RIVER REMEDITION AN

URBAN DEVELOPMENT

 FES OR FEZ IS THE SECOND LARGEST CITY OF MOROCCO, WITH A POPULATION OF 1.1
MILLION (2014).
THE NAME IS PROBABLY TAKEN FROM THE WORD FAZAZ, THE OLD BERBER NAME FOR
THE MIDDLE ATLASMOUNTAINS NEAR THE CITY.
THE NAME IS ALSO ATTESTED AS THAT OF A BERBER TRIBE LIVING SOUTH OF FES.
TODAY, AIT FAZAZ IS THE NAME OF A SMALL TOWN JUST WEST OFMEKNES
FES WAS THE CAPITAL OF MOROCCO UNTIL 1925, AND IS NOW THE CAPITAL OF THE
FS-BOULEMANE ADMINISTRATIVE REGION.
ITS HISTORIC CENTER, THE MEDINA, IS A UNIQUE URBAN STRUCTURE THAT FEATURES
PASSIVE ARCHITECTURE, UNIQUE URBAN LANDSCAPES, AND ONE OF THE BIGGEST
PEDESTRIAN NETWORKS IN THE WORLD.
THE MODERN TURKISH NAME FOR MOROCCO, FAS, ORIGINALLY REFERRED ONLY TO
THE CAPITAL CITY.
THE CITY HAS TWO OLD MEDINAS:
1. THE LARGER OF WHICH IS FES EL BALI. IT IS LISTED AS A UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE
SITE AND IS BELIEVED TO BE ONE OF THE WORLD'S LARGEST CAR-FREE URBAN
AREAS.
2. AL-QARAWIYYIN, FOUNDED IN AD 859, IS THE OLDEST CONTINUOUSLY FUNCTIONING
MADRASA IN THE WORLD. THE CITY HAS BEEN CALLED THE "MECCA OF THE WEST"
AND THE"ATHENS OF AFRICA
. BUT THE MEDINA, LISTED AS A WORLD HERITAGE SITE BY THE
UNESCO IN 1981, IS FACING SEVERAL CHALLENGES AND
THREATS.
. ONE OF THE MAIN THREATS TO THE MEDINAS ENVIRONMENT
IS THE POLLUTION AND THE DREADFUL WATER QUALITY OF
OUED FES, THE CITYS HISTORIC RIVER. OVERCROWDING,
UNCONTROLLED URBAN DEVELOPMENT AND ACCELERATED
DEVELOPMENT OF POLLUTING CRAFT ACTIVITIES, SUCH AS
COPPER AND LEATHER, HAD TURNED THE CLEAR WATER
STREAM INTO AN OPEN SEWER.

POLLUTED RIVER, OUED FEZ

IN JANUARY 2009, THE PROJECT OUED AL JAWAHIR DEVELOPMENT WAS LAUNCHED TO

UNCOVER THE FEZ RIVER AND REINTEGRATE IT IN THE MEDINA URBAN FABRIC. BUT THIS
PROJECT COULDNT HAVE BEEN ISOLATED. THE REHABILITATION OF OUED AL JAWAHIR CAME AS
PART OF ONGOING HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND REVITALIZATION EFFORTS.
THE PROJECT IS ONE OF THREE INDEPENDENT BUT INTERRELATED PROJECTS WHICH ADDRESS
PUBLIC AND OPEN SPACES IN THE HISTORIC CENTER.
WITH A BUDGET OF $3.38 MILLION, THE PLAN INCLUDES FIVE SEQUENCES STRETCHED ALONG
ONE KILOMETER THROUGH THE MEDINA.
THE FIRST AND LAST SEQUENCES ARE THE SITES OF TWO PLAZAS REDEVELOPMENTS: PLACE
RCIF, ALREADY AT ITS FINAL STAGES, AND PLACE LALA YEDDOUNA, THAT WAS THE OBJECT OF
AN INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION AND HAS YET TO BEGIN. THESE PLAZAS WILL RESPOND TO A
REAL NEED FOR OPEN SPACES IN THE MEDINA.

