The retiring mayor of Valletta, Alexiei Dingli, showed his concern that the quality of life in the capital has worsened. He did not elaborate why but I have my opinions.

First of all, the Inner Harbour Council is at best superfluous as the two sides of the harbour have no actual relation between them.  Up till now this “council” has only been a front to justify pro-jects in the city which had plenty of glitz but hardly direct benefits to the residents.

I suggest that the said council be wound up and instead there should be two councils. The first would cover the Cottonera zone as those localities are homogeneous and form an integrated urban community. The other council should cover the Sciberras peninsula, the area with the fortifications as designed by Laparelli and Floriani.

It is crass stupidity to divide Valletta from Floriana. From the very beginning they were intended as one.

The next step is to put a halt to further residences being turned into commercial outlets and offices. Starting from the dilapidated buildings, priority should be given to ameliorating residential needs. Forget about preserving unhygienic units. The new residences must have a façade of Maltese stone, but the interior should cater for modern living, with lifts to the upper floors.  Both Valletta and Floriana suffer from obsolete units. Families need decent habitats if they are to be lured back with their children.

I had studied various old cities that had suffered from such problems, and the only way they managed to attract families was to provide them with decent and modern accommodation. Forget about historic animosity and pique, unity and friendship are the only viable solutions.