“The city does not stand at the point where nature and artifice meet nor are human settlements consequences of culture modifying and imposing its needs on natural or wild places.”[Genovese et. al., 1998] As a matter of fact, the city of the 21st century is under attack because of its rapid urbanization and industrialization. What resurfaces is the concept of the eco-city - a city built and living within the means of the environment, a breathing ecosystem. Tirana, the densely urban capital of Albania is currently on the precipice of this issue: it is growing steadfastly, and with more problems than ever. It is so far away from being ecologically healthy. As such, one of its prevailing and damaging issues is the formation of urban heat islands. This study breaks down the definition of the eco-city from world scale to Tirana scale, stopping majorly on the concerning actuality of urban heat islands.
