Space Syntax Analysis as a Tool for Evaluation of Social and Cultural Values of Albanian Housing—Case Study of Tirana

Abstract

The dwelling is a significant medium through which it is being perceived and interpreted the social, economic, political, and cultural state of a community. Space syntax analysis is a methodology used by for evaluating the spatial layout organization of a house. Its parameters spot our crucial issues for reading through numbers beyond the physical representation of a dwelling plan: the cultural and social values. The case study is Tirana, the capital city of Albania, a city with a rapid and uncontrolled urban growth. There are analyzed the characteristics of internal layout organization of 60 apartments of 3 + 1 layouts, as the most representative to display spatial diversity among dwelling units built in Tirana since 1980s till 2015. These apartments’ construction corresponds to three different periods of different economic and political development phases which are socialist period (the last decade), post-socialist/transition period, and democracy. The aim of this study is to find out the most common spatial organization of apartment dwellings in Tirana for highlighting the cultural and social impact on these design decisions or choices. Results of space syntax analysis display the variety of spatial configuration among apartments of the three periods which exhibit the social, cultural, and economic differences. As an overall panorama, has been concluded that apartments with higher spatial integration are most common during 2001–2015 period. This fact implies that by time, people preferred more diversity and integration in internal spatial organization of their living units, a phenomenon that is being increased recently by the influence of globalization and modern values.