Planning the "new" Shkodra

Over the last decade, the planning approach in Albania is changing from an urbanistic to a more comprehensive, integrated planning approach (Toto, 2012) (Allkja, 2017). The “reform” was initiated in 2007 with the start of the preparation of new legislation on “Territorial Planning”. It culminated in 2009 with the approval of law 10911 “On Territorial Planning”, and subsequently in 2014 with law 107/2014 on “Territorial Planning and Development” (Toto, 2012). Of course, to change the legislation is not the only issue as planning practice and the institutionalization of a new planning culture takes time and is an incremental process of continuous change (Allkja, 2017). Thus planning changes from a “technical and regulatory” discipline towards a socio-political process of policy making in support of better territorial governance and territorial development. Afterall, planning as a profession, by nature is subject to continuous changes based on territorial, social, economic and environmental challenges.