Albania’s building boom fuels protests over transparency and heritage loss
Albania’s building boom under Prime Minister Edi Rama has drawn international architects, public anger and protests over how projects are planned and who benefits. A new book, *The Albanian Files*, gathers hundreds of proposed developments and has become a focus of criticism about transparency, heritage loss and the influence of a small circle around Rama.
The 800-page book features 60 international architecture firms and more than 500 projects, with no Albanian practices included. Critics say some plans threaten protected landscapes and have involved forced evictions; they also raise concerns about links between construction and organised crime, without alleging wrongdoing by the architects. Protests intensified over a proposed luxury resort at Zvërnec and Sazan, while festival tickets cost up to €200 against a median monthly wage of €700.
- Albania’s building boom is facing growing public opposition.
- A new book catalogues 500-plus proposed projects.
- Critics question transparency and environmental impact.
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Prime Minister Edi Rama's government has overseen an extensive construction boom in Albania, attracting international architecture firms and significant investment. The rapid pace of development has prompted public concern and protests about how projects are approved and who benefits.
A newly published book titled The Albanian Files has focused attention on these concerns by cataloguing over 500 proposed projects involving 60 international architecture firms. Critics question the transparency of planning decisions, highlight potential losses to Albania's cultural heritage, and point to reports that some developments have involved forced evictions.
Demonstrators have also raised concerns about possible links between the construction sector and organised crime, though no allegations have been made against the architecture firms involved. The protests reflect broader public anxiety that development benefits are concentrated among a narrow circle of connected interests, whilst many ordinary Albanians remain excluded from both decision-making and the gains of rapid economic change.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “‘Starchitects go home’: what’s the truth behind Albania’s astonishing building boom?”.