New Tirana

Abstract

Tirana is the European capital that has changed most over the past 15 years. After the fall of the Communist regime in 1990, the city experienced the following sequence of episodes: the advent of democracy, mass immigration, a dramatic and grotesque economic recession followed by unrest and foreign military intervention, rapid and disproportionate economic growth, a fanciful and pragmatic urban policy at the hands of its postmodern prince and, lastly, a surreal stalemate period during which the city awaits the outcome of an extenuating duel between the mayor and the prime minister. Domus visited Tirana at this crucial moment in its development.