco-friendly, zero-emission area. Despite claims of public benefit, residents face precarious living conditions after demolitions began in late 2021. The process allegedly bypassed normal procedures using exceptional legislation following the 2019 earthquake. Residents like Gjin Nikolli and Ndue Marku describe being forcibly evicted, lacking property deeds, and feeling unrecognized by the state, despite accepting relocation to new units. They express deep uncertainty about their future security in the area.

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