Albania 2030 Manifesto, an Example for Adapting Advanced National Spatial Planning Instruments for Developing Countries

For many years, one of the biggest challenges of Albania has been the consideration of urban planning as a management tool for controlling the development, in order to achieve territorial, social and economic cohesions. The transition from a centrally planned economy, where everything was controlled by the government, towards decentralization and market economy caused many consequences, among which uncontrolled and fragmented urban development, loss of agricultural land due to urbanization, concentration of population and dense urbanization in the major cities, abandonment of western lowland and eastern parts of the country etc. Thus, Albania 2030 Manifesto tried to build against the vacuum that is created by the lack of tradition on national spatial development policies. It aimed to offer a method of spatial planning and guidance for the government in drafting the national spatial plan. The method followed for achieving such, was by using case studies, as well as an action research method involving several focus groups and discussion platforms, in order to create a model for spatial planning, which goes beyond the traditional linear model of producing a controlled future, and which allows for flexibility, complexity and change to occur within the system. The research work aimed at initiating a change also in the “mind-frame” of creating a process, which is open and allows for the incorporation of change due to greater dynamic global forces, as well as self-organizing autonomous local actions to be inspired. Albania 2030 Manifesto aimed at creating a method, which allows for multi-actors, levels and factors to be incorporated in the process, as well as to offer guidance on the cartographic language, that can be used to represent the spatial vision.