Localization
The city of Chefchaouen is located in the northwest of Morocco, approximately 50 kilometers as the crow flies from the Mediterranean Sea and 120 kilometers from Tangier, the third-largest city in Morocco.
Situated at an altitude of 600 meters at the beginning of the Rif Mountains, Chaouen is set in a rural environment close to a national park (Talassemtane) and facing a nature reserve (Bouhachem, twinned with the Lubéron Park in PACA, France).
The climate, typically Mediterranean, is rainy and cold in winter, with temperatures dropping as low as -14°C as in 2005. Precipitation ranges from 800 to 1,400 mm/year, sometimes reaching 2,000 mm/year, with snowfall although rare at 600 m. The summer is relatively mild but sometimes very hot, with temperatures reaching or exceeding 40°C.
The region is one of the main water towers in Morocco, serving a highly solicited watershed, especially by the agricultural plains to the south. Hydraulic resources could be better utilized through rainwater harvesting systems and hydroelectric production on the river that runs through Chaouen.
Spatial Organization
Built on a southwest-facing mountainside, the city’s development deals with natural constraints, including the presence of a spring and the Fouara River, with slopes reaching up to 50°.
The city has grown around a medina of approximately 10 km² dating back to the 15th century. It is entirely pedestrian, with only tricycles and donkeys used for transportation. Built on an Andalusian plan, it presents singularities compared to other Moroccan medinas, making it particularly attractive.
Surrounding the old medina is the so-called colonial city, with constructions dating from the colonial period (20th century), and peripheral neighborhoods with recent constructions.
With a population of 42,000 inhabitants in 2014, with an average annual growth rate of 1.24% (in line with the Moroccan average), demographic growth is fueled by the arrival of rural populations from the surrounding areas who settle in the peripheral neighborhoods around the medina, reaching a population density of 600 inhabitants/ha. Despite the existence of an urban development plan, urban development is not controlled, with constructions preceding the arrival of infrastructure (roads, water supply, sanitation, public lighting, etc.).
Economy and Demography
The age pyramid is somewhat inverted compared to the rest of Morocco; there are relatively few young people, who leave Chefchaouen to study in larger cities and do not necessarily return. The unemployment rate is around 20%. Strategies for developing existing (tourism, etc.) or new (to be considered, including eco-friendly construction materials, high-value-added agriculture) economic sectors are needed to address this.
Tourism is the main economic activity sector with 120,000 tourists/year.
The infrastructure includes:
Classified hotels: 351 beds Unclassified hotels: 1079 beds 11 guesthouses: 189 beds Campsites, inns
The main assets are:
The old medina and its uniqueness A water source and a river in the city of Chefchaouen The existence of typical local products (bessara, samet, cheese, etc.) Nearby waterfalls (approximately 30 km) and the environmental setting Its proximity to Europe and Tangier
The municipality plans to increase the offer of tourist attractions with, among other things:
The development of a lake on the heights of the city The opening of a museum on the history of the city and popular cultures The opening of a water museum in project. The opening of a museum of local products
However, the tourism sector suffers from a lack of vision and quality in services (accommodation, food) criticized by tourists. Moreover, illegal guesthouses compete with legal infrastructure. Efforts should be made to improve tourist services (thermal comfort in rooms, food quality) and to develop a tourism strategy taking into account climate change, other tourism actors in the region, and Chefchaouen’s ambition to become exemplary in terms of environmental sustainability.
The craft sector includes, among others, weavers in the medina, blacksmiths, carpenters, and cabinetmakers.
Agriculture remains an important sector in the municipality, with 183 hectares cultivated, including 74 irrigated hectares. The breeding of local goat breeds aims at meat and milk production for cheese making, known nationally.
There is a wool spinning factory.
Organization and Size of the Municipality of Chefchaouen
The municipality of Chefchaouen is located in the Province of Chefchaouen belonging to the Tanger-Tétouan region.
The municipality of Chefchaouen manages an average annual budget of €400,000, with payroll representing 60%. There are 212 civil servants, including approximately 20% women. Infrastructure development is largely funded by the central government.
Waste Management
Waste collection is carried out by a private company, according to a contract that has been the subject of public consultation. The waste is currently stored in the open air in an uncontrolled landfill.
