Defining urban identity in a post-socialist turbulent context: The role of housing typologies and urban layers in Tirana

Abstract

This study aims to define urban identity in a post-socialist context characterised by informal settlements and high-rise edifices constructed at the expense of historical urban patterns, which drive discourse over the loss of city identity. Using the case of Tirana, the research proposes a new approach defining urban identity as consisting of two components: physical and phenomenological. To determine the physical component, the study examines urban layers and housing typologies as representative elements of the urban pattern. To determine the phenomenological component, it considers the identificatory relation of citizens to the city.The methodology includes mapping to distinguish the urban morphological layers and reveals housing as the most influencing function on post-socialist city's physical component. It identifies nine housing typologies and samples, 25 respondents, from each typology. Through analysis of survey results, this study measures urban identity and examines predictors of identification.The results revealed that older urban layers and housing typologies are crucial for urban identity and provide a stronger identification, mainly due to their positive physical built environment features and positive identificatory relation to the city. In contrast, newer post-socialist urban layer and high-rise housing as the main typology evolving in this turbulent context provides lower identification.