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Actual Green Supply

In Tirana District forests and woodland are dominating. The total forest surface has a size of 48 000 to 50 000 ha. That includes about 16 000 ha trees, 6 000 ha shrubs and 28 000 ha bushes. 20% of these areas are under protection.The most important green area is Dajti National Park with 2 957 ha. The network of public urban green spaces in Tirana City is basically composed of: parks and green squares in the city (Tirana Grand Park), green plots along Lana River, Botanical Garden, Zoological Garden, sport areas and road side trees.
After the 1990's, the public green area in the City of Tirana has been reduced from 400 ha to around 240 ha because of legal and illegal building activities.

Tirana Grand Park
The park is situated south of the city centre of Tirana. It is used by thousands of inhabitants to relax, to play or to picnic.
This complex includes the park, the City Zoo, the Botanical Garden, the Cemetery of the Martyrs of the Nation, a swimming pool complex and the nurseries. Before 1990 the complex had a total green surface of around 265 ha, while today only 209 ha are left, as a consequence of the illegal constructions. The park in itself has a surface area of 132 ha, where 45 ha is water surface (the artificial lake of Tirana), 82 ha forest area (grass area 80 ha, flower area400 sq m, 27 060 decorative trees and 1477 shrubs) and around 5 ha roads and places. It was created in a special way: ornamental trees were added to the natural forest from 1946 onward. Today 120 different types of flora exist and the Grand Park is the only one of this kind in Albania.

Responsible Institutions

The Sector of Urban Projects (in the Department of Infrastructure Projects) and the Department of Strategic Plan and Urban Planning (in the General Urban Planning Department) deal with planning and designing of green spaces.
The department of Parks and Recreation is responsible for urban green and was created 45 years ago. It deals with maintenance, administration and partly with the design of green areas and the cultivation and treatment of decorative plants. All green areas in Tirana City are under its administration.
The Council of Territory Adjustment in the Tirana Municipality is the decision-making body in the municipality.

Green Policy

It is foreseen to include environmental impact assessment in all planning instruments and studies, as well as receiving the environmental permission and the obligatory application of the environmental law for determined levels of territorial planning. The initiative for legal basis improvement is undertaken. A Project - Law "For Green Spaces in Urban Areas and Parks" is elaborated, but not yet approved.

Efforts were made by NEA and UNDP office in Tirana in collaboration with representatives from central and local government for an overall long-term local government project to promote and support strongly local initiatives. This project focuses on the improvement of the capacity of municipal officials, in order to initiate and implement small-scale, public-work type interventions, addressing locally identified environmental concerns. Part of it is the "Clean and Green" project for the rehabilitation of Lana River Green Area in Tirana.

Urban and Green Area Planning

In the last ten years a lot of initiatives have been undertaken to complete a development plan for Tirana. The most important plan is the "Strategic Plan for Greater Tirana", under the Urban Land Management Program - ULMP, funded by World Bank within the system of the Ministry of Territory Adjustment and Tourism, with the technical assistance of PADCO, an American private company.
The Department for the Strategic Plan exists in Tirana Municipality since 2002. Taking as the main reference "Strategic Plan for Greater Tirana", the first action towards a development plan of the city, is the elaboration of several action plans for the area within the administrative borders of the municipality:

• The preservation of Tirana city centre. The identification of parts of the city which have to be developed and the identification of the goals for development.
• The strategy for open spaces, green areas, water surfaces and rivers and the arrangement of urban areas around them. Analysing the existing and the potential green areas. The definition of criteria for choosing them. The clarifications of the ownership, the identification of the illegal buildings in these areas, recommendations to preserve, maintain and improve the existing green areas and generally open areas. This action plan shall have a forcing power in order to control the development.
• The extension of the city centre towards the northern part.
• The improvement of the legal framework related to the urban planning issues.

