Schools as urban infrastructures – Planning, redistribution, and renewal of school infrastructure in Tirana
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69143/2464-9309/1932026Keywords:
school network, civic infrastructure, urban proximity, spatial justice, TiranaAbstract
The paper interprets schools as civic infrastructures capable of influencing urban form, the distribution of opportunities, and the quality of public space. Taking Tirana as a field of observation, the essay re-examines the renewal and redistribution of the school network in the decade 2015-2025 not as a mere building programme, but rather as a mechanism of territorial rebalancing in a metropolitan city marked by accelerated growth and socio-spatial inequalities. Through a theoretical framework, a critical reading of planning instruments, the interpretation of three emblematic case studies, and the use of accessibility mapping as both an analytical and design tool, the paper proposes an interpretative lens that shifts attention from the individual building to the school network as an infrastructure of the public city. In this perspective, the value of the school exceeds its educational function and concerns the construction of proximity, urban welfare, and spatial justice.
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Received: 10/03/2026; Revised: 14/04/2026; Accepted: 16/04/2026
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