The Bouregreg Marina will soon boast all new esplanades and docks.

A new urban development is rising along the banks of the Bouregreg river. At the heart of Morocco’s largest metropolis, the Agence pour l’aménagement de la Vallée du Bouregreg (AAVB) is transforming the Bouregreg Valley between the capital of Rabat and the city of Salé. Development of the 6,000-hectare site will modernize infrastructure, preserve the valley’s rich heritage, and promote tourism in the kingdom.
In October 2001, King Mohammed VI brought together an interdisciplinary team to lay out the future of urban planning and development for the Bouregreg Valley. Since the team delivered its report in 2004, it has been full speed ahead for a series of projects that will support new development along the city’s waterways. Already, outdated docks have been replaced by 1.5 kilometres of gleaming new esplanades along the Bouregreg waterfront, including secure docking areas for large boats and space for new restaurants and shops. A $28 million marina was built in record time, using construction techniques that are new to Morocco and providing space for up to 350 pleasure boats to dock at what will be the epicenter of a lively new urban district.

The first phase, known as “Bab Al Bahr” (The Sea’s Gate), represents alone $750 million in investment and 5.3 million square feet of floor space, developed with financial support from within the kingdom as well as abroad. A $3 billion second phase will introduce additional residential, office, luxury hotel and retail development, including a new conference center and leisure facilities.

Making Rabat and Salé into a tourist destination starts with delivering concrete benefits to the local population. “Salé’s rapid demographic growth created a social and economic imbalance. In the past we didn’t have the time to match population growth with wealth creation, job-generating activities, or local services like hospitals, roads and transportation,” says AAVB General Manager Lemghari Essakl. To remedy this, the first phase, a 20-kilometre tramway system, is under construction and will link Salé with Rabat via a new span over the river, the Moulay El Hassan Bridge. The adjacent marina will form the core of a hotel and residential area, integrated with a Cité des Arts et Métiers that will showcase Rabat’s skilled artisans. Careful planning and high architectural standards recognize the valley’s historic and cultural importance to Morocco, using the country’s natural beauty and living traditions to build its economic future.

Lemghari Essakl General Manager Agency for Bouregreg Valley Development

Restoring the environment was a key concern for the king and the project managers from the outset. “The agency’s mission is to clean up the environment and to develop quality infrastructure,” explains Mr. Essakl. “We first started with a plan to protect the environment by mandating the closure and rehabilitation of public landfills.” One of the king’s philanthropic foundations, the Mohammed VI Foundation for the Protection of the Environment and the Rabat Urban Community, is collaborating with the AAVB to restore and stabilize Rabat Beach as part of an ambitious “Clean Beaches” program and earn a “Blue Pavilion” rating.

Such a massive effort demands a new approach to development and management, and the AAVB will bring local capital together with that of foreign investors, particularly from Europe and the Gulf. This vote of confidence in Morocco’s future requires that the Bouregreg Valley development employ world-class expertise and apply innovative management strategies. To meet the challenge, the Moroccan government is “responding with a new vision favoring public-private partnerships,” Mr. Essakl says. “Right now, the planning office is teeming with engineers, from all fields, working in a complex area.”