This book examines decentralization, deconcentration and regionalization reforms in Morocco, with a particular focus on the Marrakech-Safi region. Drawing on historical, multivariate and field survey analyses, the author highlights the persistent challenges of territorial governance, despite efforts undertaken since independence to modernize the administration.

Through rigorous analysis, she shows that the reforms undertaken have not yet made it possible to achieve the development objectives set, partly because of the structural imbalances inherited from the colonial period. Although the laws adopted aim to strengthen the autonomy of local authorities, the fragmentation of competences between political and administrative actors hinders their effective implementation.

The author also highlights the existence of “zones hidden from development”: marginalized and often landlocked territories, suffering from a lack of opportunities and exacerbating spatial disparities in relation to more prosperous urban areas. By classifying territories into developed, developing and underdeveloped areas, it underlines the urgent need for variable-geometry territorial governance, adapted to local contexts and realities.

https://www.editions-harmattan.fr/catalogue/livre/reconstruction-et-gouvernance-des-territoires-au-maroc/78855

Introduction to the author
Salima Salhi, former assistant-pilot in the workshop “Le Grand Ouarzazate, une ville oasienne du XXIe siècle” (Greater Ouarzazate, an oasis town of the 21st century) in 2018.
PhD in geography and lecturer in geography and regional planning at Le Mans Université, within the ESO (Espaces et Sociétés) laboratory.
Her research focuses on the hidden zones of territorial development, territorial governance, the place of plants in colonial towns in the Maghreb, territorial dynamics linked to transport and services, and citizen energy initiatives in western France.