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HELSINGIN YLIOPISTON MAANTIETEEN LAITOKSEN

TUTKIMUSRETKIRAPORTTEJA

49

Encounters
Across
The Atlas
FIELDTRIP IN
MOROCCO 2011

Edited by Paola Minoia


and Inka Kaakinen
Helsingin yliopiston maantieteen laitoksen
tutkimusretkiraportteja 49

EncountErs Across thE AtlAs

Fieldtrip i n
M o r o c c o 2011

edited by paola Minoia and inka Kaakinen

Layout and cover design: Heidi Kouvo


Cover photograph: Paola Minoia

ISSN 0786-2172

Unigrafia
Helsinki 2012

eXpeDition reports oF Department oF geograpHy,


uniVersity oF Helsinki 49
contEnts

Foreword .................................................................................................. iV
Paola Minoia

Part I: Articles and essays

desertification trends and local action in the oases of


tafilalt, South-east Morocco ............................................................. 8
Lahcen Kabiri
problem of water management in the watershed tansift ................ 20
El Hassane Boubekraoui
Urban growth, territorial and social reorganization in
Marrakech ................................................................................................ 33
Mohamed Ait Hassou
environmental impacts of soil erosion: methods to
control erosion in tafilalet .............................................................. 46
Katri Heiskala & Turo Hjerppe
Water quality pressures and water management in
errachidia and Marrakech, Morocco ............................................. 58
Jaana Kuisma & Helena Haanperä
rural-urban migration in the tafilalet region ............................... 72
Belinda Kivivuori, Juha Niemelä &
Matias Andersson
public transport system in the city of errachidia ........................... 83
Maria Viitasaari
Urban planning in Morocco............................................................ 90
Kaisa Kinnunen, Wilma Toljander & Mari Kovasin

II
The socio-economic impacts of heritage tourism in
Morocco ......................................................................................... 101
Ira Lahovuo & Minna Nuutinen
tourism services in errachidia: supply and location .................... 112
Ossi Ahonen & Petri Hård

Part II: Travel journal

travel journal ................................................................................ 124


Travel itinerary
List of participants

Sat 22 Oct 2011: Katri Heiskala .............................................. 127


Sun 23 Oct 2011: Jaana Kuisma .............................................. 128
Mon 24 Oct 2011: Petri Hård .......................................................129
Tue 25 Oct 2011: Kaisa Kinnunen ........................................... 130
Wed 26 Oct 2011: Wilma Toljander..............................................131
Thu 27 Oct 2011: Juha Niemelä ............................................... 132
Fri 28 Oct 2011: Turo Hjerppe ................................................. 133
Sat 29 Oct 2011: Belinda Kivivuori &
Matias Andersson ...........................................................................134
Sun 30 Oct 2011: Ira Lahovuori .............................................. 135
Mon 31 Oct 2011: Ossi Ahonen ............................................... 136
Tue 01 Noc 2011: Minna Nuutinen ......................................... 137
Wed 02 Nov 2011: Helena Haanperä ....................................... 138
Thu 03 Nov 2011: Maria Viitasaari ......................................... 139
Fri 04 Nov 2011: Maria Kovasin ............................................. 14

III
IV
Part I
articles anD essays
Mohamed Ait Hassou
Cadi Ayyad University, Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences
Marrakech, Morroco
E-mail: aithassou69@hotmail.com

uRban gROWth,
tERRitORial
anD sOcial
REORganizatiOn in
MaRRakEsh

AbstrAct
Like any other large city of Morocco, Marrakech has been developing and increasingly
expanding due to its own potentialities and its relations with other cities, both close
and afar. Marrakech is a city in constant change. Nonetheless, the absence of urban
policies and adequate interventions, especially by the state, together with the chronically
unfavourable socio-economic situation has raised a series of problems, which have led to
continuously declining living conditions for a great number of urban inhabitants.
One of the main problems is the housing shortage, a phenomenon that figures
as a structural problem in the urban areas of Morocco in general, and of Marrakech in
particular. ftis housing shortage is characterized primarily by a growing deficit of social
housing and by the proliferation of an unhealthy habitat.
fte urban territory of this city is also marked by spatial and social diversity,
which reflects the various interventions carried out over time by multiple actors. Among
these, the state figures as the most prominent, whereas the influence of the private sector
and the local communities has been more modest. fterefore, an analysis of the spatial
and social restructuring of Marrakech, a rapidly growing city, necessarily revolves around
the question of the changing role of the state in the production of housing as well as the
state’s contribution to the re-planning of the urban territory. fte state has, namely, the
responsibility over the decisions concerning housing and urban planning, and it also has
the last say in these matters, despite the liberal vocation of the Moroccan economy.

