Planning City Through Experience: A Phenomenological Analysis Of Openness And Closedness In Tirana

Abstract

Richard Sennett’s Open City theory has become a cornerstone of contemporary urban studies and especially urban sociology. However, the framework is frequently critiqued for its soft determinism; the assumption that physical design (ville) automatically fosters specific attractive dwelling experiences (cité) while insufficiently addressing the political, economic, and socio-cultural dimensions of inequality. This study addresses these gaps by advancing a phenomenological perspective, re-evaluating the theory through the lens of residents’ lived experiences. Using a qualitative methodology, the researcher gathered data via structured open-ended questionnaires and analyzed thematically to identify recurring experiential patterns in the city of Tirana. The research argues that urban phenomenology may serve as the primary framework for the practical application of Open City theory. A central theoretical contribution of this paper is the emergence of the concept of interpretative incompleteness. This concept suggests that even when urban forms are physically finalized through formal planning, they may remain incomplete and dynamic in their subjective interpretation and social appropriation. The paper concludes by outlining an analytically grounded intervention logic for urban planning in Tirana, providing a more refined, ethically grounded understanding of the Open City.