“Cities Without Slums” Project Aims to Rehouse 22K Families

Morocco’s Minister for Planning and Urban Policy, Nouzha Bouchareb sat forth two days ago the re-launch of the “Cities Without Slums” program’s plans to relocate some 22,000 families in the Skhirat-Temara region.

The “Cities Without Slums” program was initiated by his Majesty Mohammed VI back in 2004 following the 2003 Casablanca terrorist attacks, when 12 suicide bombers from the blighted area of Sidi Moumen which happens to be quite a poor suburb of the economic capital, murdered 45 innocent citizens and wounded hundreds more.

As stated by Bouchareb who presided over a meeting on the relaunch of the “cities without slums” this week. This very project aims to rehouse 22K families to benefit approximately 100K people in three years more or less.

Adding that the meeting is his Majesty Mohammed VI insists on ensuring decent life conditions for low-income households. Bouchareb also highlighted that the Ministry of the Interior along with both ministries of the Economy and Finance and the Ministry of Planning and Urban Policy have signed an agreement to obtain social accommodations from real estate developers.

She later on noted that the goal of this initiative is to authorize people who live in slums to benefit from better housing conditions. The Minister stipulated that 28K habitat units and 500k social domicile units have been completed nationally. She also emphasized that the meeting was part of the government’s plan to execute its 2017-2021 project that focuses on decrease the national housing deficit.

This announcement comes during heightened discussions that revolve around urban planning. Sadly, floods occurred earlier this week in Casablanca; and caused remarkable infrastructure damage in it. And according to local press releases, the floods overwhelmed Casablanca, affected people, cars, roads, poor houses… and the list is long. and lead to material losses that are forecasted to reach millions of Dirhams.