6
them. fte aim of this analysis is to
IntroductIon examine the evolution and the
functioning of the urban territory. In
Since the independence, the urban addition, it aims at unravelling the
areas of Marrakech have been subject mechanisms of social and territorial
to experiments to plan, control and reconstitution induced by the public
manage the process of urbanization. housing policies for Marrakech.
Interestingly, though, the urban policies
carried out by the Moroccan state in
the early decades of independence
focused primarily on the countryside; housIng crIsIs guIdIng
the idea was to develop the rural
thE ExtEnsIon of thE
areas, and by doing so, to fix the rural
population and slow down the rural- cIty
to-urban exodus.
fte state’s interventions in the For over half a century, the housing
urban areas had more the character crisis has been a structural feature of
of short-sighted, hastily carried out the Moroccan urban areas. Political
emergency-operations, which limited independence was not a sufficient
their effectiveness and at times ended condition to overcoming this issue,
up favouring the upper social categories which has, in fact, only aggravated in
that could afford housing-credit. In the last years, making it a major concern
parallel, since the independence, the for the Moroccan society today.
state had pursued laissez-faire economic
policies that allowed the elites to H igh p o p ul a t i on
increase their fortunes. Holding the gr o w t h
strongest position among these elites,
the landowners played quite an fte high rates of population growth
important role in town development, have naturally increased the residential
by the means that they facilitated the demand on land and, consequently,
creation of a number of illegal estates. put more pressure on the territory
ftese estates have in fact contributed of Marrakech. As the city planning
in some way (even if rather marginally) authorities have not been able to
to relieving the housing crisis and to control this development, the housing
establishing a new type of territorial crisis has exacerbated. Marrakech has
structure in Marrakech. recorded higher rates of population
It is in this context, then, growth than any other city of the
after the independence, that the urban kingdom as the result of an internal
areas have evolved in Marrakech and demographic increase, a positive
elsewhere in Morocco, which serves to migration balance and the integration
explain the social and spatial diversity of peripheral suburbs in the new urban
and heterogeneity that characterizes

7
Table 1. The Evolution of the Population of Marrakech (1960–2004) (Direction des
Statistiques 2004).

Census 1960 1971 1982 1994 2004


Year
Size 222.479 328.730 482.500 676.800 843.575

Figure 1. Population of the boroughs and suburbs of Marrakech, 2004.

area. As the result, the morphology of percent of the households have very
the city has changed dramatically. low incomes that do not enable them
fte city of Marrakech is the to access the housing market.
fourth largest city of Morocco, with a fte lack of decent homes is
fast-growing population nearing one enormous and rapidly growing. fte
million people. fte annual population cumulative deficit in housing is
growth in this city is higher (2.4 estimated to be some 30 000 units,
percent) than the national average (2.1 while the annual deficit caused by the
percent). A large part of its population imbalance between housing supply
struggle with problems of insecure and demand is around 10 000 units.
incomes and insolvency. Over 60

8
Figure 2. Average annual growth rates of the population of Marrakech, 1994–2004 (%).

In addition, 50 percent of the this constitutes the main cause of the


population is concentrated in 5 percent housing problem in Marrakech.
of the territory of the city, mainly in
Medina and in the neighborhood of H o u s i n g d e f i c i t is an
Sidi Youssef Ben Ali. In this respect, urban crisis
the gap between supply and demand
for housing continues to increase. Briefly put, the urban crisis has two
Indeed, some 13 000 households main components: the growing deficit
(approximately 65 000 people) live in of new state-sponsored housing and the
unhealthy conditions. proliferation of slums. Currently, the
Half of the population of shortage of social housing is enormous
Marrakech is under 20 years old, and and it would be impossible to fill the
most are poor – 50 percent of the active gap in the short term. Furthermore,
population has an average income the housing sector is influenced by a
below 1 500 Dhs per month. ftese liberal trend in the governmental
citizens are largely excluded from the economic policies. fte government is
formal offer of accommodation, and in fact withdrawing from any direct

9
responsibility over the social sector All in all, the growth and
services, especially in financial terms. future development of Marrakech
fte housing sector in seem to be guided by the logics of the
Marrakech is currently experiencing ever-aggravating housing crisis and the
an unprecedented rise in the prices chronic need for land. Other problems
of houses and building plots. Despite are the deterioration of existing green
the prices per square meter (for social areas as well as the proliferation of
public housing 2 800–3 000 Dhs; for small agglomerations of marginal
the middle classes 6 000–7 000 Dhs) habitat, and the consequent spatial and
the demand is very strong. social segregation of the population.
fte prices for land, in turn, Furthermore, the production of
have doubled within a matter of two emergency housing is far from reaching
years only. fteir price levels vary the real needs of the populations
according to the location and size of concerned here.
the plot on sale, but those over 800 m²
for example are sold at prices oscillating
between 10 000 and 12 000 Dhs/m².

