From camaraderie to detachment: The effect of changing built environment forms on neighborhood relations in a post-communist context

• One of few studies that examines relationships among neighbors in a post-communist context (Tirana, Albania).
• Findings on neighborliness are found to be dependent on transformations in the built environment.
• The density and height increases in Tirana have had negative impacts in terms of social cohesion.

Through population surveys and interviews, this article examines how relationships among neighbors in Tirana, capital of Albania, have evolved after the demise of communism, in conjunction with transformations in the city’s built environment. The transformations that took place in Albania in the post-communist period were among the most extensive in Eastern Europe. This study found that the density and height increases in Tirana have had negative impacts in terms of social cohesion. Combined with economic polarization, internal and international migration, and the introduction of western lifestyles and aspirations (such as individualism and economic success), built environment transformations have led to the weakening and contracting of localized networks. However, this study does not support the notion that social isolation or alienation has plagued contemporary urban residents. Many urbanites still preserve some of the spirit of the smaller traditional communities, especially in older, more consolidated neighborhoods created during communism and in lower condominium buildings.