A Cautionary Note

I love dogs. Yet I love people more. It seems that the new fashion in Tirana is to walk around with large, vicious-looking dogs. This may seem perfectly fine, except for a few facts of concern arising from observation and a reading of reports such as this one by Sacks, Sinclair, Gilchrist, Golab, and Lockwood:

• Some dogs have historically been bred to fight.
• The number of stray dogs in Tirana that appear to be purebred or have close ancestry from purebreds suggest that many owners do not keep proper control over their dogs. 
• Any type of dog breed can be aggressive if taught to be so.
• Some of the owners of aggressive-looking dogs appear to be mere children or youths, barely able to keep their dogs under control. 
• Dogs are known to hurt people.

My concern is that the new fashion of owning aggressive dogs my lead to serious injury or death. As a son, a parent and a teacher, I am particularly concerned for the children, the elderly, or the disabled (not to mention the strong and the able) who may be attacked by dogs. I am concerned that owners may not be able to control the behavior of their dogs, may let their dogs run free, or may neglect their dogs. This may allow the dogs that have been bred or trained to be vicious to attack innocent children or passers-by. Furthermore, these dogs may interbreed with the many wild dogs that roam Tirana and produce wild offspring that are genetically predisposed to be more aggressive.
My recommendation is that the city of Tirana would house all stray dogs in shelters for adoption or destruction, and that all other dogs be licensed and their owners made legally responsible for the behavior of their dogs. The UK's dangerous dog act may provide a model in this case.
If we as a community do not address the risk posed by uncontrolled dogs, then we may find the blood of innocent victims on our hands. We should love dogs and make sure dogs are properly trained and cared for; we should love people more and make sure that our community members are safe from dogs that are bred and/or trained to injure others.

Flying High on a Bicycle

The originality and practicality of the Kolelinia idea of suspended bicycle lanes has won me over. I think it would be a useful idea for the boulevards of Tirana. To make the idea greener and more weather-friendly, the bicycle lanes could be given transparent roofs, and then bougainvillea, grape or kiwi arbors could be suspended over those roofs to provide shade in the heat of summer for the cyclists and vehicles below. If residents along the roads would like to reduce the visibility that cyclists have of second-floor balconies, more foliage could be grown along the sides of covered bicycle lanes. In high-traffic routes, two or more tiers of bicycle lanes could be suspended from support poles.
Such a project is likely only practical for wide boulevards, as suspended, covered bicycle lanes on small side roads would reduce light access to apartments and shops on such roads.
The project could be funded on the build-operate-and-transfer (BOT) model with per-use, monthly, or annual passes for users.

A Sweet, Clean, and Green Lana River

The Lana River flowing through the middle of Tirana has been given a place of honor in the city; wide boulevards run on either side, decorative lamp posts light its waters at night, and both banks have been planted with grass, trees, and bushes. However, the river itself has a less-than pleasing smell and often carries with it much of the rubbish that gets swept down storm drains.
The challenge for the citizens and government of Tirana is to find a way to make the river cleaner, greener, and more enjoyable.
One idea for a cleaner river is to create miniature wetlands where storm drains enter the river, thus providing a natural cleaning of  some of the water that enters the Lana River. Such wetlands could be based on the bio-cleaning ideas behind the Living Machines. Of course, a challenge will be to enable to miniature wetlands to  cope with large quantities of water during storms. To reduce runoff volumes, green roofs should be introduced around Tirana.
To reduce the rubbish or garbage found in the river, we as the residents of Tirana will have to make a concerted effort to ensure that all rubbish is placed in adequate rubbish bins and dumpsters so that it does not end up in the river. A concerted effort to implement recycling schemes, penalize improper disposal, and educate our fellow residents on how and why we can and should have a cleaner city would also help. More details on rubbish-reduction proposals will likely need to be the topic of another post.
Once the Lana River is cleaned up, one way to increase its value to the citizens would be to create small, winding pedestrian paths, playgrounds, and exercise stops along the river. Another idea is to create a series of small dams and locks and a few canoe-rental locations to turn the river into a navigable channel, albeit a very shallow one that is just wide enough for two canoes and perhaps a waterfowl or two. The slower-moving Lana could have a few wider ponds with aquatic plants to further clean the river. Some of the current pedestrian and vehicular bridges could be fitted with tastefully designed second floors that house restrooms and cafes. Having clean public restrooms on every bridge would reduce the temptation that some have of making the area under the bridges into less-clean versions of the same. The proceeds from licensing canoe rental firms and leasing space for coffee houses could fund the maintenance of the restrooms, paths, playgrounds, grounds-keeping, and miniature boat locks. If the city doesn't have the funds to put together this project, it could implement a build-operate-and-transfer (BOT) scheme in which a private investor or consortium would provide the upfront capital investment, recoup the investment, and transfer the infrastructure over to the city after a predetermined length of time.
The city could also cooperate with the national government to make the Lana River clean and navigable for fish, waterfowl, and small recreational canoes or kayaks all the way to the Adriatic Sea. This would make Tirana and the region a much more attractive, pleasant, and fun place to live, visit, and do business in.

What are your thoughts, criticisms, and ideas for a cleaner, greener, more fun, and sweeter-smelling Lana River?

Dreams for Tirana

The purpose of this blog is to share some dreams of a better Tirana. Some of these dreams may be realistic; others may be rather far-fetched. But the hope is that this blog may contribute to a discussion on how we can work towards the peace, prosperity, and beauty of the city of Tirana.