Morocco Says Slum-Free Cities Program Improved Housing for Over 372,000 Families – Barlaman Today

Report on Morocco’s Housing and Urban Development Initiatives in Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction

This report analyzes Morocco’s national housing policies, focusing on the “Slum-Free Cities” program and the reconstruction efforts following the Al Haouz earthquake. The initiatives are evaluated based on their progress, challenges, and alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).

Slum-Free Cities Program: Progress and Challenges

Program Achievements and SDG Alignment

The “Slum-Free Cities” program represents a significant effort to achieve key development targets. The program’s progress directly contributes to several SDGs:

• SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities): By improving the living conditions of 372,316 families and declaring 62 cities “slum-free,” the program directly addresses Target 11.1, which aims to ensure access to adequate, safe, and affordable housing and upgrade slums.
• SDG 1 (No Poverty) & SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being): The transition from informal settlements to improved housing provides families with stability, security, and better sanitation, contributing to poverty reduction and improved health outcomes.
• SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals): The program’s success is attributed to inter-agency coordination between the Ministry of Housing, the Interior Ministry, and the Ministry of Economy and Finance, demonstrating effective institutional partnerships.

Key statistics as of October 2023 include:

1. Families with Improved Conditions: 372,316
2. Families Benefiting from New Units: 68,950
3. Total Program Cost: MAD 63.72 billion
4. Ministry of Housing Contribution: MAD 14.65 billion

The pace of implementation has accelerated, with the annual relocation rate increasing from 6,200 families (2018–2021) to a projected 17,330 families (2022–2025), primarily in major urban centers like Casablanca and Marrakech.

Identified Challenges and SDG Implications

Despite progress, the program faces obstacles that hinder the full realization of its SDG-related objectives:

• Rising Demand and Participation: A continuous increase in households requiring assistance and limited participation from eligible families challenge the program’s scalability and inclusivity, impacting SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities).
• Infrastructure and Attractiveness: The lack of basic infrastructure and low attractiveness of some reception sites undermine the “sustainability” aspect of SDG 11, as new communities must be viable and well-serviced.
• Financial Constraints: High costs for external urban works require additional funding, highlighting financial challenges in sustaining large-scale urban development projects.

Strategic Models and Future Plans

The Skhirat-Temara relocation project serves as a model, utilizing a public-private partnership to provide permanent housing replacements for 22,643 families. This approach aligns with SDG 17 and informs a new five-year plan (2024–2028) aimed at resolving the housing situation for the remaining 120,000 families by focusing on long-term replacement housing.

Post-Earthquake Reconstruction in Al Haouz Province

Government Response and SDG Linkages

The response to the September 8, 2023, earthquake, which damaged over 55,000 homes, is a critical test of Morocco’s commitment to SDG 11.5 (reduce the impact of disasters) and SDG 13 (Climate Action), as rebuilding must incorporate resilience.

• A five-year, MAD 11 billion reconstruction plan was launched.
• The plan includes rebuilding grants and monthly financial support for displaced families, addressing SDG 1 (No Poverty).
• Official reports claim 90% of damaged housing has been reconstructed.

Disparities, Institutional Failures, and SDG 16

Significant challenges in the reconstruction effort reveal gaps in achieving SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions).

• Exclusion from Aid: Protests by survivors in Rabat highlight claims of unjust exclusion from relief programs. Reports from the Moroccan Human Rights League indicate that 16% of affected households have received no assistance, contrasting with the government’s figure of 2.7%.
• Administrative and Logistical Barriers: Delays are attributed to unresolved land titles, rising material costs, limited road access, and slow administrative procedures.
• Corruption and Lack of Transparency: Allegations of corruption in aid distribution, leading to convictions for fraud, undermine public trust and the effectiveness of institutions, directly conflicting with the principles of SDG 16.

