Seventy-four families in Durrës are expected to lose their properties due to an urban development project that aims to give a different look to the Archaeological Park.
Project "Restoration and urban requalification of the TID perspective area” is being funded by the government and municipality of Durrës in collaboration with the Albanian-American Development Foundation (AADF). It is facing challenges over the low value of the expropriations and the lack of public consultation.
The decision on expropriations was published in the Official Gazette on August 26, 2025It provides for compensation for properties in the area of the Amphitheater and Central Boulevard for a total value of around 315.5 million lekë (3.2 million euros), much less than 467 million (4.8 million euros) that the Municipality of Durrës had initially requested.
Liquidation procedures are expected to be carried out by the State Agency for Expropriations, while before payment, owners must present ownership documents updated by the Cadastre.
The expropriation took effect immediately and must be completed by November 2025. But the amount determined was estimated at reference prices that have not been updated for at least 10 years.
Expropriation with "ridiculous values"
Residents of the area affected by the project say they were not consulted and only learned about the project through the media. Citizens.al was in the area and visited some of the homes affected by the expropriation.
"We only found out from cell phones that the houses would be demolished," said Shpresa Braholli, a resident of "Ibrahim Tartari" street next to "Trader Boulevard".
She owns a 149 m² apartment and says the compensation offered is 8.3 million lek (85 thousand euros). With this amount, she says she cannot afford to buy another house, not even on the outskirts of Durrës.
"Not here, but across the hospital where you can find a house like the one I have," Hope continues.
Two family crowns live in Altin Xhog's house. He says the property is valued at only 6 million lek (62 thousand euros).
"Two families, 3 million each, what can you do with 3 million? The VKM says that this project is implemented with the consent of the residents, but I have not given any consent to take my property," says Xhogu.
The project envisages interventions to expand public spaces, including the creation of parks. Residents interviewed by Citizens.al said that in some cases the expropriation of their homes was requested precisely for this purpose.
They express disappointment over the fact that the area where they live has been alienated over the years and the former spaces were given over to multi-story buildings.
"At the music school, there was a flower garden, it will be turned into a palace. Here we have the property, we have the house, demolish it (the government) says, we will turn it into a flower garden. I don't know! This doesn't make sense!" continues Xhogu.
Residents have organized to launch a legal process with a collective lawsuit against the expropriation decision, aiming for a fairer valuation of the properties.
Expropriation at the value of the 2000s
The plan for the TID area was approved in February 2021. It is related to the government's initiative, after the 2019 earthquake, with mandatory local plans for urban reconstruction and development.
In the same year, the AADF and the Ministry of Culture published “Integrated Management Plan for Archaeological Areas A & B” for the period 2021-2028, where the expropriations were expected to occur in 2021–2022. The process appears to be implementing the plan late and without full transparency.
Meanwhile, the government has approved the expropriation value for properties that will be affected by the project based on market value, according to a decision of 2000 – VKM no. 138/2000, which was updated with the regulations of 2015. So with market prices of at least 10 years ago. Similarly, compensation for lands – VKM no. 89/2016 and its subsequent amendments.
Thus, residents of the historic area of Durrës are facing property depreciation in the absence of a fair public process.
The issue raises questions about the ethics of urban development and brings to mind the case of the "5 Maji" area in Tirana where the forced local plan gentrified the area.
Read also:
- Cultural monuments in Durrës, between closure and revitalization projects
- Cultural heritage awaiting "recovery" after the earthquake
- Church, business with cultural monuments in Cape Rodon
He completed his master's studies in the department of Journalism and Communication Sciences at the University of Tirana. She has been reporting for more than four years in Citizens.al on issues of culture, urban development, feminism, etc. She is also a contributor to other local and foreign online media, and has worked in the editing of various materials. She is the author of the podcast "Pezull" on Citizens.al and is engaged as a coordinator of projects related to the empowerment of young journalists and migration issues.