It is planned to experiment with source separation in a pilot district of Chefchaouen. The location of Chaouen in a rural area with very high fertilizer use makes stabilizing and composting organic waste very relevant, which represents 70% of the 8,760 tons of waste produced annually in Chefchaouen.
Water and Sanitation
90% of the population has access to drinking water services, and 70% are covered by wastewater collection.
Mobility
The length of the road network is 41 km, with 80% requiring reallocation with the extension of docks and 20% paved. The road network in the peripheral neighborhoods is 9.5 km, with only 20% completed. Many road improvements are planned or underway to alleviate traffic congestion in the city center, open the city to new urbanization areas to the west (El Ouelja zone), and make the industrial zone of El Ouelja easily accessible. The main development is the construction of a bypass and 5 feeder roads, including 1 on a bridge.
It would be appropriate to take advantage of these road development projects to establish a transport scheme taking into account the current and future needs of residents (especially in peripheral neighborhoods) and tourists and Chefchaouen’s ambition to develop a favorable environmental framework. This could involve experimenting with cycling and pedestrian facilities, even specific animal-drawn vehicles.
Air Quality
There is no system for measuring and monitoring air quality in Chefchaouen.
Air quality is assumed to be good due to the city’s altitude and the almost absence of industries in the region. However, the concentration of diesel vehicles on certain strategic routes likely makes the air highly polluted.
Construction Methods
The traditional construction method of the medina is wood and earth/rammed earth with a V-shaped roof covered with tiles.
However, most houses have been subsequently raised using modern construction methods, and tile roofs have been replaced by rooftop terraces. While well-maintained from the outside by residents, the medina’s homes are not always so on the inside. An assessment indicates that 250 housing units may need rehabilitation.
Outside the medina, constructions are of very poor quality and without any inertia with a double skin of bricks. Considering the cold conditions in winter and heat in summer, it would be appropriate to promote a durable Mediterranean construction type, relying in particular on the thermal regulation of construction in Morocco that has just been promulgated.
Supply and Energy Production
There is no electricity production in the territory of Chefchaouen, as Moroccan law does not allow the injection of electricity from renewable sources into the low-voltage grid. A law allowing this is currently being developed. Chefchaouen has potential for solar electricity production, especially on rooftops, and mainly hydraulic.
Climate-Energy Approach
Chefchaouen aims to be an eco-city. That is why it has partnered with GERES, AMEV, and IDE-E in a project aimed at establishing a culture and good practices in sustainable energy in the territory of Chefchaouen. Over a period of 3 years, it is planned to directly or indirectly reach a significant part of the population by relying on the dense and active social fabric of the city, a historical culture of consultation, and a political will to improve the quality of life of residents and tourism.
In a logic of exemplarity, the municipality is the first actor targeted by the project. Activities will be carried out so that the municipality knows and masters the carbon energy consumption related to its heritage (public lighting, heating and lighting of buildings, mobility of staff), thanks to the implementation of analysis and monitoring tools such as a municipal energy management dashboard or the realization of a study on the movements of civil servants. Reducing its energy consumption involves modernizing the public lighting network, implementing an administration mobility plan, acquiring electric vehicles, building energy-efficient municipal buildings, and optimizing their operation.
To achieve this, it is planned to strengthen local skills in sustainable energy management through training of actors: an energy team within the urban municipality and to strengthen local governance through awareness-raising of elected officials and executives of the municipality, relying on citizen consultation mechanisms. A Participatory Energy and Environment Council, composed of around fifty stakeholders from the city, will be set up with the aim of contributing to the production of local public policies, facilitating the exchange and achievement of co-produced objectives. To promote the reduction of energy consumption by residents, individuals, and businesses, an “Energy Info Point” will be set up providing free and neutral information on energy consumption reduction practices and the use of renewable energies. Training is also planned for certain categories of professionals (taxi drivers, electricians, etc.) to acquire good professional practices and to better understand the role they can play in sustainable energy, especially within the CPEE.
Bibliography
Architectural study and safeguard plan of the Medina of Chefchaouen – development plan. Urban development plan of the city of Chefchaouen, 2014. Study for the evaluation and heritage protection of the municipality of Chefchaouen and the registration of the architecture of Chefchaouen on the indicative list of world heritage of the government of Morocco.