Doriana Musaj*
It's still early. The only ones awake seem to be the fishermen. In the distance, the boats seem to hang in the air, barely touching the surface of the water. The stillness of the morning, where the sun has not yet illuminated the surface of the lagoon, is broken only by the birds that fly to sit on a strip of land inside the catchment, where it seems as if they are grouped to discuss the plan of the day that has just started. Under the crown of the Soda forest, several caravans from different parts of the continent are the only traces of man who is still sleeping.
In the middle of the farmland, between the lagoon, the salt flats and the delta of the Vjosa river, a rectangle longer than it is wide, has reframed the forms of nature with machines that move soil and fill the soil with concrete. A project that has been contested for years is continuing the work with stubbornness, ignoring any consequences it may bring. The decision, which came by order from above, promises the construction of the largest intercontinental airport in the Balkans, with an unsolicited offer.
Narte Lagoons, identified for its rich natural biodiversity developing as an oasis where migratory birds moving between the north and south of Europe choose to breed, group and then disperse. The air traffic created by migratory birds offers a unique spectacle in the Balkans, and as the air lanes are expected to be flooded with transoceanic aircraft, they threaten not only flamingos and their nests, but also one of the most important habitats for migratory birds in Europe.
The conflict between the urban and the natural
An artificial island, similar in shape to Central Park in New York, unlike the latter, offers solid structures and a concrete track. And while New York today breathes from the vision of Frederick Law Olmsted, 187 years ago, Vlora airport appeared on the screens of the Albanian media without a visionary architect like Olmsted, but more like a whim of the prime minister. No one knows whether the surface of 297 hectares will be able to bring within the protected landscape of Pishë-Poro-Nartë, what the 341-hectare emerald, the green crown of New York City, contributed to the economic and social development. cultural capital of the world economy. Unconsulted, unplanned and in violation of the rules and laws of the Albanian state, the rectangular parcel of land appeared as an image at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The relationship between the natural habitat and the one created by man (artificial), develops between successive conflicts, from where urban planners, engineers and architects are constantly trying to find the necessary balances for the common survival. The project promoted on social media by the government promises heavy air traffic, where giant trans-oceanic planes will land to refuel and where passengers will exchange with Pishë-Nartë-Poron at most the number of the terminal when they move. from west to east and vice versa. Undoubtedly, the project will bring income for the billionaire owner of the airport, but at the same time for the region of Vlora and not only, it offers more negative consequences than positive ones. Noise pollution, air pollution as well as socio-economic changes, lifestyle and landscape loss, are only the tip of the iceberg of the consequences that are expected to appear once the airport starts working.
The increase in air mobility has brought new challenges for developing countries and those without experience in this sector, and yet the failures and successes of developed countries should have been referred to in the development of the strategy to build an intercontinental airport in Albania. Barcelona Airport, built at the beginning of the last century, with its expansion over the years in the La Ricarda lagoon, has negatively affected the biodiversity of migratory birds and brought pollution from noise and aircraft emissions. Authorities launched efforts to minimize the damage through habitat restoration, creating new lagoons to replace destroyed ones and increasing protection of remaining reserves for migratory birds. The project also caused tensions between the authorities and the surrounding community due to concerns and impacts on the health of residents. The destruction of natural habitats has affected tourism and other economic activities that depend on nature, leading to the loss of opportunities for work and recreational activities. Further expansion of the airport was done with better planning to avoid further environmental damage, using technology to reduce air pollution and noise and setting up monitoring programs to oversee the impacts on the area's flora and fauna but the damage did not fully recover.
An example of success in building an airport with more sustainable development is Gardermoen, Oslo's airport. The approach to its planning was from the beginning sustainable, using renewable energy, water management and protection of natural areas, avoiding environmental damage. It represents an example of sustainable construction, where strategies have been followed to minimize the impact on the environment and manage natural resources without damaging local habitats. Thanks to the measures that were taken from the conception of the project, there have been fewer negative consequences for people, improving the quality of life and protecting public health, and managed to get support from the community of the area.
What Vlora Airport sappears, starting from the procedures in violation of the law, to the dubious concessions and propaganda of manipulation of public opinion, within the protected nature reserve of Pishë-Poro-Nartë, it is an anonymous project, which does not even present an architectural character, much less a vision planned in a sustainable way. Contesting by the Permanent Committee of the Berne Convention, organizations NAtIONAL and INTERNATIONAL, to the project which intervenes violently within the protected natural system by irreparably damaging it, the Albanian government has responded by removing from the protection, the "piece" of the landscape that will be devoured by the urban project. "Emerald", once urbanized, will not be able to live the values that are worn today, thus endangering the candidate country not only the Berne Convention. IN the annual report of the European Commission, it is submitted that "Vlora airport is planned to be built in a protected area, in violation of the national and international laws that Albania has ratified for the protection of diversity"- Citizen.al.
Although the initiative is from the 21st century, the approach and behavior of the Albanian authorities is similar to the authoritarian and ignorant governments towards environmental issues of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The government turns a deaf ear to the discussions of communities, environmental organizations and interested actors, treating the natural reserves of future generations of Albanians as the property of another state within the Albanian state, where laws and rules are used as instruments of control by absolute power, and where the sovereign's interests are not taken into account. Experience has shown us that when the stubbornness of power collides with the laws of nature, the latter can turn the ruler's chair upside down, but until then, we will see if Vlora airport can challenge Barcelona and surpass the failure of that of Kukës.
*Doriana Musaj, is an architect and urban planner. She is a lecturer at Polis University, and her studies and postdoctoral research focus on urban policies and conflicts that generate urbanization processes in the case of Albania.
Doriana Musai is an urban planner and urban planning lecturer, engaged in the critical study of urban transformations and heritage policies. Her work and activism focus on the relationship between the city, memory and power, as well as the protection of public space and the right to the city in Albania.
