Rabat continues its urban renewal

The capital of the Kingdom continues its urban renewal and the upgrading of all its neighborhoods. Capitalizing on the achievements of the Rabat City of Lights integrated development program (2014-2018), two partnership agreements were recently adopted by elected officials at an extraordinary session of the city council.

The work covered by these two agreements will certainly help to strengthen and modernize the urban fabric and facilities of the kingdom’s capital. These works will be of great benefit to the city of Rabat as it prepares to host two major events: the 2025 African Cup of Nations and the 2030 World Cup. The first agreement defines the terms and conditions between the partners for the complementary urban renewal program for Rabat’s prefecture districts. The program covers a series of operations, starting with road improvements and street lighting. It also includes the construction of engineering structures, street furniture, and green spaces in Rabat.

As project owner, the Ministry of Land Planning, Urban Development, Housing and Urban Policy (MATNUHPV) will also contribute to the financing of the project with a budget of 200 million Dirhams (USD 20 million), or over 80% of the investment cost. The remaining 45 million dirhams (USD 4.5 million) will be borne by the Rabat municipality, which will be responsible for carrying out the work and mobilizing the necessary land. In addition to the MATNUHPV and the municipality, two other partners are involved in this agreement: the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the wilaya of the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region (R.S.K), which will chair the project monitoring committee. This committee will also define the neighborhoods to be treated under this additional program.

Pending validation of this agreement by all partners, the l’Océan district is currently benefiting from an urban renewal program covering a large part of its neighborhoods. The program covers various grids (water, electricity, telecommunications, etc.), lighting and roads, as well as the construction of two underground parking lots. In the same vein, another urban renewal program is being prepared for an area of almost 18 hectares in the Akkari district.

As far as the second agreement is concerned, it mobilizes a budget of 120 million Dirhams (USD 12 million) for the implementation of the intra-regional energy performance project, which will be financed in full by the R.S.K. region. This will provide the city with a technological platform enabling it to deploy intelligent services with the aim of improving the quality of life and comfort of students, workers, residents and visitors.

To achieve this, the project calls for the construction of a Central Control Office equipped with the necessary infrastructure and software to house a Central Management System (CMS).

This system will make it possible to supervise and control smart city applications relating to safety and comfort, smart mobility, the environment, and energy.

N.EA