Figure 3. Green spaces in Marrakech (Urban Agency of Marrakech 2008).

10
living expressed by a great share of the
forms of urbAn population having access to public and
ExPAnsIon And even private housing offer.

tErrItorIAl socIAl A s p h y x i a t i o n of
rEstructurIng the m e d i n a a nd
foundation of the e ur
Following the different phases of opean city
urbanization of Marrakech since its
creation by the Al-Moravides through fte Medina consists mostly of a
the colonial period to the present day, traditional type of urban habitat that
we may distinguish four residential has its roots in the local building
areas representing different forms of techniques and materials, local social
state intervention. ftis distinction is organization, social practices, family
based mainly on the morphology and life, religion, climate, etc. (Elhajjami
the social composition of the residential 1986). ftis building type does not
areas in question, namely: exceed two floors, which keeps the
skyline uniformly flat. fte houses are
• the old town (Medina) and the simple with plain exterior walls, giving
district of Sidi Youssef Ben Ali the Medina a uniform appearance, with
no visible signs of wealth or poverty.
• the douars ftese features can be explained by the
strong impact of tradition and religion,
• the European city (Guéliz and which cement residents’ unwillingness
Wintering) to expose their private living spaces to
the public.
• the extension of the city dating Overall, the grouping of
after the independence. homes and services in the Medina is
not limited to the built environment
A closer look at the urban, or the walls, as it includes large open
architectural and social characteristics spaces. Some areas have been occupied
of each area helps to assess the impact of by large gardens (i.e. Jhanat, Arsat);
the various endogenous and exogenous others constitute places of public
factors that contribute to the reshaping entertainment (e.g. Enzaha) for most
of the urban social and spatial territory city dwellers.
of Marrakech. fte state’s urban policy Ultimately, this is the largest
tends to favour a specific urban form North African Medina, with 9 km of
over the others, that is, a so-called walls and a network of roads connecting
“modern Moroccan” morphology. it with the outer city zones as well as
ftis tendency is confronted with the with other large cities, passing through
quest for a traditional type of urban

11
one of the large gates within the walls walls of the Medina.
(i.e. Bab Hmar, Bab Doukhala, Bab In the early 1920s, Marrakech
Aghmat). fte inner city has a radio- started to extend beyond its walls
concentric plan, characterized by the to the west side. ftis process
absence of spatial disparities among the produced significant differences in
homogeneous, primarily residential the organization of the new, planned
neighbourhoods. urban space (still nowadays defined
When the first settlers arrived, as European, Western or modern
the integration of the capitalist mode city) as compared to the old Medina,
of production in the national economy and resulted in the social and spatial
speeded up the population growth and division of the city. ftis duality came
resulted in an over-densification of the into being as the result of the policies
built environment, which in turn led pursued by local authorities, much
to a remarkable deterioration of open the same way that has happened in
spaces within the Medina. Since then, many other cities of the Arab world.
the social composition of the city has In Marrakech, this policy produced
gone through various changes. a fundamental break in the spatial
fte creation of an industrial and social organization of the urban
zone outside the Medina attracted territory and is speeded the process of
large flows of new workers from the spatial and social segregation.
rural areas to the residential city centre. fte type of habitat in this new
(Note that the rural exodus was also urban space had a very distinct feature
partly induced by the deterioration of from the one of the Medina. It is more
living conditions on the countryside, similar to the Western model with
by family conflicts, and other factors.) villas and higher buildings. With time,
fte big social changes of this period the differences have been nonetheless
were uprooting, on the one hand, and levelling down, with the creation of
proletarianization, on the other. ftese a new hybrid architecture that mixes
had harmful consequences on the built the elements from both European and
environment and on the lifestyle of the Arab tradition. ftis hybrid character
people of the Medina, but any attempt has been recognised as a new type of
at regulating the state of overpopulation housing called “modern Moroccan”.
resulted ineffective. Also, given the Meanwhile, the majority of
scarcity or the outright absence of any the Moroccan population had been
sort of social housing, sales prices and neglected by the local planning
rental fees saw a dramatic increase. authorities, and the result was a
Consequently, rural newcomers continuous densification of the medina
suffered from a double eviction: first, and a population overspill towards the
from rural areas to the Medina and douars. fte gap between supply and
second, from the latter towards the demand for housing began to rise
peripheral douars surrounding the dramatically.

