Between “Kont Urani” and “Mihal Duri” streets in Unit 10, or as the area behind the Ministry of Education is otherwise known, a new pedestrian, leisure and recreational space for the community has just been built. The Mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj, together with the SP MP, Fatmir Xhafaj, were today to see this new investment, which adds value to the entire area. Veliaj said that this space, which was originally born as an idea to turn into a pedestrian area during the car-free days that followed the pandemic restrictions, is today a success story, just like the New Bazaar or the Tirana Castle.
"This has been a street that, like all initial projects, has had a lot of resistance. The pedestrian street seems like something foreign, like a change that provokes the community a little. But today, in fact, we got a 10, because all the members of the community, starting from the Sukaj brothers to 'Heminguej', who initially proposed blocking the street only for pedestrians, so that the neighborhood could have a promenade, even though it is in the heart of Tirana, on the two busiest axes of Tirana such as "Durrës Street" and "Kavajës Street", today a success story has emerged, just like the New Bazaar, like the Castle. Our proposal is to turn it into a special pedestrian zone, where practically all the communities function as one community," he said.
The mayor said that this area itself proves that Tirana is experiencing a real 'boom'. "I believe that this 'vein' is the nerve of Unit 10, but also the nerve of Tirana. Two worlds meet and two communities coexist: both the community of young people who have arrived, and the community of those who are 'den baba den' - if you look, there are still functional adobe houses, which have been maintained and preserved with the desire of the residents to bring life to this neighborhood. Of course, they have been transformed into restaurants and given to those who know how to manage such structures. Tirana is experiencing a real boom. I am glad that we are giving it dignity not only with this investment, but also with the way the streets are named," he said.
Veliaj also responded to the debate regarding the naming of streets in the capital. "In my opinion, it is a proto-fascist debate, where they say to remove the names of Mihal Duri, Asim Vokshi and Avni Rustemi – it is really proto-fascist. I know it is happening on the eve of the campaign for 5 votes here and 5 votes there – if there are still admirers of fascism left in Albania – but it does not suit today's generation. The identity of the city coincides with those who have left their mark on our country. When you talk about Mihal Duri and Qemal Stafa and many of those young people, who at an age, perhaps much younger than most of us here, gave their lives for a free and independent Albania, fighting against what was perhaps 'fashionable' in Europe, fascism and Nazism, today we are in 2023 and instead of dealing with these physical works, which bring dignity to young men and women and newborn babies, we turn our heads back and in a 'fascistophile' way we start talking about changing the names of Tirana. This is "a debate that doesn't work," said Veliaj.
In 2023, the mayor added, "we need to think about how many more roads we will build with this quality and how many such economic zones we will create in Tirana, not look back at names and wonders that only produce hysteria on the eve of the campaign, but do not produce well-being."
