The reconstruction work around the Square is continuing with the sunken garden area immediately behind the statue of the man himself currently being redeveloped.
The death of communism in Albania brought a flourishing market economy to life just as it did across Central Europe and Russia. On the streets of Tirana people are buying and selling, trading goods and services in predictable, or sometimes novel, ways. The shops are the most obvious expression of this. The streets are lined with little stores selling almost everything you could want. Freed from the choking grip of state bureaucracy Albanians are now at liberty to buy whatever they can afford. No matter how absurd the demand, someone will create the supply. Hence the preponderance of shoe stores in this city of muddy streets and torn up footpaths. Especially outlandish is the fashion for high heeled white boots - about as impractical a style of footware as could be imagined. Dotted across the city are the market stalls, sometimes just one person selling bananas, elsewhere a whole street lined with sellers of fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, fish and spices. Those who cannot bring thei…
Comments
Skanderbeg is getting a make-over I guess.
Good stuff
I paid attention to this section on the arch-studio model and could not understand if they were going to be at the the same ground level as Skanderbeg. They kept Skanderbeg as a focal point, seen from the blvd on the opposite side. The green areas will be nice background
Thanks for the photos.
Regarding the overall development of the square, it would be a shame if it were to be reduced as much as you suggest.
At the same time, the empty space in the middle is just that - an empty space. It doesn't have any function right now and something needs to be done with it.
My suggestion: ban all vehicles from the square; put in cycle lanes and a tram line where the roads now run; plant and landscape the rest.
Make it a focal point for the city that works for people, not cars.