Urbanization of Post-communist Albania: Economic, Social, and Environmental Challenges

The purpose of this article is to describe some of the critical urban transformations in Albania since the fall of communism in 1990 and their economic, social, and environmental consequences, and to respond to some of the negative views about the greatly increased urbanization. This article discusses the benefits as well as harms of urbanization in Albania and argues that, in balance, urbanization is a positive force.