Between Energy of People and Vacuum of Institutions! Grassroots Planning in Albania: The Case of Co-PLAN Institute for Habitat Development in the Informal Settlements of Tirana

Abstract

The paper examines grassroots urban planning in Albania through the case of Co-PLAN, Institute for Habitat Development, which emerged during the turbulent post-communist transition. Albania’s centralised governance left no tradition of community participation, and the 1990s brought severe political and social instability, including the 1997 unrest and the Kosovo refugee crisis. Founded in 1997, Co-PLAN pioneered community-based interventions in Tirana’s informal settlements, addressing issues of public space, health, and social cohesion. The study maps institution-building processes, highlights collaboration between NGOs, communities, and local governments, and reflects on resistance from traditional actors who perceived community involvement as legitimising illegality. The findings underline the critical role of NGOs in fostering participatory planning and policy reforms in transitional contexts.