Green Projects

Since the year 2000, the situation of green spaces in Tirana has greatly improved.
The total reconstruction in fourteen green squares or places, with a total surface of about 50,200 sq m has been completed. 1,168 trees and shrubs were planted there and the places were provided with benches and 1,000 garbage bins.
Today eleven green squares are partly reconstructed, with a total surface of 32,479 sq m. Five green squares, having an area of 16,500 sq m could be reconstructed with the financial support of donors. 2,000 trees were planted in Grand Park in December 2000.

The initiative to destroy the illegal constructions was a challenge. Although the informal buildings were spread all over, the most problematic areas were Rinia Park and Lana River.

Rinia Park
This first park of Tirana was created in 1950, with a total surface of 29,810 sq m. It has 102 old trees, planted mostly in 1949-1950. The park is characterised by a lot of old trees that have mostly finished their biological cycle. Moreover the park was occupied with informal buildings and this activity has destroyed the vegetation.
In May 2000 the first "destroy challenges" of the city were undertaken in this green area. 130 illegal buildings and kiosks were destroyed. Around 45,000 cubic meters of waste materials were removed and about 30,000 sq m green areas were turned back to its former quality. The existing trees and the old water surface remained.
The first intervention is considered to be not enough. The tearing down of the illegal buildings has a symbolic meaning, because it showed the control of the government, preventing the people to keep on constructing illegally.

Lana River
Lana River has a length of 8.6 km inside the border line of Tirana municipality. It is the only one and the most important water-axis in the city, but only 3.5 km are built up, with concrete slopes and green plots along both sides.
It is defined as one of the "environmental hot spots" in Tirana city. The pollution is very high sometimes.
The projects for the improvement of Lana River include an improvement in physical infrastructure, the arrangement and cleaning of the river bed as well as a rehabilitation of green areas.
The "Clean and Green Project" undertaken from the municipality includes: the cleaning of the river bed, the rehabilitation of the physical infrastructure - widening of the roads on both sides of the river, rehabilitation of the side roads and street lighting.
Until June 2002 the rehabilitation works were performed in good quality and have generally progressed according to the work plan and other requirements stipulated in the signed contract. The quality of works is well accepted by the municipal officials as well as by the citizens of Tirana.

Some future Green Projects and other initiatives

" Improvement of "Youth Park"
The improvement plan consists of two phases: The first shorter phase includes the removal of the degraded trees, the planting of trees and shrubs, that are totally missing, the improvement of existing road network, the rehabilitation of the water surface, the supply with benches, etc.
In a later, second phase the complete road system, vegetation project and other elements of urban arrangement will be compiled.

" Reconstruction of Tirana "Grand Park"
A project-draft is prepared which includes the inventory of trees and preventive works that are necessary. The financial value required is approximately 90,000 EURO. This includes the rehabilitation of the physical infrastructure, lighting system, green system and the placement of benches and garbage bins.
During the meantime of working, different attempts to improve or maintain the park were undertaken. The Ecological Club, Tirana Section, in co-operation with the Department of Parks and Recreation in Tirana Municipality and the support of GEF/SGP Foundation, had organised an activity to plant new trees in the "Grand Park". Pupils and students of different Tirana's High schools took part in this activity.

" Project-proposal for reconstruction of Zoological Park"
It is planned to create a new image of the zoo according to the European standards and with the aim to increase the number of visitors. The welfare of the animals, the exhibition areas and other necessary facilities will be improved. The creation of a green system (gardens, trees, water surfaces, etc) inside the borders of the zoo is considered.

" Creation of new gardens"
This is an action undertaken lately from Tirana Municipality in co-operation with the Municipal Units to identify free open areas, mainly without ownership problems, to create new gardens and green squares.

Further on the general project to rehabilitate the green areas in Tirana includes some elementary and high schools and kindergartens of the capital city. Additional to the municipal workers, these activities are planned to be done with the help of students from the neighbourhood schools.

Lately a special place takes the initiative to raise the public awareness about the issues related to the environment in general, and green spaces particularly.
During 2003 a campaign had been organised in order to increase the use of bicycles instead of cars, which shall help to improve the air quality. This activity was organised from the municipality of Tirana in co-ordination with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth and the Italian Embassy in Tirana.

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