Designed to accommodate 120,000 inhabitants, the city pays the price for its ambitions

On 11 July 1995, the late HM King Hassan II had given the go-ahead for the construction of a new city, located east of Salé. This is Sala Al Jadida. This grandiose project, which until then was only a large construction site, was promised to accommodate 120,000 inhabitants who cherished the dream of accessing decent housing at a low price. Seventeen years later, the city has won the bet by accommodating more than double the expected inhabitants. But this rapid and increased demographic growth has not been without consequences for this important urban planning project. The city, which wanted to be a model, has not succeeded in offering its inhabitants a pleasant living environment that meets their expectations, and for some years now, citizens have been paying the high price for a short-term vision that did not foresee a long-term strengthening of basic social services.Result: the city s…