Case Studies  A Regeneration Strategy for Valletta. Il-Biccerija Case Study

Economic and Social Issues

The increase in commercial activity and the presence of several offices, both public and private, in the capital, lead to an increase in daytime population. The heritage value of the city and the number of museums in Valletta is an attracting pole to a considerable number of tourists through out the year. Such influx, opposed to the night time population, and the lack of evening activities in the city, reduces tha capital to a ghost city during the evening. Another problem caused by the considerably high daytime population is the decay in environment. The untidiness of the streets in the city centre is but one aspect which is causing environmental decay.

The clutter of shop signs and wires is another. The main problem which is caused by the large influx of daytime population to Valletta is the traffic. Although an additional license fee is paid for every vehicle entitled to enter Valletta, except for residents, the number of vehicles having such license is quite high, and had increased radically in the last ten years. The problem not only refers to traffic, but more seriously to parking, and the broad car presence in the city.

During the day, cars are often parked on pavements, obstructing not only pedestrian flow, but sometimes also blocking doorways of residential buildings. This high influx of traffic in the city is also probably causing decay to its historical buildings and monuments as a result of pollution caused by exhaust.

Demographical Issues    Tourism