RCIF PLAZA

AT THE CORE OF THE RIVER REDEVELOPMENT VISION ARE GREAT

ENVIRONMENTAL
CONCERNS.
THE CITYS DEPARTMENT OF WATER AND POWER INVESTED IN TWO SEWAGE
WATER
TREATMENT FACILITIES ALONG WITH THE PROJECT THAT WILL CONTRIBUTE
TO THE
ACHIEVEMENT OF BETTER WATER QUALITY IN THEFEZ RIVER. THE PROJECTS
MAIN
POLLUTED RIVER, OUED FEZ
OBJECTIVE IS TO REDUCE WATER POLLUTION AND TO SET THE RIVER BANKS

MANY CHALLENGES STILL NEED TO BE OVERCOME. THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SUSTAINABLE

APPROACHES AS PART OF THE POLLUTION REMOVAL PROCESS, AS WELL AS THE ENFORCEMENT
OF RESTRICTIVE LAWS AGAINST ILLEGAL DUMPING, ARE REAL CONCERNS.

THE PLAN TO DISPLACE THE TANNERY AND COPPER WORKSHOPS IS ALSO

FACING RESISTANCE FROM THE ARTISANS WHO WONT LEAVE THEIR
HISTORIC WORKPLACES EASILY.
THE MEDINA OF FEZ WAS FOUNDED AS TWO SEPARATE
NUCLEI ON THE BANKS OF A RIVER.

IN TIME, THE TWO SIDES GREW AND FUSED INTO ONE. FOR THE
MAJORITY OF ITS HISTORY, THE FEZ RIVER REMAINED THE CITY SPINE AND
AN INTEGRAL URBAN ELEMENT.
OVER THE COURSE OF CENTURIES, HOWEVER, DEPENDENCE ON THE RIVER
TO SUPPORT A GROWING POPULATION AND A FL OURISHING LEATHER
TANNING INDUSTRY SEVERELY IMPACTED WATER QUALITY.

BY THE 1950S THE RIVER HAD DEGENERATED INTO THE SEWAGE CHANNEL
NAMED RIVER OF TRASH AND HALF OF ITS COURSE THROUGH THE
MEDINA WAS PAVED OVER TO ALLOW VEHICULAR ACCESS. THE ERASURE OF THE RIVER
WAS EXTENDED IN 2004
AND COMPLETED IN 2007
THE CITYS DEPARTMENT OF WATER AND POWER IS CURRENTLY IMPLEMENTING A NEW
SYSTEM THAT WILL CHANNEL SEWAGE TOWARDS TWO TREATMENT PLANTS. SOON, THE
RIVER OF TRASH WILL CEASE TO RECEIVE WATER DISCHARGED AFTER ONLY PRIMARY
SEWAGE TREATMENT AND REGAIN ITS POTENTIAL AS A PUBLIC AMENITY.

IF REHABILITATED, ITS IMPACT WILL BE INORDINATELY SALIENT TO THE UNIQUE URBAN

CONTEXT OF FEZ. INDEED, THE INTRA-MURAL POPULATION OF THE MEDINA NOT ONLY LACKS
PUBLIC OPEN SPACES, BUT IS ALSO EXPERIENCES A RAPID DETERIORATION OF ITS
ENVIRONMENT DUE TO OVER-DENSIFICATION AND AGING PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE

IN SUPPORT OF ITS CURRENT INITIATIVE, THE DEPARTMENT OF WATER AND POWER

COMMISSIONED US TO PROPOSE A REHABILITATION PLAN FOR THE RIVER AS WELL AS
INTERVENTIONS ALONG ITS BANKS.
PROPOSAL IS A STRATEGIC PLAN THAT ADDRESSES THE ECOLOGY OF THE RIVER AND THE
SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CONCERNS OF THE CITY. IT WORKS AT TWO SCALES: CITY AND SITE.
BASED ON AN IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS OF THE URBAN AND ECOLOGICAL CONTEXT OF FEZ, THE
PROJECT AT THE CITY SCALE IS A MASTER PLAN WITH RECOMMENDED MEASURES FOR
IMPROVING REGIONAL WATER QUALITY.
AT SITE SCALE, THE PROJECT IS A SET OF THREE CRITICAL INTERVENTIONS STRATEGICALLY
PHASED TO ENHANCE WATER QUALITY, REMEDIATE CONTAMINATED SITES, CREATE OPEN
SPACES, AND TO BUILD ON EXISTING RESOURCES FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

