New towns: The failure of an experiment
In its latest report, the Court of Auditors was unequivocal: the experience of the four new towns has not been conclusive. Yet the creation of Tamesna, Tamansourt, Lakhyayta, and Chrafate was intended to relieve the demographic pressure on the major cities and meet the population’s pressing needs. Magistrates were critical of the results of this experiment.
In fact, these new cities were treated as mere housing estates, limited to a residential function. The number of residents and housing units built did not exceed 20% of the announced targets. What’s more, the towns have not been provided with all the public amenities planned at their inception. Similarly, the report highlighted the absence of any legal framework governing these creations.
This has led to these urban projects being treated in accordance with the provisions of the law on subdivisions, housing groups, and land parcels. Yet the difference between the concepts of new towns and housing estates could not be clearer, particularly in terms of size and demographic dimension.
The report also points out that the ministerial circulars adopted to fill this legal vacuum have provided partial solutions to some of the problems associated with new cities, such as preliminary authorizations and the regularization of land ownership through partnerships with the private sector. Nonetheless, the Court criticized the limited functional role of new towns, which focus mainly on housing. To convince, the Court cited the example of Tamansourt, which originally had residential, tourist, university, and ecological functions. In reality, the town has no tourism, hotel, or university projects.
The same is true of Tamesna, which is mainly residential.
These new towns were initiated without a financing plan in line with the volume of investment required, particularly for the construction of facilities. In this context, it should be noted that financing for the construction of the four new towns relies mainly on partnerships with the private sector. Difficulties have arisen in executing agreements with partner developers. By the end of 2023, 52% of the 88 partnership agreements with private developers in the new towns had been terminated or were in the process of being terminated. This situation has led to unbalanced growth in these towns, characterized by uneven development of the urban fabric.
Mohamed CHAOUI
