Settlements, Public Spaces and Dwellings

Like numerous other rural towns in Albania, the Finiq community struggles with identity loss, isolation, and declining population. The viewpoints of the settlements, public areas, and homes will be discussed in this part. Like many rural villages in Albania, the Finiq community struggles with identity loss, isolation, and a declining population. In this section, these issues will be approached from the perspective of the settlements, public spaces, and dwellings. The population of Finiq has been declining over time, which has resulted in a drop in social and economic activity. As fewer people use the town’s public places, there is a decline in the quantity of services and amenities offered, another effect connected with the demographic changes. Because Finiq is situated in a remote area with few access points for private and public transportation, so its isolation is a serious cause for concern. Both residents’ access to opportunities and necessities as well as visitors’ ability to get to the town are hampered by this. The settlement of Finiq is close to Saranda, one of Albania’s most popular summer tourist destinations and an important metropolitan center. It discusses viable options for the abandoned settlements to be revitalized as well as an affordable solution for the locals. Additionally, it poses a fresh problem to the community because they are still unprepared for the influx of tourists, which in Saranda nearly quadrupled in 2019 and 2020 as well as in 2021 and 2022. Additionally, there is an archaeological site for the ancient Phoenician city on Finiq Hill. Together with the picturesque rural setting, it is the town’s primary tourist attraction. The main focus of the research which are I) Proposals for regenerative strategies at the level of urban planning where infrastructure, services, and natural systems can be included; II) Proposals t an urban level for the Municipality of Phoeniciae and for the settlements that surround it; III) Proposals and specific projects for each settlement taken in particular. For the Settlement Group, this section of the workshop aims to identify and research aspects like: - The character of city transformations and the problematics of Phoeniciae? - The urban factors and qualities stand at the core of these transformations and problematics? - The ways that these transformations and problematics intertwine with city-making in the Phoeniciae context? - The urban morphology, aggregations, typologies, and impacting factors - Elements of Identity and Potential paths for suggestions and solutions to-wards the settlement’s environment.