As the festive season comes to an end, the heightened social activity in locations such as Valletta give way to a typically quieter January. December, as anticipated, was marked by bustling streets and vibrant activity both day and night, culminating in an estimated 60,000 individuals visiting the city on New Year's Eve alone. While this vivacity imbues Valletta with a dynamic character, it also prompts critical reflections on how recent transformations over the past decade have significantly impacted the city's liveability. In a recent sociological study I conducted with Culture Venture, I explored the evolving nature of urban life in Valletta.
Despite various changes, the city is still characterised by the enduring, though erroneously attributed, description from Lord Byron of "bells, smells, and yells." Transformations in Valletta undergone in the last decade, reflects in a way, broader changes across all of Malta - to an extent that Valletta can be considered as a microcosm of wider shifts. Valletta has experienced significant shifts in its business model. This is primarily marked by transitions from retail shops to catering establishments, residential spaces to tourist accommodation, and a move away from traditional office spaces toward more commercially oriented units.
Valletta had the third highest old-age dependency ratio among EU capital cities, standing at 34% in 2019. Valletta's remaining population still residing there tends to be older, with a growing proportion of elderly residents living in government-rented accommodation, who are long-term city dwellers and pride themselves on remaining there until the end of their lives. This aging demographic often has distinct needs, including accessible infrastructure, local amenities, and social services within their accessible reach. International residents, have also become part of Valletta's demographic makeup, attracted by the city's cultural appeal but at times, limiting integration into the local community.
The rise of office hubs across Malta has led to a notable outward shift of businesses and office spaces from Valletta. This shift reflects both the economic pressures and logistical challenges facing businesses in Valletta, where the high costs associated with city-centre operations have increasingly led organisations to seek more affordable and accessible locations outside the capital.
This reorientation brings both opportunities and challenges for Valletta's urban landscape. While the influx of long-term and short-term visitors supports the growth of the hospitality industry, it simultaneously shifts the local economy away from serving daily resident needs, thus affecting the city's social and economic fabric. The primary concerns by residents in the city include elevated levels of noise pollution, challenges with waste management, persistent parking issues, and accessibility limitations exacerbated by an overabundance of tables and chairs in public spaces. This creates a continuous tug-of-war between competing interests in the use and transformation of its public spaces. Recently, reactionary counter-movements have emerged on the streets of Valletta protesting, not only on the contested public spaces but also over the rapid pace of urban development fearing a loss in its identity.
This trend accentuates the importance of developing urban policies that balance out commercial interests with residents' needs, ensuring that Valletta remains a sustainable, liveable city for both its inhabitants and its visitors. It calls for a more extensive plan through understanding the importance of conducting social impact assessments (SIAs) in city planning on the liveability of the city. These assessments are essential tools for identifying and evaluating the potential social consequences of proposed projects, policies, or changes to a city's structure. By incorporating socio-cultural considerations into the planning process, stakeholders can better anticipate how changes will affect the well-being of residents and the overall quality of life within the city.
Academically, the essence and methodology of conducting social impact assessments is now considered core to forecasting significant urban transformations - to an extent that a Master's course on training assessors in Social Impact Assessments (SIAs) is being offered within the Department of Sociology at the University of Malta.
On a local scale, the integration of SIAs into the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process has grown in importance, emphasizing the need to establish them as a fundamental component of the regulatory framework. By following the objectives of the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA), urban planning should be more based in identifying the potential impacts on receptors and identified resources; develop and describe mitigation measures that will be taken to prevent or minimize any potential negative effects on society and maximize the potential benefits.
Following the guidance of the International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA), incorporating social considerations into EIA processes would enable planners and policymakers to better anticipate and address the social consequences of urban developments. Such a shift would ensure that decisions about infrastructure, heritage preservation, tourism, and housing prioritize community well-being, equity, and inclusivity.
While it is not all doom and gloom, the rapid business-oriented transformation realities are significantly affecting the everyday lives of residents. The intention here is to advocate for a proactive approach grounded in thoughtful planning and forecasting of the city's cultural, social, and economic development. incentivizing business growth needs to be balanced out with ensuring that the liveability of the residents is not compromised.
Prof. Valerie Visanich is an Associate Professor in Sociology