Conclusion: A Tale of Two Development Models

Morocco’s housing initiatives demonstrate a clear divide between urban and rural development strategies. The “Slum-Free Cities” program focuses on relocation into new urban units, aligning with urban-centric targets of SDG 11. In contrast, the Al Haouz reconstruction requires a more holistic approach, encompassing not just housing but also seismic-resistant infrastructure, public services, and cultural heritage preservation. The challenges in Al Haouz underscore that achieving sustainable and equitable development under SDG 10 and SDG 11 requires context-specific strategies and robust, transparent institutions (SDG 16) to ensure no one is left behind.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 1: No Poverty

  The article connects to SDG 1 by discussing efforts to improve the living conditions of families in slums, who are often among the poorest and most vulnerable populations. The provision of housing and financial support after the Al Haouz earthquake also directly addresses the needs of people pushed into poverty and vulnerability by a natural disaster.

• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

  This goal is relevant due to the issues raised in the Al Haouz earthquake recovery. The article highlights that many survivors were “unjustly excluded from relief programs,” particularly those with unresolved land titles. This points to inequalities in the distribution of aid and access to government support, creating a divide between those who receive assistance and those who do not.

• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

  This is the most central SDG in the article. The “Slum-Free Cities” program is a direct initiative to upgrade slums and provide adequate housing. The discussion of challenges like the lack of basic infrastructure in new housing areas, the need for sustainable urban planning, and post-disaster reconstruction of homes and public facilities all fall squarely under the mandate of SDG 11.

• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

  The article explicitly mentions the importance of partnerships in achieving housing goals. It states that the success of the “Slum-Free Cities” program “came from the Ministry of Housing coordinating with other agencies, including the Interior Ministry and the Ministry of Economy and Finance.” Furthermore, it highlights a successful “public-private partnership” as a model for relocation in Skhirat-Temara.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Target 11.1: By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums.

   This target is the primary focus of Morocco’s “Slum-Free Cities” program. The entire initiative, which has “improved the living conditions of 372,316 families” and aims to relocate the remaining 120,000 families, is a direct effort to upgrade slums and provide access to adequate housing.

2. Target 11.5: By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected… caused by disasters… with a focus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations.

   The section on the Al Haouz earthquake directly relates to this target. The disaster killed nearly 3,000 people and destroyed or damaged over 55,000 homes. The government’s five-year reconstruction plan and the discussion of rebuilding housing “adapted to seismic risk” are actions aimed at mitigating the impact of disasters and protecting vulnerable populations.

3. Target 1.4: By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to… access to basic services, ownership and control over land and other forms of property…

   This target is highlighted by the challenges in the post-earthquake reconstruction. The article notes that many residents were excluded from aid “because of unresolved land titles or registration gaps,” demonstrating a direct link between lack of formal land ownership and the inability to access essential recovery services.

4. Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships…

   The article provides concrete examples of this target in action. The success of the housing program is attributed to inter-ministerial coordination, a form of public-public partnership. The Skhirat-Temara project is explicitly cited as a model that “relied on a public-private partnership.”

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Indicators for Target 11.1 (Proportion of urban population living in slums, informal settlements or inadequate housing):

  The article provides several quantitative data points that serve as direct progress indicators:

  • Number of families whose living conditions were improved: 372,316.
  • Number of cities and urban centers declared “slum-free”: 62.
  • The rate of family relocation, which increased from 6,200 per year to 17,330 per year.
  • The number of families still awaiting relocation: 120,000.
• Indicators for Target 11.5 (Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters):

  The article provides specific numbers that can be used as indicators for the impact of the disaster and the response:

  • Number of deaths from the earthquake: nearly 3,000.
  • Number of homes destroyed or damaged: more than 55,000.
  • Percentage of damaged housing reconstructed: 90% (government claim).
  • Percentage of affected households that have received zero assistance: 16% (human rights report) vs. 2.7% (government data).
• Indicators for Target 1.4 (Proportion of total adult population with secure tenure rights to land):

  While not providing a specific number, the article implies an indicator by stating that exclusion from aid was due to “unresolved land titles or registration gaps.” This suggests that the “proportion of the population lacking formal land titles” is a critical barrier and an implicit indicator of vulnerability.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Summary

Source: barlamantoday.com