The environmental evaluation was based on an analysis of urban metabolism that was carried out looking into specific aspects, such as water, energy, food and waste disposal.
The Environmental Report for Saranda Municipality was prepared to assess the positive and negative impacts of the short-term and long-term conditionality on the environment and public health and consequently the General Local Plan.
The coastal area of Saranda, which is the largest and most attractive part of the Albanian Riviera, is a unique opportunity of a territorial unit with distinct features that currently faces a great dilemma with regard to its future development. Although the quality of the roads in recent years has improved considerably and the average driving speed has increased, the time to arrive at the administrative center is relatively long (about 4.5h from Tirana) although distances are not significant. The scenario involving the creation of a new airport in Delvina would be the one with radical impact on the development of tourism in the area.
Despite the distances and partly inadequate road, urban damage to Saranda and Ksamil is apparent. Failure to implement the previous development plans at the end of the year makes for a lack of vision and concrete rules for sustainable urban development and development. Meanwhile, the potential for tourism development depends on the quality of beaches and seawater and maintaining the natural character of the coastline of Ksamil.
