For more than two months, Albanians have taken to the streets every day in Tirana and other cities in what has come to be known as the Flamingo Revolution. What began as a protest against the construction of a multi-billion-dollar luxury tourism development, planned within a protected area that is home to thriving populations of flamingos and other endangered species, has grown into a broader anti-government movement. Protesters increasingly see the project not as an isolated case, but as emblematic of a model of development pursued by Edi Rama’s government, now in its fourth consecutive term in power. Architecture has been central to this model. Over the past two decades, Rama has used architecture and urban development not only as instruments of governance, but also as a means of projecting Albania onto the international stage. Numerous internationally renowned architecture practices, many of which Dutch, have been invited to design and build across the country, turning Albania into an increasingly prominent site of architectural experimentation and investment. During the first week of the protests, a more than 700 pages book documenting and celebrating this very phenomenon was launched in Tirana. The book has since acquired a different significance: for many protesters, it has become an object of evidence, a record of the development model they are challenging.
What is at stake in Albania’s Flamingo Revolution? What does the prominence of international architecture in Albania reveal about the country’s political and economic transformation? How does the Flamingo Revolution eco common struggles beyond Albania and how does this development model inform the practice of architecture nowdays?
We invite you to join an open conversation bringing together architects, journalists, researchers, and others to discuss the politics of development, the role of architecture, and the deeper histories and imaginaries shaping the Flamingo Revolution.
