Rabat – Local development company Casablanca Patrimoine recently announced a program to renovate the historic city center of the Moroccan metropolis.
The program falls within the 2014 convention to protect and promote the heritage of Casablanca. Local authorities and private operators signed the convention during a ceremony chaired by King Mohammed VI.
The new program includes four main projects. It first establishes several tourist circuits that highlight the main monuments and points of interests in the city center of Casablanca. The circuits will promote both material and intangible heritage of Casablanca.
“The choice of circuits was made in consultation with an ad hoc committee of national and international experts,” explained Casablanca Patrimoine in a press release.
The project is also part of international cooperation between Casablanca and the French city of Bordeaux. The two cities signed a twinning agreement in 1988.
The program also includes the installation of lights to permanently highlight 28 different buildings in the city center of Casablanca. The buildings include the town hall, the Music Conservatory, the Bank al-Maghrib headquarters, and the United Nations Square.
The third project of the program is the renovation of several building facades. Renovations will first target the buildings included in the future tourist circuit, as well as four alleyways: Botbol, Glaoui, Sumica, and Tazi.
Future renovations will benefit the Casablanca Cathedral, known as the Church of the Sacred Heart, as well as the Sports Museum and other cultural and artistic establishments in the city center.
The final project is the digitization of Casablanca’s intangible cultural heritage through the production of promotional videos and documentaries.
According to Casablanca Patrimoine, the program seeks to turn Casablanca into a tourist destination and not just a business hub.
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The program brings together several partners, including the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Housing, the Ministry of Tourism, the Casablanca-Settat Regional Council, and the Casablanca Municipality.
Several NGOs representing artists, merchants, and architects are also contributing to the projects.
