JavaScript is disabled! Why you want to do so? Please enable JavaScript in your web browser!
Marrakech, an emblematic tourist destination in Morocco and one of the most attractive in the world, is experiencing increasing urbanization. This expansion extends beyond the city to include rural communities surrounding the inner ring, marking a profound transformation of the territorial space.
Marrakech is embarking on a new era of urban planning, where sustainability and coherence will guide the development of the city and its surroundings. With important deadlines for 2025 and then 2030, this transformation reflects the ambitions of the ocher city to position itself as a model of integrated and resilient urban management.
Médias24 spoke with the director of the Marrakech Urban Agency, Amine Idrissi Belkasmi. This article is the result of this exchange.
A sustainability approach
The director of the Marrakech Urban Agency believes that “urban planning documents must evolve with current times and challenges”, while adopting a “sustainability”, which must be at the heart of new urban policies. This includes the management of critical resources such as water, essential to guarantee harmonious and responsible development. Several new new generation urban planning documents have recently seen the light of day and others are in the process of being published.
Amine Idrissi Belkasmi distinguishes several levels of analysis between Greater Marrakech, the city and specific zones (East, West), even particular neighborhoods. According to him, whether at the city level or Greater Marrakech, all forecasts are exceededrequiring an overhaul of town planning documents to better manage this growth.
Source: Marrakech Urban Agency
He indicates that the municipalities surrounding the first ring of Marrakech, such as Tasoultant (Ourika road) or Sidi Brahim (near the city’s large stadium), which are dynamic, have already been given their own plans. However, the management of irrigated areas remains complexparticularly due to the scarcity of water resources. An in-depth dialogue with the Ministry of Agriculture is underway to align urban needs with those of agriculture. Indeed, how can we change the zoning on land that legally has the status of irrigated areas? And this, despite the now scarcity of water resources.
Around the inner ring, several municipalities, owners or investors are impatiently awaiting the new zoning: maintaining the agricultural vocation if there is irrigation and water; change to tourist, residential or mixed zone. The Urban Agency and the Ministry of Housing are aware of the upcoming deadlines, the challenges posed by the dynamism of the tourist destination and finally the economic and employment impact of possible future investments in these areas currently maintained in a vocation agriculture strongly impacted by climate change.
Inside the city, the Guéliz district, and more particularly Hivernage, arouse great interest from decision-makers. If Guéliz is considered the heart of Marrakech, Wintering is its deepest beat. This neighborhood, which is undergoing rapid change, is currently in the examination phase by the local technical committee (CTL). What happens next will depend on the deliberations, including the opinion of the wali and other stakeholders.
For the Hivernage district, a new vision is being finalized. The public inquiry should be launched early 2025. The objective is to preserve the green and quiet character of this emblematic district, while supporting its economic dynamics and its need for entertainment.
In the municipalities surrounding the first ring, such as Tamaslouhat, route d’Amizmiz or de l’Ourika, Route de Ouarzazate, it had become common to see land of 1 to 2 hectares acquired and transformed into residential properties. This required a certificate of non-agricultural vocation issued by the Ministry of Agriculture, a formality which, according to testimonies, was previously more easily granted. In these areas, tourism projects such as hotels, riads or guest houses will potentially attract tens or hundreds of thousands of visitors each year and create jobs.
To benefit from state aid, these projects must be located in tourist areas. Of the decisions in this sense are expected between December 2024 and March 2025.
20th century: heritage inventory
A call for tenders, published on 28 october 2024, concerns the completion of master plan for urban development of Greater Marrakech. The development of a new master plan had already been the subject of several unsuccessful attempts. The deadline for obtaining the new master plan is eighteen monthsoutside the consultation deadlines.
Another call for tenders was launched to “make the inventory patrimonial of the 20th century”. It will be a first, because the previous heritage was covered, but not that of the 20th century.
Concerning the future master plan of Greater Marrakech, the director of the Urban Agency specifies that it is a “document of coherence of public policies knowing that it is necessary to take into consideration the 2025 and 2030 deadlinesas well as the regional SRAT territorial planning plan which has already been adopted, but also the LGV link [ligne à grande vitesse, ndlr]”. L
Amine Idrissi Belkasmi indicates that the opening of the bids is planned for the November 20th and, in the meantime, work has been accomplished for three years which resulted in town planning documents. “We have released five development plans for the municipalities Sidi Youssef Ben Ali, Mechouar Kasbah, Medina, the old industrial district et Guéliz-East”, says the same source.
The layout plan of the part Marrakech-Ouest, which therefore concerns the Menarathe neighborhood M’hamid, Targa etc., is in the process of startup.
These major advances do not mean that the path has not been fraught with pitfalls. According to our interlocutor, several difficulties were noted. These include the obvious question of mobilitywhich concerns the future bus station, the extension of the airport or a new airport, tourist areas, the stadium, the LGV station, the current railway station, etc. To resolve this problem, “measures have been planned crossing works or even underground car parks”. For 2025 and 2030, and even beyond these deadlines, mobility becomes the great challenge for Marrakech.
Do you have a real estate project in mind? Yakeey & Médias24 help you make it happen!
© Media24. Any reproduction prohibited, in any form whatsoever, without written authorization from the Société des Nouveaux Médias. This content is protected by law and in particular law 88-13 relating to the press and publishing as well as laws 66.19 and 2-00 relating to copyright and related rights.
