The Endless Challenge of Local Governance in Casablanca

The urban governance of metropolitan areas is very complex and challenging, making it difficult to achieve the sustainable and inclusive development desired. Some of these challenges include the complexity of actors and institutions needed to meet an ever-increasing demand for basic services and infrastructure, and issues of coordination given the overlapping prerogatives of these different actors. The metropolitan area of Casablanca, referred to as Greater Casablanca, is at the heart of these issues that interfere with the good functioning and management of the city. A “deficit of governance” has been identified as the crux of the challenge of development by many international organizations as well as by the King of Morocco in a speech delivered to parliament in 2013. Various stakeholders are unable to effectively carry out their responsibilities according to their respective missions. Their prerogatives overlap; actions are needlessly duplicated, and policies are feebly implemented and followed up at the local level. If Greater Casablanca is to cope with urban growth, and ensure effective local participation in the decision-making, there is an urgent need to look at new forms of urban governance which can enhance innovation and collaboration between all actors and sectors. This chapter will try to shed light on these issues through a historical perspective of the city’s development and governance. It will assess the initiatives implemented by different stakeholders to strike a balance between central, regional and local levels of action, and will analyze the complexity of the system of governance and its deficit. To apprehend the scope and depth of the challenges and problems, we will dissect the power relationships and cross-purpose decision-making modalities which enmesh the various actors involved.