Speakers
Description
Albania is one of the countries with a high level exposure and high level of vulnerability towards disasters. Over the years, several disasters (earthquake, flooding, wildfires) have had a great impact in lives and economic losses showing clear gaps in the system and the inability of the governance structures to be able to prevent or respond in time. Meanwhile, climate change is expected to exacerbate existing hazards making them more frequent and severe. In the last decade important reforms have occurred in spatial planning and disaster risk reduction, trying to bring a shift towards comprehensive and integrated planning and a shift focusing on risk rather than management of emergencies.
This paper focuses initially on a theoretical discussion in trying to understand the linkages and differences between spatial planning and planning for disaster risk reduction. The dimensions of complexity, wickedness and uncertainty are explored as key factors which affect theories of planning and planning practice. Afterwards the case study of Albania is discussed. The paper uses practical examples from projects developed in Albanian municipalities by the authors between 2019 (Lezha) and 2024 (Fier, Lushnje, Roskovec, Patos, Divjake and Mallakaster) to understand the limits of practice and legislation vis-a-vis theoretical discourse.
| Keywords | disaster risk reduction; spatial planning; complexity; uncertainty; wickedness |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | Yes |
