From Planning to Strategic Territorial Management

Abstract

Territorial action in Morocco has been characterized since the colonial period by conflicts between spatial, institutional, and territorial logics. During the colonial period, there was a predominant intention to control the national territory and modernize the country. Shortly after gaining independence, Morocco gradually engaged in a top-down territorial planning policy, with the main objective of improving the living conditions of its citizens. Today, things have changed; the centralizing development approach has become obsolete in the face of two key dimensions: territorial diversity and the presence of various territorial actors, including humans. This is where strategic territorial management comes into play. Therefore, the aim of this article is to study the transition from territorial planning to strategic territorial management in the municipality of Settat through participative governance. A qualitative method was adopted for this purpose. Documentary analysis and questionnaires were essential tools for data collection. The results indicate that strategic territorial management at the municipal level faces several challenges, primarily related to the inefficiency of development policies. This inefficiency is mainly attributed to a lack of citizen participation in the territorial decision-making process.