Albania Urban Sector Review

This report on Albania urban sector review focuses on trends and issues that have come to the fore with rapid urbanization and with the recent decentralization of major responsibilities to local governments. Continuing the achievements and addressi...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author:	World Bank
Format:	Policy Note
Language:	English en_US
Published:	Washington, DC 2014
Subjects:	ACCOUNTING AGGLOMERATION ECONOMIES ASSETS AUTONOMY BANKS CAPITAL EXPENDITURES CITIES CITY SIZE COMMAND ECONOMY COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS CONSTRUCTION CORPORATE INCOME TAX DECENTRALIZATION PROCESS ECONOMIC GROWTH ECONOMIC SHOCKS ELECTRICITY EMPLOYMENT ENTREPRENEURSHIP FISCAL DECENTRALIZATION FISCAL REFORMS GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT HOUSING HOUSING DEMAND INCOME LAND DEVELOPMENT LAND PRICES LAND USE LARGE CITIES LAWS LEGISLATION LOCAL BUDGETS LOCAL CAPITAL EXPENDITURES LOCAL GOVERNMENT LOCAL GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURES LOCAL GOVERNMENT REVENUE LOCAL GOVERNMENT REVENUES LOCAL GOVERNMENTS LOCAL LEVEL LOCAL REVENUE METROPOLITAN AREAS MIGRATION MUNICIPAL MUNICIPAL BUDGETS MUNICIPAL LEVEL MUNICIPAL REVENUE MUNICIPALITIES MUNICIPALITY POLITICAL AUTHORITY POVERTY REDUCTION PREFECTURES PRIVATE GOODS PRIVATE SECTOR PRODUCTIVITY PROPERTY TAXES PROVISIONS PUBLIC PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION PUBLIC GOODS PUBLIC INVESTMENT PUBLIC SECTOR PUBLIC SPACES PUBLIC TRANSPORT PUBLIC WORKS REAL ESTATE MARKETS ROADS SECONDARY CITIES SETTLEMENT UPGRADING SETTLEMENTS SHELTER SOCIAL EXCLUSION SOCIAL SERVICES STATE OWNERSHIP STREETS SUBURBS TAX RATES TAXATION TELECOMMUNICATIONS TRAFFIC CONGESTION TRANSITION ECONOMIES TRANSPORT URBAN URBAN AREAS URBAN DESIGN URBAN DEVELOPMENT URBAN ECONOMIES URBAN ECONOMY URBAN GOVERNANCE URBAN GROWTH URBAN HOUSING URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE URBAN LAND URBAN LAND MANAGEMENT URBAN MANAGEMENT URBAN PLANNING URBAN PLANS URBAN POPULATION URBAN POVERTY URBAN SECTOR URBAN SERVICES URBANIZATION URBANIZATION PROCESS USER CHARGES UTILITIES VACANT LAND WATER SUPPLY
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2007/01/7965151/albania-urban-sector-review http://hdl.handle.net/10986/19622

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Summary:	This report on Albania urban sector review focuses on trends and issues that have come to the fore with rapid urbanization and with the recent decentralization of major responsibilities to local governments. Continuing the achievements and addressing the problems will require actions by local governments and, just as importantly, by the central government, which sets the legal and regulatory conditions for local governance and the tone of political leadership. The major challenges facing both levels of government include: 1) restoring a better balance between public goods and private goods, and between public interests and private interests, as demonstrated in urban management and land use; 2) devising and implementing a form of urban planning and regulation that serves the urban economy and the demands for commercial and household real estate, and can be enforced; 3) making local governments more effective managers of cities, with sustainable financing. This implies that the private sector is enabled and not hampered by avoidable problems with local infrastructure services, or by unnecessary regulations or fiscal impositions; and 4) helping the citizens who remain relatively disadvantaged to continue improving their welfare, including their housing assets, in the urban location. The study concludes that the dramatic transformations Albania has experienced since the transition have had very clear spatial dimensions. The increased concentrations of population settlement and of economic activity have brought about improvements in welfare for both the urban residents and for the communities sending migrants. The geographic pattern of Albania's economy is strong and apparently becoming more established, as the Tirana/Durres metropolitan region will likely remain the economic center of gravity. Urban growth will continue but at a measured pace, as Albania's urbanization rate approaches levels seen elsewhere in Europe. National development strategies and policies, including policies to strengthen and improve the investment climate experienced by firms in each city, should therefore acknowledge and work with these spatial realities.

Albania Urban Sector Review

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