1st Edition

Planning as Political Theatre Chronicle of Two Megaprojects Foretold

By Dorina Pojani, Ranja Hautamäki Copyright 2025
88 Pages 9 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

88 Pages 9 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

This book examines two large and highly controversial urban infill projects in two peripheral European capitals—Tirana and Helsinki—through the lens of dramaturgy and political theatre. The authors argue that the planning processes in both cities have been farcical, following the so-called ‘disillusionment arc’ in storytelling—that is, coming to terms with the inevitability of private... Read more

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

 

CHAPTER 1    Introduction

CHAPTER 2    Play 1: Tirana Rocks

CHAPTER 3    Play 2: Garden Helsinki

CHAPTER 4    Synthesis: Power and money

CHAPTER 5    Conclusion: Undistorting planning

           

REFERENCES

APPENDICES 

INDEX

Biography

Dorina Pojani is Associate Professor of Urban Planning at The University of Queensland, Australia. A native of Albania, she conducts international and comparative research on various aspects of the built environment, including urban design, transport, and housing. She has also authored Trophy Cities: A Feminist Perspective on New Capitals (Edward Elgar, 2021).

Ranja Hautamäki is Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture at Aalto University, Finland. Her research focuses on planning practices, discourses, and conceptions of nature and welfare. Her recent projects on nature-based planning solutions aim to develop practices and tools that tackle climate change, biodiversity, and well-being.