Valletta has, again, become a topic for debate. It is also the result of a silent revolution, of measurable change, due to almost spontaneous interventions rather than the implementation of some complex master plan… Or is it? All types of political leaders, have, throughout history, recognised that the ultimate legacy of their rule is the mark they leave on their cities. David Felice meets Lawrence Gonzi, the man directly responsible for our capital city – the smallest but most densely populated capital in the European Union today. Two years down the line, what does the Prime Minister want Valletta to become?
You were born in Valletta...
I lived in Valletta till the day I married. My whole childhood, my youth, my friendships, were centred in Valletta, the heart of all social activity. That was the 50s and the 60s. Everything happened in Valletta, I have great memories of this.
Who is responsible for Valletta, who assumes its ownership?
It is the responsibility of all government, every ministry deals with Valletta at any one time. It has to be at the centre of our attention and even the Prime Minister, therefore, has to see that it is included in his responsibilities.
Valletta has a particular, dare I say it, cosmopolitan flavour, it is the only space we can call ‘city’; a city, created to be a war machine, that became what it is today, the centre of a much larger urban area, making Malta resemble a city state.
...above all a modern architectural creation of its time and an innovative one at that. To me, Valletta represents a period in European history, from political, cultural, economic and social perspectives, a moment of great renewal and unity, when ingeniousness and intellectual capacity were concentrated upon one city, a capital for Malta, and for the Order that brought together diverse cultures from across the continent. Almost a precursor of the reality we live in today.
I find that Malta has always been, despite its size, a fascinating laboratory for new experiences... In a sense, Malta, but especially Valletta, was then an experiment of that which would eventually bring Europe together. How do different cultures interact, how do they communicate with one another to eventually produce a movement with one vision, one mission? These experiences, in the city of Valletta but within the context of the capital of the Order were the beginning of a time of great change in Europe, from division to the rediscovery of its roots. The architecture of Valletta relates this story. The consistency of the buildings of Valletta brought diverse cultures together... It’s fascinating. And we stand here, now, as guardians of this marvellous heritage.
Our island, our City, went through difficult times. The British Empire did not make the most of this heritage and it is only this generation that is recognising its intrinsic value and has assumed the responsibility of restoration and re-use.
What is the future of Valletta? How will you continue to make it, as you said, a laboratory for new experiences?
The problem is that it needs huge levels of investment, financial investment. This has always been the problem. We also have to defeat controversy. Take City Gate; what does one do... build Renzo Piano’s project? There was huge controversy about this and, I can assure you, he had taken it very badly; the Michelangelo of our times, who came to Malta and was insulted. I spoke to Piano soon after I became Prime Minister...
You really wanted him to build it...
Yes I did. It would have been an honour for us to have a project by him in Valletta. It would have raised the stature of the city and given it something special. But it didn’t work.
It wasn’t the only controversy... then there was the Opera House Site... Independently of these controversies, as Prime Minister, I believe one needs to decide and take action. The cardinal problem remains a financial one. Successive governments have tackled these projects in similar ways – by reducing the requirement of public funds and introducing a commercial element to the projects to attract private investment. But this only added to the controversy and we ended up going round in circles. The only solution, as I see it, is for Government to fork out the funds when the country reaches a level of economic development and prosperity, and after other priorities have been addressed, like several of the restoration projects already carried out and completed in Valletta.
So is the problem the lack of funds or the way things are prioritised?
No, it’s a combination of the two. If you lack funds, you then have to prioritise. If you have the money you do not have to choose between the realisation of different projects. I think that we are now slowly approaching the time when sources of funds will become available that can be invested in restoration, the fortification network, street paving, exhibition space beneath the co-cathedral, and then for other projects like City Gate and the Opera House Site, without the need for additional private investment.
That will still leave another decision to be taken: should we stick to the original designs or not and what use should these be put to? My vision was for a parliament building on the Opera House Site – parliament has to be vacated from the presidential palace so that this can be restored to its former glory, to reinstate the armoury in its proper place and to include specialised exhibition areas. Then Fort St Elmo needs to be developed as a cultural centre, as a real magnet for people – this should never be located within the Opera House Site, people must be encouraged to move through Valletta so as not to have an excessive concentration of activity at the entrance to the city.
