Exploring reconciliation of conservation and development through a values-based approach in territorial planning. The case of the old bazaar of Kruja as urban landscape

Throughout history, the choice of space for the foundation of a city has been conditioned on the requirement for being well protected. Fortified cities are thus among the most ancient and long-lasting settlements. The birth of the unfortified, therefore open city, in Albanian territory, has reappeared during the late Middle Ages, around the 12th century. This phenomenon is essential towards shaping the cities’ character, through transition from a strategic administrative and to some extent craftsman centre, to a centre in which the ever-increasing production factor was of paramount importance. The interconnection between fortified city and open city is clearly in favour of the latter, while the fortified settlement is either abandoned or remains as an inhabited unit of the open city such as Berat, Kruja etc. The old bazaar, as the commercial heart of the open city, occupies an important place in urban centres of the medieval period. It was the only production and exchange centre until around the beginning of the 20th century when the decline of many of these ensembles began, caused mainly by the emerging of individual commercial units in the city’s inhabited neighborhoods. This article analyses the case of the urban context of the old bazaar of Kruja, which is the oldest among remaining ensembles of this type in Albania. It was one of the first four urban ensembles designated from the State as “Museum City” in 1961 (together with Berat, Gjirokastra and the Underground of Durrës”. Some of the challenges that Kruja, and in general the historic urban landscapes in Albania face today are: the impact caused by real estate and tourism pressure, the overlap of different protection competences under the management of cultural heritage institutions and municipal levels, the presence of post ‘90s illegal and uncontrolled development, and incompatible architectural design on new buildings as well. The conception of the city as a mechanical system geared towards material needs, has led to new architectural concepts and corresponding planning techniques that are less rooted in overarching cultural frameworks. These challenges in many cases, result in a type of ‘development’ present in the form of an aggressive, rationally produced activity. This type of development tends to ignore the cultural and environmental values as well as local identity of the historic place. This article explores the role of a values-based approach in territorial planning as driver for both an effective conservation and sustainable development. It also raises some questions about the need to define new planning strategies and instruments that serve as support for the conservation of this historic ensemble. A detailed overview of the historic bazaar of Kruja in its wider urban context is expected to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the current territorial planning strategies and propose some recommendations that enhance the use of a values-based approach in territorial planning.