Determinants of a smart city in Morocco

Abstract

Since the beginning of the 21st century, more than half of the world's population lives in urban areas. The 2014 revision of the World Urbanization Prospects notes that the largest urban growth will take place in India, China and Nigeria. In Morocco, population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million was 22.65 in 2015, compared to 13.98 in 1960.This situation has considerable consequences for the social, economic and ecological equilibrium of the territories. For that, public and private strategy must respond to the emerging needs of large numbers of citizens coming into cities to realize a real model of a future city which need to be a Smart City. This new concept means 'briefly' a city must (1) use the New Technologies of Information and Communication (NICT) to improve a quality of its citizens' life, (2) integrate all its stakeholders (businesses and government) and citizens in decision-making and (3) dispose of as little waste as possible in order to have a neutral ecological footprint. This communication shows that a smart city is the city well managed, with significant opportunities for economic development and access to basic services, including health care and education, for all people.We concluded that smart city is a democratic and ecological city based on a circular economy, highlighting two factors human development and democracy development which may contribute to the instituting a smart city in Morocco.