City Of Casablanca Research Articles

Exploring the place of social impacts in urban transport planning: the case of Casablanca City

ABSTRACT In context of rising acknowledgement of the necessity of implementing sustainable mobility principles, urban transport is becoming a critical concern for Megacities of developing countries. As finding an equilibrium between social, environmental and economic impacts of transport investment is crucial but not necessarily straightforward, this paper focuses on how the social impacts are conceptualized and integrated in the Metropolitan Transportation Plan of Casablanca through its different elaboration stages by conducting context and content analysis. We observe that social impacts are neither meaningfully formulated into specific and clear objectives nor comprehensively included in the assessment process and they have not been object of an appropriate performance measures and indicators. We end the paper by suggesting the formulation of an appraisal framework for transport projects and policies where social impacts should be operationalized based on Social Impact Assessment framework guidelines.

Evaluation of the Physicochemical and Bacteriological Study of the Three Sites in Ain Sebaa-Zenata Region after the Installation of the Anti-pollution Station of the East Coast of Grand Casablanca

The Moroccan coastline has been subjected exceptionally to the growth of urban agglomerations as well as to the negative effect of various industrial activities, together with the contributions of watersheds, wadis and streams that dump their sewage and the waste generated by cities and their periphery.
 Aim: First of all, we carry out an evaluation of the Physicochemical, bacteriological state of the bathing water sample of the beaches of Ain Sebaâ-Zenata through the search of the bacteriological and chemical contaminants in three sites by reinforcing them to the national norms and standards which govern the quality of the bathing water, on the other hand, we compare these results with those found before the inauguration of the anti-pollution station East of Greater Casablanca.
 Study Design: Study of the seawater quality of three swimming beaches.
 Place and Duration of Study: Seawater was collected on 15/04/2017 from 3 sites in the Ain Sebaa- Zenata (Douar Abdellah Belhaj Beach, El Nahla Beach, Zenata Beach) region of the city of Casablanca after the installation of the anti-pollution station.
 Methodology: Our job articulates on two axes: On the one hand, the study and the analysis of the physicochemical, bacteriological quality of the seawater after the installation of EST Casablanca anti-pollution station at the level of three sites (Douar Abdellah Belhaj Beach, El Nahla Beach, Zenata Beach). On the other hand, the comparison of these results with others already carried out before the development of this station via the same characteristics: Physico-chemical, bacteriological.
 Results: In the light of the acquired results, a correlation was pointed out between the Physicochemical and bacteriological examination in comparison with the standards in the three studied sites, which were previously recognized as heavily contaminated bathing areas before the installation of the station. It supports the conclusion that this anti-pollution system has a beneficial and advantageous effect and confirms its cleansing role.
 Conclusion: The current physico-chemical and bacteriological results of seawater in the Ain Sebaaa - Zenata region after the installation of the anti-pollution station show a significant improvement in the quality of this bathing area as well as the beneficial effect of this plant, which performs a very considerable purification function.

USING THE SLEUTH URBAN GROWTH MODEL COUPLED WITH A GIS TO SIMULATE AND PREDICT THE FUTURE URBAN EXPANSION OF CASABLANCA REGION, MOROCCO

Abstract. The rapid and sometimes uncontrolled acceleration of urban growth, particularly in developing countries, places increasing pressure on environment and urban population well-being, making it a primary concern for managers. In Casablanca city, Morocco’s economic capital, the rapid urbanization was a result of population explosion, rural exodus and the emergence of new urban centers. Therefore, a system for urban growth simulation and prediction to anticipate infrastructural needs became indispensable to optimize urban planning. The main aim of this work is to study the urban extension of the Grand Casablanca region from 1984 to 2022 and to predict urban growth in 2040 using the SLEUTH cellular automaton model. The methodology consists of calibrating the model using data extracted from a time series of satellite images with a resolution of 30 m acquired between 1984 and 2018, as well as vector data relating to the urban projects planned on the horizon of 2022. The supervised classification and digitization of these images, together with a DEM of the study area, provided the input data required by the model, including Slope, Land use, Exclusion, Transportation and Hillshade. This data was introduced into the model using ArcSLEUTH, a custom extension of ArcGIS to compile the SLEUTH model. The result is synthetic maps of urban growth in the study area up to 2040, as well as the expected percentage indicators of change. The result is an effective decision-support tool for decision-makers and planners to develop more informed development strategies for the region and its people.

