Morocco’s drive to present a modernized image to the world is transforming the heart of its largest cities, with thousands of homes being demolished in Casablanca and hundreds more cleared in Rabat as authorities push ahead with ambitious redevelopment plans. The projects are reshaping historic urban districts that have housed generations of residents, replacing them with new infrastructure, commercial developments, and high-end residential projects.
According to reporting by El País, more than 16,000 homes are slated for demolition in Casablanca as authorities revive the long-delayed Royal Avenue project. Excavators have already moved into neighborhoods surrounding the city’s old medina, clearing land for a 1.5-kilometer boulevard that will connect the iconic Hassan II Mosque with Casablanca’s modern city center. The project, first envisioned decades ago, has become one of the largest urban transformation efforts currently underway in Morocco.
The redevelopment extends across an area of 320 hectares and will require the removal of approximately 16,000 homes and 2,500 commercial premises. Thousands of residents are expected to be relocated as authorities redesign the district. Future plans for the area include landscaped public spaces, upscale residential buildings, a congress center, a national theater headquarters, a new central bus station, and improved links to the railway network.
The project reflects a broader wave of modernization that has swept across Morocco in recent years. Significant investments have been directed toward high-speed rail lines, highways, airports, and major sporting infrastructure. The country is also preparing to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal, an event that has accelerated efforts to upgrade urban environments and showcase modern infrastructure on the global stage.
While Casablanca’s redevelopment follows a long-established planning framework, events in Rabat have unfolded under different circumstances. In the working-class neighborhood of L’Océan, located beside the capital’s historic medina and Atlantic coastline, large sections of the district have already been demolished. The destruction has left extensive stretches of urban ruin along a key waterfront area between the UNESCO-listed Kasbah of the Udayas and a luxury Four Seasons hotel.
Plans reported in the Moroccan media envision transforming much of the seafront into residential, commercial, and tourism-focused developments. However, questions have emerged over the planning process. Demolition work reportedly began more than a year before the publication of the first official decree authorizing property expropriations in March. Critics and opposition figures have raised concerns about transparency, compensation levels, and the lack of clearly defined relocation arrangements for many affected residents.
Authorities have offered relocation proposals for some vulnerable households, but uncertainty remains for many families facing displacement. The debate has become increasingly prominent as bulldozers continue to alter neighborhoods that have formed part of the social and economic fabric of the capital for decades.
The urgency surrounding Morocco’s preparations for the 2030 World Cup has added momentum to redevelopment efforts nationwide. Officials aim to present a country equipped with modern infrastructure and upgraded public spaces during one of the world’s most-watched sporting events. As a result, projects that had remained stalled for years have gained renewed political and financial backing.
At the same time, the redevelopment campaign is unfolding amid wider concerns about housing conditions in parts of the country. In May, 15 people died when a residential building collapsed in a district of Fez. The incident followed another deadly collapse in the same city five months earlier that killed 22 residents when a building in a working-class neighborhood gave way while occupants slept. The tragedies highlighted the challenges posed by aging and deteriorating housing stock in several Moroccan cities.
