This Photo Perfectly Explains Everything Wrong With Planning In Malta
A lot has been said about Malta’s obsession with overdevelopment and abysmal planning. But a picture is worth a thousand words as one photo of Malta’s urban landscape shows.
One photo by Kris Borg shared by UglyMalta shows a haphazardly planned sprawl of colourless concrete development, with numerous cranes lining the sky.
The photo is of St Paul’s Bay taken from the direction of Wardija.
“This photo is so bad, we weren’t sure it was real,” UglyMalta said on a social media post.
Malta’s planning and construction have been subject to immense criticism in recent years while the country undergoes a development boom. The issues are there for all to see with the apartment and office blocks replacing scores of traditional or low-lying homes.
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Despite the radical changes in Malta’s demography and landscape, the government still relies on oft-criticised 2006 Local Plans, with little initiative being shown to update planning laws to a modern context.
Meanwhile, the government’s attempts to implement some form of planning have been major failures. The Paceville master plan, for example, was shelved soon after it was announced after revelations of major conflicts of interests.
However, rather than rectify the issue, it has gathered dust while the area faces high-rise development after high-rise development.
What do you think of the photo?
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