Essaouria, Morocco : redevelopment through the introduction of a university

Abstract

This thesis addresses the urban redevelopment of Essaouira, Morocco as it relates to its economy, urban tissue and cultural identity. As architects we herald the importance of context; a loaded term which describes an environment, built and natural, habits of people and local traditions, all attributes which play a vital role in the development of a design strategy. Interestingly when context becomes culturally unfamiliar architects struggle to characterize the attributes which define that specific context. In selecting Essaouira one of my goals is to develop a methodology towards understanding a context. This thesis attempts to reveal the past, present and future attributes which define Essaouira after which provide a synthesis for the redevelopment of Essaouira through the introduction of a university. The thesis commences with an analytical study of Essaouira, including historical development, development policy, migration patterns, building typologies, land use, pedestrian and vehicular movement and present conditions. It is safe to say that in my two visits to Essaouira I have walked down every street both in the old and new sections of the city and have begun to establish an intuitive sense of the city. While the analytic and synthetic aspects may appear quite independent from one another, in fact the thesis developed through a meandering back and forth between the two, providing questions, then answers and questions once more.