Buildings’ façades as catalysts for urban regeneration: mitigating the “touristic bypass effect” in Finiq's Small Towns.

Abstract

The municipality of Finiq, located in the Vlorë region, is an administrative division that encompasses multiple small towns and provides local government services such as public works, education, and health services. It is well known for its scenic landscapes and natural beauty, including forests, hills, and rivers which have the potential to drive economic growth through tourism. In addition, the proximity to Saranda and Greek regions could help to perceive tourism as a catalyst for economic regeneration. However, the lack of adequate infra- structure and appropriate services for both tourists and local communities does not facilitate this growth process in many villages of the municipality. Despite the various administrative and governmental efforts, orientated at aligning their intentions and actions with the goals of supranational European projects, they often require very long timelines to be realized. Furthermore, within the Feniq municipality, the most important cultural and archaeological attractions, often related to ancient times, are located in natural areas outside the existing urban center. This geographical location may cause a "bypass" effect where tourists do not visit the city center and negatively impact its economic growth. This phenomenon suggests that, on one hand, tourists will not be able to comprehend the authentic identity of local cultures, and on the other hand, small towns within the Finiq municipality may not realize optimal economic advantages from tourism. This process is also encouraged by the qualitative conditions of the towns, which are characterized by numerous buildings with a high degree of degradation and a constant presence of urban voids. Urban voids refer to abandoned or underutilized urban areas that do not meet the needs of local communities and represent a loss of economic, social, and environmental potential. These areas can be the result of factors such as economic recession, deindustrialization, or population migration to more prosperous areas. A key role in the regeneration of such areas does not only involve the design of adequate open urban spaces but also the redevelopment of buildings that face them and, in particular, their façades, which assume a public connotation in that context regardless of the building's use. The redevelopment of buildings’ façades that face these urban voids can play a crucial role in urban regeneration by increasing urban quality, identity, and tourist flows. These façades represent architectural backdrops that, if adequately redeveloped, contribute to triggering re- generative processes by increasing urban quality, and on the other hand, enhance the towns’ identity, strengthening, at the same time, the tourist flows. This contribution aims to investigate the role played by the façades in the urban regeneration process, showcasing international examples that emphasize it. The study explores how the implementation of successful international strategies in redeveloping existing facades on urban voids can help to overcome the challenges facing the Finiq municipality and drive eco- nomic growth through urban regeneration. The findings of this study will provide valuable insights into the role of buildings’ façades redevelopment that faces existing urban voids in promoting sustainable urban regeneration.