Unlocking Urban Development in Morocco - Final Report - Can urbanization pay for itself, and how to make it happen?

Jul 19, 2026

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Final Report on PPIAF/World Bank technical assistance to Morocco examines how urbanization can generate sufficient value to finance itself, and sets out a pathway to make it happen. It presents diagnostic analysis across macro, meso, and micro levels, detailing resource-demand gaps, uneven agglomeration challenges, and project-level implementation dysfunctions. The proposals define an integrated approach, focusing on partnerships, taxation and local resources, planning and development, land mobilization, and strengthening local actor capacity.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages125

Reading Time5 h 15 min

AccessFree to download

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION

A. DIAGNOSTIC ANALYSIS

Macro Analysis: What Resources and What Needs?

Meso Analysis (Agglomerations): Challenges and Resource Levels that Vary Considerably, Depending on the Type of City

Micro Analysis (Project Level): Numerous Dysfunctions in the Production Process

B. PROPOSALS

An Integrated and Pragmatic Approach

Area of Action 1: Partnership Development Areas

Area of Action 2: Taxation and Local Resources

Area of Action 3: Urban Planning and Development

Area of Action 4: Mobilization of Land for Public Use and Urbanization in General

Area of Action 5: The Capacity of Local Actors to Carry Out Urbanization

C. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Unlocking Urban Development in Morocco Can urbanization pay for itself, and how to make it happen? February 10, 2020 - Final Report - PPIAF/ World Bank Technical Assistance to the Kingdom of Morocco on Financing Urbanization Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 INTRODUCTION 14 A. DIAGNOSTIC ANALYSIS 16 1. Macro Analysis: What Resources and What Needs? 16 1. Ever-increasing needs will continue to pose significant challenges in the years ahead 16 2. Traditional public action mechanisms for addressing these needs are proving increasingly ineffective 20 3. Financial resource levels are not tailored to meet the demands of urban expansion or of upgrading existing cities 23 II. Meso Analysis (Agglomerations): Challenges and Resource Levels that Vary Considerably, Depending on the Type of City 25 1. Urbanization that is concentrated in the large agglomerations and unequally distributed within them 25 2. The outlying municipalities of agglomerations are in conditions of extreme fragility 28 3. Medium-sized cities: a separate challenge? 30 III. Micro Analysis (Project Level): Numerous Dysfunctions in the Production Process 32 1. The Theoretical Process of Urbanization 32 2. Actual Implementation of the Process and the Related Constraints 35 3. Rigidities, uncertainties and delays in the process of granting urban planning permits 41 4. Use of Public Land and Exemptions: An Alternative and Its Limitations 46 5. EIGs and Other Groups of Developers—an Avenue to Be Explored 48 IV. Conclusion—What Results? 52 B. PROPOSALS 54 I. An Integrated and Pragmatic Approach 54 II. Area of Action 1: Partnership Development Areas 56 1. Principles 57 2. The Land Issue 58 3. How Can Works Be Financed? 60 4. Who Can Provide Financing? Who Can Build? How Should Prefinancing Take Place? 63 5. Which Actors, What Methods, and What Kind of Management? 68 6. The Feasibility Study 69 7. Key Success Factors 70 8. Synthesis 71 III. Area of Action 2: Taxation and Local Resources 71 1. Principles and General Guidelines 71 1. Nine Proposals for Improving the Tax and Financial Resource System in Municipalities 76 3. Well-Defined Guidelines by the Tax Conference and Some Key Points 80 4. Synthesis 82 IV. Area of Action 3: Urban Planning and Development 83 1. Principles and General Guidelines 83 2. Ten Proposals for Urban Planning Development 87 3. Synthesis 91 V. Area of Action 4: Mobilization of Land for Public Use and Urbanization in General 92 1. Principles and general guidelines 92 2. Proposals Development 92 3. Synthesis 93 VI. Area of Action 5: The Capacity of Local Actors to Carry Out Urbanization 94 1. The issue of local actors’ effective capacity to fulfill their role 94 2. Proposals of reforms and changes to actors’ practices 94 3. The Information Challenge 100 4. Synthesis 102 C. BIBLIOGRAPHY 114 Boxes Box 1: What is urbanization? ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Box 2: What is going wrong with urbanization in Morocco? The main contributing factors .................................. 4 Box 3: Sector Policies of the State ........................................................................................................................... 23 Box 4: The paperless processing of procedures for granting permits to subdivide or build, using the “CasaUrba”platform ..................................................................................................................................................................... 43 Box 5: An illustration of unfulfilled commitments in the case of Berrechid.......................................................... 44 Box 6: Tamensourt: The Perfect Example? ............................................................................................................. 47 Box 7: Bouskoura Green Town

FAQs

What is the core objective of this final report on Morocco’s urban development?

To assess whether urbanization can pay for itself and to propose practical steps to make financing of urban growth work in Morocco.

How does the report structure its diagnostic analysis?

It reviews issues at three levels: macro (resources vs. needs), meso (agglomerations and city types), and micro (project-level production and implementation constraints).

Which action areas are covered in the proposal section?

The proposals include partnership development areas, taxation and local resources, urban planning and development, mobilization of land for public use, and strengthening the capacity of local actors.

Jul 19, 2026

Upload by Rowan