Comparison of M5 Model Tree and Nonlinear Autoregressive with eXogenous inputs (NARX) Neural Network for urban stormwater discharge modelling

This paper presents a comparative study of two data-driven modelling techniques in forecasting urban drainage stormwater discharge based on rainfall prediction. Both M5T and NARX (Nonlinear Autoregressive with eXogenous inputs) Neural Network are used for 30 minutes storm water forecasting. Data are collected from watershed area of 3315 ha, located in the city of Casablanca in Morocco. The results show that both models provide good results, but however with better performances of the NARX model.

Real-Time Intelligent Parking Entrance Management

To help improve the situation of urban transport in the city of Casablanca, we have studied and set up a smart parking system. In this paper, we evaluate the management of the parking entrance utilising artificial intelligence. In addition, we want to establish the limits of our solution and its ability to respond to different requests in real time.

Congestion Awareness Meets Zone-Based Pricing Policies for Efficient Urban Parking

Parking is at the heart of any modern city, considering its spatial influence and its role in urban mobility. It is also a key component of its urban landscape management and a critical component of an efficient transportation system. However, parking is still a source of environmental nuisance and quality of living collapse. There are many challenging issues that arise, such as land consumption, occupancy of public space, economic impact, pedestrian safety and social fairness. This becomes even more alarming in dense and ultra-dense urban environments where the availability of parking places significantly affects the traffic fluidity, and where a lack of parking spots is the main trigger of parking/traffic congestion. In this article, we propose a set of dynamic and zone-aware pricing strategies to solve the parking issues and traffic congestion. As a case study, we consider the administrative district of Casablanca city, the economic capital of Morocco. Our scheme is suitable for mixed-use areas, as it takes into account the presence of different driver profiles with different parking needs. Here, we aim to improve the rotation of attractive spots (located nearby zones of interest) and set a usage-based parking assignment via appropriate incentives. Inherently, this is equivalent to use strategic pricing to strategically control the parking dwell time, which ensures a usage-based fair sharing of public space among users and improves the traffic conditions in the target area.

ASIF Approach to Solve the Green Traveling Salesman Problem

The present article describes a contribution to solve transportation problems with green constraints. The aim is to solve an urban traveling salesman problem where the objective function is the total emitted CO2. We start by adapting ASIF approach for calculating CO2 emissions to the urban logistics problem. Then, we solve it using ant colony optimization metaheuristic. The problem formulation and solving will both work under a web-based mapping platform. The selected problem is a real-world NP-hard transportation problem in the city of Casablanca.

Evaluating the Impact of Air Infiltrations on the Thermal and Energy Performances for Different Types of Dwellings in Casablanca City

Evaluating the Impact of Air Infiltrations on the Thermal and Energy Performances for Different Types of Dwellings in Casablanca City

Creation of the bone bank of the Rabat and Casablanca region in Morocco.

For a long time the use of bone grafting has demonstrated its interest in orthopedic surgery and traumatology. The autografts which are still very frequently used present various problems. On the one hand, it is necessary to find a correct mechanical quality and a sufficient quantity of bone. On the other hand, the graft removal lengthens the operative time and generally painful in postoperative. These disadvantages of autografts have led to the development of bone allografts. Indeed, the low immunogenic power of the bone, the good integration of the graft and the ease of bone preservation techniques make it possible to overcome the various problems posed by bone autografts. The increasing use of bone allografts has resulted in the need for a structure allowing the management of graft stocks. The purpose of this work is to demonstrate the mode of operation of a bone bank, whose conservation activity is limited to the femoral heads treated by cryopreservation and without secondary sterilization process. The bank collaborates with all orthopedic surgeons in the Rabat and Casablanca city at first and then with all orthopedic surgeons in Morocco. It provides allografts in quality and safety.

Control of acid mine drainage from an abandoned mine in Morocco by using cement kiln dust and fly ash as amendments

Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) is one of the major problems of the mining industry that is causing prominent environmental damages. It occurs naturally when sulfide tailings oxidize and generate an acidic leachate containing acid leachate loaded with heavy metals (Pb, Fe, Zn, Cu, Cd, As ...) and other toxic compounds. During mining activities and after mine closure, storage of discharges places (waste rock piles and tailings parks) might be responsible for the production of acid leachate which will have adverse consequences on the environment. The Kettara abandoned mine (Morocco) has produced from 1965 to 1982 more than 3 Mt of mine wastes that are rich in sulfides (pyrrhotite and pyrite). The physicochemical characterization of these mine wastes confirmed their strong potential to produce Acid Mine drainage (AMD) with a pH varying between 2.9 and 1.5. In order to control AMD in Kettara mine site, AMD neutralization tests were undertaken in the laboratory using two types of alkaline industrial by-products as amendments. The latter consisted of alkaline fly ash (Fly Ash: FA) from the thermal power plant of Jorf Lasfar in El Jadida and cement kiln dust (Cement Kiln Dust: CKD), from Lafarge cement of Bouskoura near the city of Casablanca, Morocco. The tests in leaching columns objectives are to determine the ratios of CKD, FA and residues who may neutralize the phenomenon of DMA in Kettara site. The leaching columns tests show that the use the industrial by-products allows increase the leachate pH to values of about 6.5 and 7.13 and the substantial reduction of metals concentrations such as Fe (from 0,01 to <0,12 mg/L) and Cu (<0,02mg/L). The AMD from Kettara mine tailings could be reduced by adding amendments composed of 80% of CKD and 20% of FA. This method of treatment with CKD and FA allow recycling and valorization of industrial waste cement plants and thermal power plants.

Effect of thermal insulation using leather and carpentry wastes on thermal comfort and energy consumption in a residential building

In this work, we investigate the effect of the thermal insulation by leather wastes (wet-blue chrome shavings and buffing dust) and carpentry wastes (wood shavings and sawdust) on the energy consumption of a model building using the average climatic data of the city of Casablanca (Morocco). For this study, we used the dynamic thermal simulation tool “TRNSYS 16” which predicts the thermal behavior of building and systems associated with it. Using this software, we evaluated the effect of the above material wastes on thermal comfort and building energy consumption. The type and the thickness of the materials were considered as variants to choose the better solution. The average temperatures of building supposed thermally insulated compared to those obtained without insulation clearly show the thermal insulation ability of tested materials during the cold and warm periods of the year. Increasing the thickness of the insulator makes locals increasingly comfortable. Because of their performance, leather and carpentry wastes can compete with conventional insulating materials such as polystyrene and cork.

Use of combination of coagulation and adsorption process for the landfill leachate treatment from Casablanca city

Use of combination of coagulation and adsorption process for the landfill leachate treatment from Casablanca city

CONTRIBUTION OF MODIS SATELLITE IMAGE TO ESTIMATE THE DAILY AIR TEMPERATURE IN THE CASABLANCA CITY, MOROCCO

Abstract. Air temperature is considered to be an essential variable for the study and analysis of meteorological regimes and chronics. However, the implementation of a daily monitoring of this variable is very difficult to achieve. It requires sufficient of measurements stations density, meteorological parks and favourable logistics. The present work aims to establish relationship between day and night land surface temperatures from MODIS data and the daily measurements of air temperature acquired between [2011-20112] and provided by the Department of National Meteorology [DMN] of Casablanca, Morocco. The results of the statistical analysis show significant interdependence during night observations with correlation coefficient of R2=0.921 and Root Mean Square Error RMSE=1.503 for Tmin while the physical magnitude estimated from daytime MODIS observation shows a relatively coarse error with R2=0.775 and RMSE=2.037 for Tmax. A method based on Gaussian process regression was applied to compute the spatial distribution of air temperature from MODIS throughout the city of Casablanca.

Work–life balance: how can we help women IT professionals in Morocco?

Purpose The present study aims to understand how Moroccan women working in information technology (IT) perceive the roles they fulfill in both their private and professional lives and assess their Work–life balance (WLB). Design/methodology/approach Existing research about WLB in Morocco focuses mainly on the public sector. As the present study is the first of its kind to deal with the private sector and more specifically IT, it is exploratory in nature while adopting a qualitative methodology. Twenty Moroccan women working in IT companies in the city of Casablanca were interviewed. Collected data were analyzed using a content analysis approach. Findings It emerged from the data analysis that adhering to the cultural assumption of being the pillar of the household and to the culture of respondents’ organizations seems to be a key factor in employee WLB. Three main recommendations stemmed from the current research, namely, increased maternity leave duration, workplace nurseries and telework, may help IT female employees improve their WLB and well-being. Research limitations/implications First, the study participants were selected by one individual, which may create a “sampling bias”, where one specific profile of IT specialist could be selected. Second, only IT workers took part in the study and no IT employers were interviewed, which may yield having only “one side of the story”. Practical implications The results that emerged from the current study, particularly the three main recommendations made by the 20 interviewees (increase of maternity leave duration, workplace nurseries and telework) may be used by different IT companies in the hopes of improving female employees’ WLB and well-being. Overall, employers ought to put in place measures and accommodate employees to help them reconcile their work and personal life commitments. Social implications It has been documented that lack of WLB can result in increased stress, deleterious effects on psychological and physical well-being and increased family and marital tensions (Burchell et al., 2001; Lewis and Cooper, 1999; Scase and Scales, 1998). Therefore, various stakeholders, in addition to employers, such as the government and IT employees’ families should work collaboratively to implement meaningful WLB arrangements and, in turn, prevent the negative effects of work–life imbalance through, among others, government policy interventions. Originality/value The present study is the first of its kind that looked into the perception of WLB among Moroccan women operating in the IT industry. It offers valuable insights about how to assist female Moroccan IT workers to reconcile their work and personal life commitments.

