FLASH
Shkruar nga Francesca Barca & Federico Caruso 
The "Tirana Riverside" project leaves hundreds of families in oblivion: Without property titles, with unclear contracts and additional financial obligations for apartments that were forcibly imposed on them...
The “5 Maji” neighborhood, in northern Tirana, has become the center of a controversial and murky urban renewal plan. Several houses have been demolished to make way for new construction, leaving residents in precarious conditions.
Our report shows how this neighborhood, located just under an hour’s walk from the center of Tirana, is undergoing a painful transformation. “5 Maji” is an important neighborhood in Tirana’s history, being the subject of a major renovation project called “Tirana Riverside”, designed by Italian architect Stefano Boeri, who is also responsible for the “Tirana 2030” urban plan.
The plan calls for the construction of 3,500 apartments and involves the demolition of 400 existing houses in the area. As Ervin Goci, an activist and professor of journalism, and Suzanne Harris-Brandts, a professor of architecture, write, this project has been enthusiastically promoted as the first neighborhood in Europe to respond simultaneously to climate change and pandemics, being described as a polycentric, zero-emission and “eco-smart” area.
However, the situation on the ground is far from these idyllic descriptions. Walking along “5 Maji” Street, you will encounter construction sites and new multi-story buildings, the final appearance of which can be seen in numerous technical drawings.
The internal roads are not always paved and the landscape of low-rise houses is disappearing to be surrounded by new construction. After the earthquake of November 26, 2019, this area was also designated to accommodate families affected by the tragedy.
In fact, the project had been planned long before the earthquake. The response to the disaster allowed the government to pass extraordinary legislation, bypassing normal approval and public consultation procedures.
Demolition in the “5 Maji” neighborhood began in October 2021, and according to authorities, some residents agreed to relocate. However, journalists on the ground have not received any confirmation of such a large voluntary participation.
Today, part of the project is complete. The new complex stands amidst the ruins of the old neighborhood, where the debris from 2022 has yet to be removed. Residents who resisted faced tear gas and arrests.
Mother Liza (Liza Marku) became the symbol of this resistance, whose house was destroyed and now she lives in the new complex. Gjin Nikolli has been living in the “5 Maji” neighborhood since 1991. He left the north of the country after the fall of the regime to settle in Tirana.
During that period of uncertainty, he built his house with the savings from emigrating to Greece, where he worked as a plumber and electrician. After starting a long legalization process in 2006, he managed to legalize the apartment in 2021, paying the state 29,000 euros.
But the security was short-lived. On February 22, 2022, the police escorted convoys arrived.
Nikolli's family now lives in two apartments in the new buildings, but the fraud is obvious. Since the total area of the new houses is slightly larger than that of the collapsed house, they are asked to pay an additional amount for the difference, even though they were never asked if they agreed to move.
“It’s been four years and the ruins of the house are still there. We could have stayed in our house,” says Gjini. The eviction process was brutal. The police arrived at 5 a.m., forcing his 92-year-old mother and young grandchildren to leave quickly.
Today, they have keys to their apartments but no title deeds. Services are in the name of the municipality, making them feel uncertain about their future. Ndue Marku, another resident of this area, has joined the protests even though his house has not yet been affected.
He says no one feels safe because what happened to others could happen to anyone. He is concerned that the lack of property deeds and registration of services in the name of the municipality could allow authorities to evict them again in the future.
“We live in the uncertainty at every moment that tomorrow at 5 am they will come and demolish our house,” he says. The residents say they are ready to take legal action all the way to the European Court of Human Rights to protect their rights violated by this urban project. / Prepared by Pamphlet from “Balcani Caucaso”
Nuk ka krim me te rende se te shembin banesen gjeja me e rende qe mund ti besh njeriut As ne kohen e komunizmit nuk te shembte njeri banesen sepse keta kane edhe nje zgjidhje sa per sy e faqe te paguajne qirane per 6 muaj por jeta nuk eshte vetem 6 muaj ku do jetojne keta njerez ne qell te hapur ne rruge krim , ne asnje vend te botes nuk te shemb njeri banesen vetem ketu te ne ndodh kjo gje .
Ne na permbyten na trasferuan ne Maliq sot nuk po na japin dokumentat jemi 21 familje qe na permbyten si pasoje e ndertimit te hidroçentralit Sot Statkraft po na mban peng nuk na jep dokumentat dua ta theksoj qe nuk kemi asnje detyrim ndaj kesaj firme asnje nuk na jep pergjigje Pasi deshem apo nuk deshem na sollen me vendim Qeverrie Mbase duan te na zhvendosin perseri a nuk e di cila eshte arsyeja Firma Mban Peng Dokumentat Tona Fakt
Siç janë banorët e 5 majit janë edhe banorët e kombinatit të dëmtuar nga tërmeti i 26 nëntorit të vitit 2019,kanë 1 vit që kanë hyrë në shtëpitë e reja dhe as nuk diskutohet për çertifikatën e pronësisë , pagesaz e ujit e të dritave i paguajmë në emer të bashkisë , da do vazhdoj kjo edhe rrugët që të çojnë tek këto pallate janë gropa -gropa dhe pa adnjë ndriçim ,ku në mbrëmje nuk e dimë ngq të kalojmë nga gropa opo errësira ,si merren në dorëzim këto punë publike .