An Observation on Gated Communities in Post-socialist Albania: Three Case Studies from Tirana

Abstract

This study observes the development of gated communities and their features in the post-socialist period in capital of Albania, Tirana. The research studies the evolution of this housing typology in Tirana, by focusing in three different gated communities as case studies, including “Rolling Hills Luxury Residence”, “Kodra e Diellit” and “Touch of the Sun” residences. An analysis aiming to depict their urban, architectural, and gated communities’ features is conducted to each of the examples included. The aim of the study is to reveal the features of these residences in the framework of gated communities’ typological models which were defined to be community, physical structures and security based. The methodology used in the study includes architectural and urban descriptive analysis, observation, and in-depth interviews. At the end, the study, reveals the features of the afore mentioned gated communities by revealing their urban, architectural features and analyzing their features through typological models including community type, physical structures, and their security aspects.