Multi-criteria Decisional Approach of the OLAP Analysis by Fuzzy Logic: Green Logistics as a Case Study

This study aims to propose a decision-making approach combining multi-criteria analysis and fuzzy logic within the online analytical processing data cube model (OLAP). Indeed, most decision-making systems are based on models of operational research. These models are often composed of quantitative data and postulate the existence of a single objective function (criterion) representing the preferences of decision-makers. However, in reality, we are faced with a more complex situation where several criteria (quantitative and/or qualitative) should be taken into account. It is therefore natural to consider different types of data (more criteria) in the design of OLAP cubes and decision-making systems. Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) combined with fuzzy sets theory offers an efficient approach to solve complex decision problems. So we believe it is useful and necessary to envisage, for OLAP cubes, an optimized data model taking into account several criteria, on which we can apply new methods of MCDA. We end our contribution by applying the decision support process of this paper to propose a scheme of green logistics for large industrial zones in the city of Casablanca, Morocco.

Trace elements and heavy metals in organs of camels (Camelus dromedarius) slaughtered in Casablanca city, Morocco

The present work was carried out to determine the concentrations of trace elements (copper and zinc) and heavy metals (cadmium and lead) in the different organs of camels slaughtered in municipal slaughterhouse of Casablanca, which is the main source of consumption of camel meat in the study area. The samples of meat, liver, lungs, heart and kidneys of 30 camels were collected. All the samples were digested, mineralised and analysed for copper, zinc, cadmium and lead using an Inductively Coupled Plasma - Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-AES). The concentrations of trace elements and heavy metals ranged from 1.10 to 14.22 ppm for copper, 4.05 to 10.88 ppm for zinc, 0.023 to 0.69 ppm for cadmium and 0.71 to 1.33 ppm for lead. Few data are available in literature on copper and zinc concentrations in different organs of camel. Copper concentrations observed in meat and liver were comparable to values recorded in different countries. The concentrations found in lung, heart and kidney, were slightly lower than concentrations reported in literature. The highest concentration of copper was observed in liver. For zinc, lower concentrations have been observed in different organs of camel compared to those reported earlier in literature, the highest concentrations being recorded in meat and liver. Regarding cadmium and lead concentrations in different organs of camel, it is difficult to link our results to polluting context, because no data on these elements in camel organs were available. However, the concentrations of cadmium in kidney and liver were higher than that observed in other organs. For lead, the highest concentration was observed in liver. (Resume d'auteur)

Assessment of the Impact of the Landfill on Groundwater Quality: A Case Study of the Mediouna Site, Casablanca, Morocco

A local case study for the environmental impact of landfill leachate on groundwater quality along and across the Mediouna landfill is presented, based on physicochemical and statistical approaches. The landfill has been operational since 1986 and it receives municipal solid wastes produced by the city of Casablanca, whose the daily waste output exceeds 4000 t. This waste is stockpiled in old sandstone quarries; the site has never been sealed before its opening. The aim of this study is to update the knowledge about groundwater quality around the landfill, to determine the factors controlling the extent of groundwater contamination and compare the results with those of 1989 and 2001. To evaluate groundwater pollution due to this landfill, piezometric level and geochemical analyses have been carried out on 19 wells. The physicochemical data of groundwater down-gradient of the landfill site is showing a deterioration of its quality, to the point that the wells have become unusable. The statistical treatment of physicochemical data by principal components analysis allowed the mapping of three areas downstream of the landfill. The first is hardly polluted, the second is moderately polluted and the third is characterized by mineralization through their waters and the almost absence of organic matter. The extent of groundwater contamination from an area with a radius of 200 m in 1989, to an area with a radius of about 1 km in 2001 to more 2 km as of today. This extension is controlled by the structural factor of faults, by the lithology of aquiferous and the intensity of water pumping; the wells equipped with pumps exert pressure against the advanced front of the pollution.