12
In conclusion, the on- in form of public housing estates,
going process of urbanization that and acquired land for it through
started in the early colonial times expropriation.
has not followed the same patterns fte SYBA sector currently
of development throughout the city consists of two urbanistically and
space of Marrakech. fte housing crisis architecturally distinct divisions.
that results from these different forms Unplanned or spontaneous, the first
of urbanization has affected different division is dominated by the so-
social groups unevenly. called traditional habitat. ftese are
the residencies of the impoverished
S pontaneous population. fte other division, in
turn, has an urban plan that follows
extension of the M
contemporary urban planning rules.
edina and the pr fte buildings do not exceed 150 m²
oliferation of marginal in extension, or three floors in height.
habitat While this part of the neighbourhood
has been planned to offer its inhabitants
fte district of Sidi Youssef Ben Ali normal living conditions, it is worth
(SYBA) is a spontaneous extension of mentioning that the unplanned part
the Medina towards south and beyond of the neighbourhood records, to
the city walls. It has almost the same date, high levels of inadequate living
urban and architectural characteristics conditions and of insecurity. fte same
as the Medina. During its emergence, applies to other peripheral douars that
it was a marginal area deprived of any were later incorporated into the city.
infrastructural facilities required for a ftere are many reasons that
normal urban life. Today it is the contributed to the overspill of the
largest district of the city of Marrakech Medina and to the creation of the
after the Medina. small, spontaneous towns (douars),
From 1939 to 1943, this some of which have already been
neighbourhood has undergone a drastic mentioned earlier: the gradual increase
change, because of the increasing pace in demand for housing, the weakness
of the rural exodus. Despite its large of the public supply, the high rental
extension, this district has not been payments and the disengagement of the
able to attract the attention of the public authorities during the colonial
local authorities until 1948, when a times. Under these circumstances,
flood caused widespread devastation expelled from the official housing
(Mandleur 1972). As a means to market and from the Medina, people
avoid future damage by floods, local searched for a place to settle down. fte
government officials laid out plans to risks nothwithstanding, they occupied
restructure the district. ftey aimed at pieces of neighbouring farmlands
reconstructing much of the dwellings in the hope of building there their

13
Figure 4. Redevelopment areas of the Medina of Marrakech (Urban Agency of
Marrakech 2008).

modest homes and, eventually, being the illegal and provisional installation
able to own the land under their of the first inhabitants in both private
shelters. Subsequently, in order to feel and state-owned fields (guiche).
safe and protected, the occupiers paid Over the years and with the steady
a few family members to settle nearby influx of newcomers, the precarious
and these, in turn, invited others. ftis constructions grew in size and became
triggered a demographic movement, more solid. ftis is when the first
still mostly unstudied, to the farmlands constructions in cob and stone started
that mainly belonged to the elites of to appear.
the city. Small towns were created
According to Mandleur (1972), before the public authorities would
the appearance of peripheral douars express their discontent. ftese towns
was the second phase of urbanization in were soon regarded as unhealthy
the precarious Marrakech, from 1926 environments with an almost total
onwards. fte first period between absence of basic socio-economic
1930 and 1950 was characterized by facilities. fte douars were not officially

