Urban and rural typologies – Albania under the microscope
The CEAT, responsible for the study of town and country planning at EPFL, is publishing an article on the classification of communes in Albania. This document will be used in many ways, in particular in the context of the preparation of the 2011 census of the population. Its publication is also part of the process of reinforcing their national statistics, an important element in the evaluation of Albania’s application to join the European Union.
Professor Martin Schuler, at the head of the CEAT at EPFL since 2007, and Alain Jarne, geographer, have worked together for three years on this project. “Switzerland, through the Agency for Development and Cooperation, has established agreements with Albania since the end of the 90s, and took part in the population census in 2001”, explains Martin Schuler. “Our brief was not only to use our classification method for the benefit of the Albanian national institute of statistics, but also to contribute to the training of their young team.”
This classification of communes concentrates on two main results: firstly, a typology of Albanian towns, as well as the types of rural communes; and secondly, the definition of those Albanian conurbations composed of central towns and their suburban communes. Particular attention has been paid to the metropolitan region of Tirana-Durrës.The aim of this project is to enable decision makers to analyze land use and demographics in order to optimize urban and regional planning. For Alain Jarne, it was important to compile this data in a book. “As the project neared its end, we wanted to highlight certain results concerning the state of this country, which has been in a state of upheaval since the end of the 90s, and which has a population of three million and probably one million emigrants.” Now it’s complete!
Although the CEAT is commissioned by several countries because of its competence in spatial planning and urbanism, it performs most of its missions on Swiss soil. For example, at the request of the cantons in Western Switzerland and also that of Solothurn, it produced a report on the planning of wind turbines. The goal was to highlight divergent elements and the possible affects on the regions. In phase with current trends, it provides training, information, research and consultancy.