A vision for Valletta

Valletta has a new mayor, finally. Alexei Dingli is a young and energetic person and, above all, a real "son" of Valletta. His task will not be an easy one. He has to face a multitude of problems of a city that, in spite of what others may say, is in serious decline.

The new mayor will, I am sure, face the facts and not try and bury these under the (merited) success of cultural activities that take place in Valletta. The facts are very clear.

The 2005 census (latest official figures) show a 16 per cent decline in population and a six per cent drop in occupied dwellings from 1995. The situation over the last three years has further deteriorated. The exodus from Valletta has continued due to a combination of various factors about which I have been writing for years. The quality of life in Valletta for residents has continued to decline.

In the first place Valletta needs a mayor that balances all the needs of the city and listens to all stakeholders. It needs a mayor that willingly discusses with the people that love the city, that have lived there, work there and who wish it well. The wishes and needs of the residents cannot be ignored. The residents have had enough of being ignored when major events or commercial interests are involved. The residents are fed up of being in the midst of a building boom of more levels and of the general decline in the environment around them.

It is not easy to raise a family in Valletta. You are bombarded by noise day and night. You are in the midst of traffic, having to avoid cranes and other dangerous situations all the time. Pavements are a mess and most cannot be used by the pedestrian anyway.

There are days when it seems you cannot travel to your home. The business community has taken over Valletta and the residents feel left out. The Housing Authority has forgotten all about Valletta and areas which I helped to evacuate for eventual regeneration in the 1980s have remained empty.

Of course there have been a number of projects (mainly by the government)], especially in the re-organisation of parking, and these have helped in some ways but also created other problems. But these are not enough. Most, including the author, has seen an increase in deterioration and has opted to move out, even though most real Beltin find it extremely difficult to do so. (I, for one, will be unable to live without going to the city every day.)

The solution is not an easy one but, at least, the mayor should listen to those that wish Valletta well. We cannot continue in a situation where more buildings are taken over by the business community though I believe in a discussion on each project and not a blanket one. Of course, the business community is important and they have certainly regenerated some palaces. But what to others may be "restoration" to me in many cases these projects have just been plain exploitation. Valletta has seen so many changes happening to its urban texture. The skyscape is unrecognisable. Floors have been added everywhere. We now have a number of swimming pools on roofs. The piano nobile have been changed into intermediate floors. Valletta has lost all its detailing, its colours, its shop fronts, its real urban texture.

Valletta is a Unesco World Heritage site but we do not treat it as such. Funding for projects has gone down and the work done by the Valletta Rehabilitation Project over the past 20 years has been drastically reduced. I can give the mayor a long list of pending restoration projects, never completed or abandoned even though, in the meantime, we are losing important works of art. I am serious in saying this.

As a World Heritage site, Valletta needs a management plan (and not just a list of superfluous information in a Master Plan as was being prepared). Valletta needs a decent buffer zone. It is enough that across the harbour we are building so many skyscrapers that seriously affect the view over Valletta. I have stated this many times and have always been ignored. I repeat once again: We are putting our recognition in jeopardy.

The projects done in Valletta need to be of good quality, reflecting the importance of the city. The patching up of pavements by workers that are not there beyond 10 a.m. is a reflection of the bad quality level with which we are dealing with the city.

The solution to solving Valletta's problems is not in encouraging foreign owners to occupy dwellings that remain empty most of the year.

It is not in allowing drastic changes to its skyscape and streetscape.

The solution lies in a balance of many factors that cannot be ignored. Yes, Valletta is the natural administrative, social and cultural capital but one-off projects get us nowhere.

We need a comprehensive and fully integrated plan that takes in the Opera House site, Fort St Elmo and everything in between. We need to have a vision.

At the moment, and I am quoting a friend of mine who told me this, Valletta is a city built by gentlemen for businessmen. We are bowing to all requests from the business sector, only interested in the immediate gain and not as part of a long-term vision. We have to persuade them to invest in good quality projects for the long term as their role is very important.

There are good initiatives in various levels: the waterfront, VAF, etc. We need an entity that coordinates everything and works hand in hand with the council and its mayor. We need a long-term regenerating vision.