Dwelling in Morocco serves as a revealing lens through which to observe the country’s political, social, and economic dynamics over the past century. Residential policies have left a lasting mark on architectural forms, urban landscapes and infrastructures, reflecting shifting priorities—from social control and demographic response to visions of national modernization.
Today, housing remains central to Morocco’s ongoing transformations, as the country positions itself within international agendas—be they cultural, sporting, or geopolitical—that are reshaping urban priorities through large-scale flagship projects. These initiatives aim to present new showcases of a postmodern Morocco striving to affirm its role as a bridge between Europe and sub-Saharan Africa.
At a time of multiple climate urgencies, dwelling challenges need to be addressed in the context of multiple challenges including migration, digitization or the provision of water and energy. Considering this, in this programme, dwelling should be framed as a multi-scalar phenomenon, that transcends fixed disciplinary boundaries. It considers aspects that include, but are not limited to, spatial design (e.g. architecture, urbanism, landscape), anthropology (e.g. social ethnograpgy), policy (e.g. housing and development stuydies) and environmental sciences (e.g. biodiversity and sustainability).
This layered approach to dwelling bridges the macro and the micro: from public policy to domestic intimacy, from planning instruments to informal practices, from material choices to neighborhood configurations. Thus, researching current and projecting new dwelling environments in contemporary Morocco opens up a rich field of critical inquiry, grounded in territorial realities and societal shifts, to better understand the tensions and aspirations shaping lived space.
To address the thesis lab challenge, students examined the issue from a range of disciplinary perspectives, focusing on three key themes:
- Sustainable Housing Design
- Shaping Sustainable Urban Regions and Park Systems
- Living with Water
Keep an eye out on this website, as we will share the outcomes made by students here!
Main Challenge
How can housing, landscapes, and water systems be reimagined to support sustainable dwelling in Morocco?
Organisation
This Thesis Lab is a collaboration between NIMAR and LDE Global.
The Netherlands Institute in Morocco (NIMAR) is an institute of the Faculty of Humanities of Leiden University, with a nationwide remit, located in Rabat, Morocco.
The Leiden-Delft-Erasmus alliance is in the perfect position to contribute in an interdisciplinary way to the urgent global challenges we nowadays face. Not only locally, but worldwide. LDE Global closely collaborates with partners in Africa, South- and Southeast-Asia and Latin-America on topics such as Health, Water, Energy, Housing, Climate, Migration, Heritage and more.
