A STUDY OF PLACE IDENTITY IN A HISTORICAL NEIGHBOURHOOD SUBJECT OF URBAN TRANSFORMATION IN TIRANA

Abstract

Tirana, the capital of Albania, has witnessed complex and interesting changes. Various ruling regimes have influenced its physical and socio-cultural landscape. During this turbulent process of urban transformation, the city is in danger of losing its historical fabric and its identity. In this context of urban change that threatens urban identity, this study investigates the place identity of residents of the pre-socialist, socialist and post-socialist urban layers, in a historical neighborhood in Tirana, in the neighborhood and city scale. It answers two questions: Is place identity different for the residents of each layer? Is place identity different in the neighborhood and the city? The methodology used in this research includes visual documentation, sampling of 201 different-layer residents, surveying through a questionnaire that investigates place identity, mapping of physical elements of identification, data collection and analysis. In the end, this research reveals that there are differences in place identity of different-layer residents, as well as in neighborhood and city identity for each layer. Pre-socialist residents identify the most with the neighborhood and the city, while post-socialist residents the least. All residents identify more with the city than the neighborhood and they do so through identificatory relations more than physical elements of place. All in all, these findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the dynamics between urban changes and conserving place identity in Tirana.