Managing the Urban Environment of Casablanca, Morocco

Abstract

This article brings the contemporary thinking and practice of Urban Environmental Management (UEM) to the solution of current and persistent environmental problems in Casablanca, Morocco. Casablanca is the largest city of Morocco and the country’s economic and business center. Located on the Atlantic coast of the Chaouia plain in the central-western part of Morocco, the city has a population of about 3.71 million in the urban area and 4.27 million in Greater Casablanca, making it the most populous city in the Magreb region of North Africa (Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria), and the eighth largest city in the entire Arab world. It is also a polluted metropolis with serious urban problems related to its environmental issues. The article first considers the context of Casablanca, and then reviews issues of poverty alleviation, industry, energy, transportation, wastewater and solid waste, water and finance. Finally, it proposes a 5-year plan to help alleviate the city’s urban environmental problems utilizing a real world Database and a limited budget.