Socioeconomic performance of in-between open spaces in a post-socialist city of Tirana, Albania

Abstract

The urban development of Tirana during the last few years is characterized by significant expansion, population growth and intensive residential construction. The post-socialist city became much denser, more diverse in terms of building types, taller, and relatively lacking in public space. This study is focused on the evaluation of in-between open public spaces, which are specific for different urban settings. The spatial configuration of in-between spaces is analyzed in relation to the level of social interaction and the presence of economic activities. Six neighborhoods, which belong to socialist and post-socialist tower, slab, and courtyard building typologies, are selected as case studies. Research methodology includes Space Syntax analysis, site surveys, and observations aiming to comprehend the socioeconomic performance and spatial organization of the neighborhoods. The overlap of the activity pattern, human behavior mapping, syntactic measurements, and site survey allows understanding the performance of different types of open spaces and to find the in-between space that facilitates the development of social and economic activities.