Infill Design in Informal Housing in Tirana, Albania: Transformations and Spatial Qualities

Abstract

The informal settlements have important implications for the development process of Tirana, a city undergoing rapid and radical changes. Individual owners build these housing units with the assistance of family members in comparison with medium- or large-scale infill projects are typically undertaken by professional developers. These settlements confront several complications including parcel assembly and brownfield cleanup, aging infrastructure, restrictive land use regulations, and neighborhood opposition. As such, the quality and performance are inadequate for the sustainable transformation of the cities. This paper presents a challenging model for future regeneration of informal housing in order to increase the diversity and sustainability. The study examines the opportunities and constraints associated with the informal infill housing in suburban context. The self-constructed housing informal settlement in Tirana is selected as a case study to illustrate the process of housing transformations in informal settlement by addressing issues of spatial qualities and use of space and quality of construction. The paper shows the transformation activities in terms of alterations. In addition, the study identifies problems as well as positive aspects associated with the whole process of housing transformation.