On its transformational journey to become a European city, Tirana has won ananother important appreciation in Lisbon.
After the award in Barcelona for the Skanderbeg Square and London for the New Bazaar, the Albanian capital was selected by an international jury as one of the cities that have undergone the deepest transformation in Europe.
The candidates and finalists to grab the Most Transformed City Price 2018 were discovered at the URBACT Festival, held in Lisbon, Portugal, where the Albanian capital was listed between Bologna and Ghent.The price is awarded by ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability, the Basque Region and the City of Aalborg (Denmark), rewards the following transformative works or completed in socio-cultural categories, socio-economic and technological transformation.
From a strong competition of 40 applications, three cities were selected: Tirana (Albania) for the increase of the urban green space around the city, fighting the urban sprawl; The City of Bologna (Italy), for their cooperation with their citizens, to increase civic engagement and regeneration of urban centers; as well as the city of Ghent (Belgium) for transforming the local food system of the city through models of government participation.
Jury member and Commission President Cor Lamers said: "I felt extremely happy when I discovered that the Most Transformed City Price 2018 attracted so many applicants from all over Europe. These participatory projects make our communities and our local economies more inclusive, green and sustainable. As a result, they give our citizens a better quality of life. I hope these initiatives will serve as examples that will be repeated everywhere and will create a chain reaction of transformative actions in our regions and cities."
Congratulating the selected candidates, Hakan Lucius, a jury member and chief of the Civil Society Division at the European Investment Bank, said: "Representing Europe's geographical diversity, these three cities managed to address different components of sustainable development, especially the social inclusion, urban development and nutrition, including meaningfully all stakeholders. Their innovative actions are the main challenge for our common future and should be inspirational for all actors committed to sustainability. "
The Orbital Forest, a balance between the city and nature rediscovery
At a time when some countries are talking about walls, Tirana is building a "wall" of trees to give oxygen to the city. The strategic objective of Boer's First General Plan proposes a 2 million tree "Orbital Forest" that will surround Tirana, which would serve as a green belt to prevent urban expansion.
"Do not underestimate the power of children," says Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj: "A city for our children is a city for all of us. The forest ring is covered by the "birthday trees" of children, which are planted by parents. We not only create a better future for our children, but also raise children who will keep the future safe."