Urban and Rural Planning in Morocco

• The text summarizes urban and rural planning, focusing on the crises in Moroccan cities and rural areas, their causes, and intervention strategies.

Manifestations of the Crisis

• Housing Crisis: Difficulty meeting housing needs, proliferation of informal housing, negative impact on urban landscapes, and deterioration of old city areas.
• Employment Crisis: High unemployment rates due to limited job opportunities, disproportionate number of unemployed graduates.
• Basic Infrastructure Crisis: Weak water, sanitation, and electricity infrastructure in densely populated areas, particularly in major cities.
• Public Services Crisis: Insufficient public amenities (health, education, culture, sports).
• Urban Environment Crisis: Air pollution from industrial activities, traffic congestion, and limited green spaces.

Causes of the Crisis

• Demographic Factor: Rapid natural population increase due to high birth rates and declining death rates, increasing rural-to-urban migration.
• Socio-economic Factor: Imbalance between supply and demand in the job market, weak investment, and economic activities.
• Organizational Factor: Lack of or non-implementation of urban planning documents, especially regarding architectural and urban organization in modern neighborhoods.

Intervention Strategies

• To solve housing shortages, there are economic and social housing programs.
• There are also programs for cities without slums and new cities in major urban areas.
• The spread of industry is done by establishing industrial technology centers in the suburbs, and re-organizing the investment environment.
• Environmental and tourism initiatives include utilizing natural assets for tourism projects and redeveloping riverbanks and coastlines.
• Integrated tourism projects are being developed, such as the Mazagan station between Azemmour and El Jadida, and the Saïdia resort on the eastern coast.

Manifestations of the Crisis in Rural Areas

• Natural Resources: Decline in plant cover (31,000 hectares annually), excessive grazing, expanding agricultural areas.
• Soil: Erosion in mountainous areas, reduced fertility in irrigated areas.
• Water: Depletion of groundwater and increased salinity due to overuse.
• Land Ownership: Complex land laws and varied ownership patterns, fragmented agricultural holdings, prevalence of smallholdings.
• Infrastructure and Services: Inadequate infrastructure (roads, pathways), basic amenities (water, electricity), and social services (education, health), particularly in interior regions.

Causes of the Crisis in Rural Areas

• Organizational Factor: Lack of state focus on certain regions.
• Social Factor: High rates of rural out-migration and increasing barrenness.
• Climatic Factor: Recurrent droughts.

Intervention Strategies in Rural Areas

• Strategic programs for rural development are underway.
• Agricultural domain also being developed.
• There is diversification of economic activities.
• There is an expansion of the economic and social base.
• There is also a comprehensive rural electrification program.
• A collaborative approach is being used to manage rural areas with the involvement of local stakeholders (communities, civil society organizations, citizens).
• Programs for economic development, social programs, and equipment programs are in place.
• Rural development programs are tailored according to the national plan for land development (2004).