Urban Transformations in Temara and the Challenges of Sustainability between Socio-spacial Disparities and Environmental Imbalance
Author: Anas El Azizi El Alaoui, anas-elazizi@um5r.ac.ma
Department: Dept. of Geography
University: University of Mohammed V of Rabat, Morocco
Supervisor: Abdelali Fateh
Year of completion: 2021
Language of dissertation: Arabic
Keywords:
Urban transformations
, Sustainability challenges
, Socio-spatial disparities
, Environmental imbalance
Areas of Research:
Regional and Urban Development
, Community Research
, Housing and Built Environment
Abstract
The city of Temara undergoes profound urban transformations that reflect the intricate complexities between accelerated demographic growth and uncontrolled urban expansion, where fundamental sustainability challenges emerge amid increasing socio-spatial disparities and environmental imbalances. These transformations manifest through divergent urbanization patterns that create a complex spatial mosaic comprising upscale residential neighborhoods adjacent to informal settlements lacking basic infrastructure, thereby deepening social divides and creating acute spatial challenges requiring innovative planning approaches. Studying these spatial dynamics necessitates an in-depth analysis of the driving factors behind urban growth and their impacts on the city's social and environmental fabric, particularly given its strategic location within the Salé-Rabat metropolitan area, which makes it an attractive pole for internal migration and real estate investment.
Environmental issues intensify due to mounting pressure on natural resources and local ecological systems, where haphazard urban expansion leads to the degradation of fertile agricultural lands, water course pollution, and destruction of natural vegetation cover. The city faces severe water challenges manifested in resource scarcity and deteriorating quality of distribution and sewage networks, creating health and environmental risks that threaten residents' quality of life and impede sustainable development pathways. Unsustainable transportation patterns and the absence of efficient public transport networks further exacerbate air pollution and traffic congestion, multiplying the city's carbon footprint and reducing urban system efficiency.
Socio-spatial disparities emerge as one of the city's most prominent challenges, where services and public facilities concentrate in planned areas while popular and marginal neighborhoods suffer from acute shortages of basic infrastructure and social services. This unequal distribution of resources and services creates vicious cycles of poverty and social marginalization, hindering urban integration and weakening the social cohesion of the urban fabric. Addressing these challenges requires adopting comprehensive planning approaches that integrate social, environmental, and economic dimensions, grounded in principles of spatial justice and community participation in planning decision-making. This necessitates developing local governance mechanisms and strengthening the capacities of institutions responsible for urban management to ensure achieving a sustainable development model that balances economic growth requirements with environmental preservation and social equity.