You speak with an urban vision...
I see a Valletta that is alive with renewed energy.
Again, I have to ask you, who ‘owns’ Valletta?
I disagree that there is a problem of ownership. Valletta is a controversial issue and the problem is that it takes the first two years of a legislature to take a decision. Then you get down to implementing your decision and you realise that it’s going to take you another five or six years to complete. And you say to yourself, do you want to face an election with a gaping hole in your capital city? This is what has happened to successive governments... for the last 50 years.
The only way such projects will move is if Government is in a position to commit six to ten million Liri of its own money to a project like the Opera House Site to be able to start. If we do not do this it will never happen.
In any case, are you happy with the level of private investment in Valletta?
No, I’m not, it could and should be a lot higher. It is happening, just look at the movement in the property market and the quality of restoration work being carried out. But generally, private enterprise has not yet embarked on a real programme for corporate and social responsibility in Valletta.
Why does Government not liberate its stock of unutilised property in Valletta?
This is a misconception. Much of Government’s property in Valletta is being used. A lot was developed for housing purposes, at a very high cost, when provision would certainly have cost less elsewhere. But I can assure you that there is hardly any property in Valletta owned by the state that is not being utilised.
In the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002, Government made a statement committing itself to the rehabilitation of Valletta as a top priority for the 10 years leading up to 2012. Not much is known in Malta about this position...
Well, not much is known about the Summit anywhere, in my opinion, it seems to have eclipsed. I find it very disappointing, at all levels, even within the European Union and the United Nations.
But that is not relevant. Someone, here in Malta, decided that this was going to be our top priority... I do think that there is a great, silent change in Valletta; but our top priority for sustainable development?
Of course, yes, things are happening, but not at the rate we would like them to. We issued tenders for the reinstatement of the Barracca Lifts two years ago; there was no response. They are about to be reissued, but we have lost time; City Gate, the Opera House Site and all the controversy that seems to arise. But restoration is happening, the paving will start soon and a marked increase in cultural activity that is causing real change. We are committed to Valletta. Now we need the courage and the fibre to decide on the major projects.
Fine, but the rehabilitation programme for Valletta started 20 years ago.
A lot has happened since then. We have broken new ground in restoration and we are doing it well. But there’s also been a renaissance, people have rediscovered Valletta’s beauty, people are coming back to Valletta. People are buying property and wanting to live here again. Embassies are coming back.
10 years ago, you, or your party in government, wanted to pull out all government offices out of Valletta and move them to Floriana...
That died with the 1996 election.
But there’s a contradiction somewhere here. It’s the most densely populated capital in Europe, but its population has been falling consistently at least for 60 years, whatever the measures that have been taken in this regard. Government thought of pulling out its administration. MEPA refuses planning permission for new offices. Property prices increase and ‘new’ people move in. But residents of Valletta, its community, are still moving out and at a very rapid pace. What Valletta will it be in the future?
But I believe it is finding itself again. People are looking at Valletta as a place to live in and not only as a place of work. I think real renewal is happening. The price of property is increasing dramatically and, yes, inevitably, the community is selling and moving out. Yes, there can be no doubt that the texture of the community will see change in the near future. But this property is being occupied by a new generation, young, probably middle to upper class, that can afford these prices. There is no doubt that there will be consequences to the social framework of Valletta. This is not necessarily negative.
You have been critical lately of the lack of innovation, also of creativity if I may add, in our country. Urban change can often catalyse and assist new thinking. Would you consider bringing back University, or at least part of it, to Valletta? Don’t you think it lacks student life and activity?
That will happen. The way I see education developing in Malta, also with the recent introduction of new legislation. I think we will soon start seeing new universities setting up in Malta and the campus need not be in tal-Qroqq... It could be in Valletta, for example. The problem is space and its lack of availability, if we can solve this I can really see it happening.
This has been fun...
It could go on forever!
