Urban and Regional Planning and Sustainable Development

Eight planning officials from Albania examined the design and management of urban and regional growth. The three-week study tour focused on the interface among planning institutions at the national, state, and local levels, while underlining principles of decentralized governance in urban and regional planning. The project served to strengthen the capacity of the government of Albania to prepare a General National Territorial Plan and to assist local governments in implementing General Local Territorial Plans and land management instruments. After opening the project in Washington, they traveled to New York City for a tour of the High Line and a discussion on public space creation strategies with the Project for Public Spaces. Next, they visited various towns and cities in Kentucky, including Lexington—the first city-county in the United States to enact an urban growth boundary. In Corpus Christi, Texas, they shared struggles with locals on rapid industrialization. Anti-sprawl initiatives, methods to engage citizens in the planning and decision-making processes, and environmental impact assessments were some of the themes examined in their final city, Seattle.