Antibacterial activity of plant methanolic extracts on a field isolate of &amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Pseudomonas syringae&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt; pvtomato from the Casablanca region (Morocco)

A bacterial field isolate recovered from infected tomato plants in a green-house at Sidi Rehal, a region near Casablanca city (Morocco), was identified as the gammaproteobacterium Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 strain, the causal agent of bacterial speck. The bacterial isolate was characterized by morphological, biochemical and molecular biological tests, its growth curves carried out in various culture media, and its phytopathogenicity verified by infection tests. A screening was performed to evaluate the antibacterial activity of methanolic extracts of 12 selected Moroccan plants against the P. syringae pv. tomato DC3000 isolate, and Agar-well diffusion and Broth microdilution methods were used to determine minimum inhibitory and minimum bactericidal concentrations. Among the methanolic extracts tested, only those of Nigella sativa, Geranuim robertianum, Aizoon canariense and Rubia peregrine showed clear inhibitory and bactericidal activities, although the highest values were achieved with N. sativa, a plant used in Morocco as a spice, condiment and medicinal treatment.

Cancer incidence in Morocco: report from Casablanca registry 2005-2007.

IntroductionFew population-based cancer registries are in place in developing countries. In order to know the burden of cancer in Moroccan population, cancer registry initiative was put in place in the Casablanca district, the biggest city of Morocco.MethodsThe data collected covers 3.6 millions inhabitant and included Casablanca city and the administrative region.ResultsThe data collected in the years 2005-07 show that the top 5 forms of cancers in women were breast (ASR: 36.4 per 100,000), cervical (15.0), thyroid (6.7), colon-rectum (5.8), and ovarian (5.3); the top 5 cancers in men were lung (25.9), prostate (13.5), bladder (8.7), colon-rectum (8.1) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (7.2). Tumours of haematopoietic and lymphoid tissues represented 11% of all cancers (skin excluded); some presented unusual sex ratios. For breast, cervical, colorectal and thyroid cancer, respectively 57%, 42%, 28% and 60% of the cases were under 50 years of age. This was attributable to particularly low numbers of cases recorded among old people, and the young age of the general population; the observed age-specific incidences under age 50 were not higher than in western countries. Cancers at young ages were particularly common in women: 67% of the cases were under 50. Stage at diagnosis could be obtained for 82% of the breast cancer cases and was as follows: 28% local, 63% regional and 9% distant, in the absence of screening.ConclusionThese first population-based data have provided an invaluable resource for the national cancer control plan of Morocco, and will be useful tool to its future evaluation.

Prevalence of malocclusions and orthodontic treatment need in 8- to 12-year-old schoolchildren in Casablanca, Morocco

ObjectivesThe purpose of this work was to evaluate the prevalence of malocclusions and orthodontic treatment need among schoolchildren in Casablanca, Morocco. Materials and methodsA sample of 1000 children aged between 8 and 12 years, with no history of orthodontic treatment, was chosen at random in state schools in different administrative areas of the city of Casablanca. Data was registered using the method of Bjork et al. (1964). Orthodontic treatment need was assessed with the index used by the Swedish National Board of Health (SweNBH). ResultsWe found Angle Class I malocclusions in 61.4%, Class II in 24%, Class III in 10% and an indeterminate molar class with one or more missing molars in 4.6% of the children. Overjet was 1–4mm in 63.8%, 4–6mm in 17.2% and >6mm in 10%. Bite was normal in 65.4%, 23.6% presented an overbite greater than 4mm, 1.7% an anterior open bite ≤3mm, 1.2% an anterior open bite >3mm and 0.2% a bilateral open bite. Half of the sample presented anterior crowding, while only 2.5% presented posterior crowding. In all, 84.2% of the subjects needed some orthodontic treatment, and 15.8% needed no treatment. No statistically significant difference was found between sex or age and orthodontic treatment need (P>0.05). ConclusionsThis study found a strong need for orthodontic treatment, confirming the utility of implementing a programme of bucco-dental prevention and screening for malocclusion.