14
registered or even recognised by the these neighbourhoods highlighted
authorities, which explains their lack the problems of poverty and of social
of intervention. fte big landowners, discrimination. ftose inhabitants
in turn, were active: taking advantage who managed to enter the job market
of their privileged position and oft- could increase their fortunes, while
representative functions within the those who did not, could hardly afford
local authority, they did not hesitate basic goods for living. ftis resulted in
to turn their farmlands near the city the hierarchization of the population
perimeters into housing areas for of the city, with the emergence and
people in desperate need of a place to dominance of a materialistic, separatist
live in. fte landowners divided plots and segregationist ideology.
of land into small parcels ranging from
40 to 120 m² in size, and quickly p lanned extension of post-
sold them, without providing them independence
any infrastructure that would make
them suitable for housing. Families Since the independence, the urban
who bought into these developments landscape of Marrakech has changed,
accepted these conditions, as they with the establishment of a more
often considered it to be a transitional complex urban structure in which it was
step in the process of adapting to difficult to distinguish the traditional
the urban lifestyle and of acquiring from the modern, the endogenous from
a decent home in the city once their the exogenous. In its official discourses
savings would allow it. and in certain specific interventions,
fte marginalization of the the state has promoted its willingness
douar population and its classification to adapt the city to better respond the
as non-urban is largely due to the type requirements of the contemporary
of habitat that does not fill the standards urban life, all while reconciling the
set up by the urban planning services. traditional and the modern. Yet, this
fte households that originated from type of territorial reorganization
the countryside have developed in the constituted in reality a similar trend
peripheral douars a new type of habitat of reconstruction that already begun
that is classified as semi-urban, or semi- during the colonial period, inspired
rural. fte households originated from by the French architect and urbanist
the Medina, in turn, constructed these Ecochard. It is also continuation of
spaces according to the traditional or the model used in the planning of the
Arab-Muslim habitat model. “European” extension of Marrakech
As said before, the characterized by very regular, less
douars figured as places where the dense built space, with wide lanes,
rates of unsafety, insecurity, infrastructure and modern equipment.
underemployment, unemployment Characteristic of this extension is its
and crimes were high. In addition, mix of urban and architectural styles

15
of modern European and traditional northwest, and selectively in the south
or Arab-Muslim habitats. It is also and southwest, in areas reserved for
inhabited by people of different social large foreign investments in tourism,
strata, which is reflected in the type mainly composed by hotels and luxury
of housing, where certain social and residences. ftese trends accentuate the
functional diversity coexist. city’s social segregation.
As explained in the previous, Despite the creation of a new
the creation and growth of the planned town at the fringes of Marrakech, the
extension of the city was accompanied urbanization front continues to move
by the illegal extension (douars) towards the shores of Tensift, and
that has contributed in some way to borders the palm grove from the north
alleviating the housing crisis, but that and the south, thus posing a serious
has become, nowadays, a real challenge threat to the survival of this important
to tackle with. fte difference between ecosystem. Parallel to this enormous
the average growth rate of the built spread, we witness the degradation
space (approximately 4 percent), and of the existing built environment
the population growth rate (around especially in the historical heritage
2.6 percent per year) indicates a land- zone. In the Medina, the deterioration
extensive pattern of growth. More of the infrastructure, the problems of
importantly, while the extension of the traffic congestion, as well as social issues
urban area was 2 100 ha in 1945, today systematically undermine both the
it exceeds 18 400 ha. centrality and the attractiveness of the
historic core as a place of residence. In
addition, the process of gentrification
is also underway, particularly through
dEvEloPmEnt ProsPEcts the restauration and reuse of riads.
fte urban area of Marrakech is growing
of thE cosmoPolItAn
(according to the opportunities of land
cIty andrealestateproperty, e.g. exemptions)
beyond the city limits, creating diffused
Marrakech offers an urban landscape urban-rural boundaries. Several studies
in that has come into being with an show how the urban sprawl draws
almost total disregard of any planning on towards the agricultural space,
documents and guidelines. As a matter endangering the traditional urban and
of fact, in 2007 the city had already agricultural habitat in the periphery.
consumed the land reserves under fte city has a multidirectional growth
the SDAU to cover its needs until clustered on successive roads radiating
2010. fte plans to reorganize the city from Marrakech, despite the lack
around the Medina have not been of infrastructure, inadequate social
respected, since Marrakech continues facilities and the lack of secondary
to develop rapidly in the west and centres in these areas. fte need to

16
expand the city has to follow a new way of living. It represents the beginning
approach that can ensure a sustainable of a new era in urban planning which
growth. ftere is a need to activate mainly reflects the fight against an
urban planning with the people, not acute housing crisis. In the absence of
just for them, by participatory planning an effective intervention by the state,
and participatory management of the the crisis worsens the living conditions
city. for broad masses of the population,
day after day. fte state interventions
have been highly insufficient and thus
the housing needs remain far from
conclusIons satisfied. Interventions from abroad,
“imported” planning models, as well
Marrakesh is a city that has rapidly as their direct application without a
changed its appearance. ftis change minimum adaptation have all
has many urban and architectural as constituted failures. Highlighting the
well as socio-economic and cultural myriad of needs and opportunities can
implications. fte current urbanization help achieve a better planning structure
represents a break with the city’s past, and ensure a coherent and sustainable
characterized by its density, its social development in this rapidly changing
relations, and its so-called traditional urban space.

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