ECOLOGICAL QUALITY AND ENERGY

CONSERVATION
THE PROJECT EMBRACES A NUMBER OF
MEASURES TO IMPROVE WATER QUALITY
AND CONSEQUENTLY ENHANCES
WILDLIFE HABITATS. INTRODUCTION OF
CONSTRUCTED WETLANDS MANAGES
EXCESS
FLOODWATER, CLEANSES STORM WATER,
AND PROMOTES GROUNDWATER
RECHARGE AND HABITAT CREATION. OUR
THIRD SITE INTERVENTION CONVERTS
SOON TO BE VACATED TANNERIES,
WHICH ARE HEAVILY CONTAMINATED
WITH CHROMIUM, INTO A PUBLIC
BOTANICAL GARDEN THANKS TO A
PRECISE PHASING SYSTEM USING INDIAN
MUSTARD REMEDIATION. THE PROJECT
CONSTRUCTION WILL BE PERFORMED BY
LOCAL LABOR USING TRADITIONAL
BUILDING TECHNIQUES: ON-SITE BAKED
CLAY BRICKS AND WHITE PLASTER WHICH
ARE ENERGY EFFI CIENT
AND BLEND WITH THE SURROUNDING

ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE AND

COMPATIBILITY
THANKS TO COLLABORATION WITH
FOREIGN AND LOCAL ECONOMISTS ,
PROJECT PROPOSES NEW STRATEGIES
FOR THE LOCAL LEATHER INDUSTRY TO
ALIGN WITH INTERNATIONAL
STANDARDS. AS POLLUTING
TANNERS ARE MOVED TO A NEW
INDUSTRIAL AREA THEIR TANNERIES
ARE CONVERTED TO DESIGN COOPERATIVES FOR HIGH-VALUE
ARTISANAL GOODS. THE NEW DESIGNS
REPLACE THE CURRENT MASS
PRODUCED ITEMS BRINGING WEALTH
TO LOCALS.
CONTEXTUAL AND AESTHETIC
IMPACT
THE PROJECT WILL REHABILITATE A
HISTORICAL RIVER WITH
HEAVILYCOMPROMISED INTEGRITY BY A
SUCCESSION OF COVERINGS AND
SEWAGE DUMPING. THE PROJECT WILL
UNCOVER THE NORTHERN PART OF THE
RIVER, WHICH IS NOW AN UNUSED

QUANTUM CHANGE AND

TRANSFERABILITY
BY APPROACHING ISSUES FROM A MULTIPERFORMATIVE PERSPECTIVE,
OUR PROJECT EMBODIES A POWERFUL
METHODOLOGY RELEVANT
TO DEVELOPING COUNTRIES WHERE
RESOURCES ARE SCARCE AND THE
DEMANDS FOR BASIC NEEDS ARE
IMMEDIATE. THE PROJECTS APPROACH
IS ESPECIALLY APPROPRIATE TO
COUNTRIES IN THE MAGHREB
AND MIDDLE EAST WHERE MEDINA
QUARTERS ARE A COMMON URBAN
TYPOLOGY CURRENTLY FACING AN ACUTE
CRISIS.
THE LACK OF OPEN PUBLIC SPACES AND
THE DEARTH OF INFRASTRUCTURE
ADAPTED TO CONTEMPORARY NEEDS
AFFECT THE RESIDENTS
QUALITY OF LIFE AND OPEN THE MEDINA
TO SPECULATION, DETERIORATION,
OR MUSEIFI CATION. OUR PROJECT
DEMONSTRATES THAT CAREFUL
INTERVENTIONS COULD HELP THE MEDINA
EVOLVE TO MEET ITS
DWELLERS NEEDS WHILE PRESERVING ITS
URBAN INTEGRITY.

UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE IS

BEING REMEDIATED FOLLOWING THE
CITYS DIVERSION OF UNTREATED
SEWAGE AND INDUSTRIAL RUNOFF
FROM THE RIVER FOR TREATMENT.
THE PROJECT CONVERTS
RIVERBANKS INTO PEDESTRIAN
PATHWAYS, CONNECTS THESE
PATHWAYS BACK TO THE CITY FABRIC,
AND FINALLY CONVERTS THE URBAN
VOIDS ALONG THE RIVERBANKS INTO
PUBLIC SPACES THAT ARE LACKING IN
THE MEDINA OF FEZ. TWO OF THE
MAIN AREAS OF REMEDIATION HAVE
BEEN THE RCIF PLAZA, AND AN
URBAN VOID ALONG THE RIVER
BANKS. RCIF PLAZA SITS ON TOP OF
THE RIVER HAS BEEN REMEDIATED
INTO AN ENTIRELY PEDESTRIAN
ZONE, COVERED WITH RECYCLED
LEATHER CANOPIES, AND
CONNECTED IT TO THE BANKS OF
THE RIVER. THE SECOND SITE OF
INTERVENTION IS ALSO AN URBAN
VOID ALONG THE RIVER BANKS THAT
WAS FORMERLY AN ILLEGAL PARKING
SPACE THAT IS TO BE TRANSFORMED
INTO THE FIRST PLAYGROUND IN THE
MEDINA. THE PLAYGROUND IS
CONSTRUCTED USING RECYCLED
TIRES AND ALSO IS COUPLED WITH A

THE PRE-EMINENT FEATURE OF THIS

PROJECT CONSISTS OF THE
COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH
TO ENVIRONMENTAL REVITALIZATION
AND URBAN RENEWAL. THE FEZ RIVER,
A HISTORIC
LIFELINE TRAVERSING THE MEDINA OF
FEZ, IS NOW FACED WITH A DIMINISHED
ROLE DUE TO
SERIOUS POLLUTION AND RISKS
DRYING UP. THE FUTURE WATERDIVERSION TO A NEW
SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT ALLOWS THE
MOSTLY COVERED RIVER TO BE LAID
OPEN AGAIN
AND THUS REGAIN ITS POTENTIAL AS A
PUBLIC AMENITY.
THE PROJECT PROPOSES INTERVENTIONS
AT CITY-SCALE MASTER PLAN AND SITESCALE
PROJECTS FOR CLEANING THE DEGRADED
WATER AS WELL AS THE REMEDIATION OF
HEAVILY
POLLUTED SITES SUCH AS THE TANNERY
AT CHOUARRA.
THE JURY COMMENDED THIS PROJECT
BECAUSE OF THE COUPLING OF A
COMPREHENSIVE
SOCIO-CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC
PROGRAM TO AN ENVIRONMENTAL

ETHICAL STANDARDS AND SOCIAL EQUITY

OUR PROJECT AIMS TO ENHANCE THE SOCIAL, ECONOMIC, AND PHYSICAL
WELL-BEING OF LOCALS THROUGH THE PROVISION OF NEW PUBLIC
SPACES, STRATEGIES FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND HEALTH
AND SAFETY ADVANCES BY THE TREATMENT OF CONTAMINATED WATER
AND SOIL. WHILE CONTAMINATED SITES IN LESS AFFL UENT AREAS
ARE DISREGARDED, OUR PROJECT ADDRESSES POLLUTED SITES IN THE
POOREST AREAS OF THE CITY.

SOURCES:http://sustainablecitiescollective.com/global-site-plansgrid/171636/revitalization-fez-river-reclaimed-public-space

https://www.google.co.in/search?biw=1164&bih=840&q=history+fe
z&revid=746882186&sa=X&ei=Da49VamJM5O2uASCxoHoDQ&ved=0CHEQ1
oBQ
http://www.holcimfoundation.org/Projects/river-remediation-and-urbandevelopment-scheme-fez-morocco