Albanian expert says legislation must be improved to enhance urban planning efficiency

Improving legislation is necessary to increase efficiency in the field of urban planning, Albanian independent housing expert Doris Andoni said at the event titled "Cities on the Frontline of Displacement - Governance for Inclusivity and Sustainability" held within the framework of WUF13, Report informs.

She touched upon the housing problem in the states located in the Balkan region, noting that certain shortcomings exist in this area in those countries:

"First of all, let me note that I am in Baku for the first time and I liked it very much. I have been working on housing policy and program development in Albania for 30 years now. If we talk about the situation in the countries of the region, for example, in Montenegro, there are problems with the quality of buildings, as well as management and technical maintenance. At the same time, despite the adoption of relevant laws, the necessary structures have not been established."

Andoni added that improving legislation is necessary to increase efficiency in the field of urban planning:

"In some countries, the laws of the central government do not correspond to the capabilities of local executive authorities. Thus, although the legal framework defines all the functions that local governance should fulfill in terms of housing provision, it does not ensure financial and personnel support. Decentralization is a process in itself, but not an end goal. For example, in Albania, this process began with the law on decentralization in 2000. Things went well for a certain period, but now there is a tendency to recentralize powers. This trend is also observed in other countries."