Doctoral Dissertation Research: The Urban Politics of the Bouregreg Project in the Madinas of Rabat and Sale in Morocco

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Contemporary discussions of neoliberal urbanism have tended to concentrate on the developed countries of the western world. Significant neoliberal urban renewal now is under way in historic cities of the Middle East, however. The events of September 11, 2001, effectively have caused an influx of Gulf petrodollars into the Arab world and a consequent increase in investment in Arab countries, which helps account for the creation of these renewal projects. The Bouregreg Project (Le Project d'Amenagement de la Vallee du Bouregreg), a large-scale urban regeneration project in Rabat, the capital city of the Kingdom of Morocco, which was launched in 2006 by King Mohammed VI, exemplifies major characteristics of a number of neoliberal urban renewal enterprises in the region. This project has had "top-down" leadership by the powerful monarchial state with a vision of an "integrated" and "modern but historical" capital. The project therefore is underwritten not only by neoliberal investment capital's interests but also the region's authoritarian state-led urban development practices. One of its key aims is to advance the integration (Les Agglomerations) of the two neighboring but quite different cities of Rabat and Sale, whose historical development trajectories have diverged significantly since the French colonial authorities chose Rabat as the capital for the protectorate. In its investigation of the full implications of the project for the two cities, this doctoral dissertation research project will concentrate on two major questions: (1) What information and insights does this project provide regarding the politics behind the urban developmental impulse of Morocco's monarchy? (2) What is the dynamic historical trajectory of the two cities of Rabat and Sale in this evolving "metroplex"? The doctoral candidate will rely heavily on qualitative research methods, including preliminary documentary research using articles from the Moroccan and French press and academia, and interviews. Semi-structured interviews will be conducted with key informants at l'Agence Bouregreg (AAVB), governmental officials in municipalities, Moroccan urban professionals from local associations, politicians from major political parties, and academics and journalists. In-depth interviews will be conducted with medina inhabitants, particularly from the more traditional and conservative Sale medina.The results of this study will improve basic understanding regarding how the many royal-initiated urban renewal projects in Morocco contribute to the survival and increasing power of the Moroccan monarchy in an era of neoliberal capitalism as well as how urban "modernization" projects engage with traditional built environments and traditional societies represented here by the medina communities. Although focusing on Morocco, the project addresses topics associated with a number of contemporary large urban projects in the Middle East. It will contribute to scholarship on neoliberal urbanism in Arab cities of the Maghreb and scholarship on Arab authoritarianism in modern Middle Eastern politics. As a Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement award, this award also will provide support to enable a promising student to establish a strong independent research career.