Mohammed V Boulevard walk - from Casa Voyageurs to United Nations square

According to the Urbain Agency of Casablanca, the city has undergone five urban planning initiatives.

The first two occurred during the protectorate, resulting in major neighborhoods like the now Sidi Belyout, Mers Sultan, Roches Noires, Habous, Maarif, and later Hay Hassani, Hay Mohammadi, Ain-Chock, and Sidi Othmane.

After independence, Casablanca entered the Grand Casablanca era, implementing three “Schémas Directeurs d’Aménagement Urbain” over 40 years.

💡 Casablanca was one of the first cities in the world where the new discipline of “urbanism” was applied.

When the young architect Henry Prost arrived in Casablanca in 1914 at the request of Resident General Hubert Lyautey, he encountered a city rapidly expanding both within and beyond its walls. The chaotic sprawl and the dominance of the protected landowners and private developers outside the walls posed a significant challenge to his plans.

At first glance, it was an unbelievable chaos, with no possible roads, as the development had been so rapid, everywhere at once and in all directions. - H. Prost

Despite the disorder and the challenge he faced at first, he believed Casabalanca had the potential to become the largest metropolis in Morocco and one of the largest in Africa.

With assistance from the French residency and the Makhzen, he initiated his plan by inaugurating the administrative square (Mohammed V Square), followed by the creation of new streets such as Boulevard de la Gare (Mohammed V Street).

Since its foundation by Sultane Mohammed Ben Abdellah in the late 18th century, Casablanca established itself as a potential economic hub due to its strategic coastal location and position along the route connecting the main imperial cities of Morocco. The development of the port and the fertile Chaouia plains further enhanced its advantages over neighboring cities.

After the French protectorate was established, French authorities recognized Casablanca’s potential and began investing heavily in the city, aiming to rule over Morocco through the axis of 3 cities: Casablanca as the economic hub, Rabat as the administrative capital, and Kenitra (then Port-Lyautey) as the military base.

A few years into the protectorate, effective promotion by the French residency attracted investors from Europe and Morocco’s imperial cities like Fez, Marrakech, and Tangier. The city’s population grew exponentially due to this influx of investors and the migration of laborers from neighboring (and far away) rural areas, driven by economic opportunities and adverse climatic conditions elsewhere.

This created a snowball effect, solidifying Casablanca’s status as the emerging economic capital of the country. The city became home to major banks such as Companie Algerienne, Credit Lyonnais, and the British West African Bank, among others. Additionally, it attracted automotive manufacturers like Citroën, Fiat, Volkswagen, Volvo, and the Moroccan Auto-Hall. Casablanca also saw the establishment of numerous headquarters for industrial companies across various sectors, including mining, energy, metals, construction, and food production …

During the first half of the 20th century, Casablanca was regarded as a laboratory for modern architecture, attracting architects from around the world eager to experiment with their most innovative ideas. This period fostered a rich blend of architectural styles, including Neo-Moorish (evident in buildings around Mohammed V Square), Art Deco (exemplified by the Bon Marché Building), and Art Nouveau (such as the Alexandre Building), as well as brutalist designs (like the Crédit du Maroc Building) …

In Casablanca, many decorative and architectural techniques were borrowed from both Moroccan and European traditions. This included for instance the use of Zellij, bow windows, floral patterns and decoration, decorative ironwork and domes on various buildings.

Additionally, during the same era, the city saw the establishment of many notable villas (such as Villa les Tourelles) on one hand, and on the other hand skyscrapers (like Villa Paquet), and residential compounds that spanned multiple styles (Cité Habous and Cité Ain Chock).

💡: Bidonville is a french term used to denote informal suburban neighborhoods is originated in casablanca. Workers who migrated to the city and could not afford housing used tin containers (Bidon) from the factories to build the roofs for their makeshift buildings.
💡: “Carian” denoting Slum in Moroccan darija, also originated from Casablanca. The first slums in Casablanca were built by workers who worked quarries “Carrière” which was altered later to “Carian”.

Following the establishment of the protectorate, Marshal Lyautey invited architects from around the world to come to Casablanca to help create a dream city. Responding to this call, Marius Boyer arrived in Casablanca and embarked on his architectural journey in Morocco.

Upon his arrival, he partnered with Jean Balois from 1925 to 1929, collaborating on several projects, including the Wilaya building (Hôtel de Ville), the military base in Mohammed V Square, and various hotels such as Hôtel Volubilis, Hôtel Atlas, and the renowned Hôtel Anfa.

Marius Boyer is renowned for numerous buildings that still stand today, including the Assayag Building, Levy Bendayan Building, and Glaoui Building. He was one of Casablanca’s most prolific architects, and he passed away in the same city in 1947.

Originally restricted to the Mellah under Dhimma law, Jewish financiers began acquiring significant land outside the city walls as collateral for loans to Muslim borrowers. Although they couldn’t develop this land due to legal restrictions, they built up a large real estate portfolio.

As Casablanca expanded in the early 20th century, these Jewish landowners played a crucial role in the city’s development, transforming from a marginalized group into significant players in the local property market.

During this period, Jews gradually moved from the Mellah to areas outside the wall, giving rise to the new Lusitania Quarter.

Notable Jewish figures of Casablanca are Benarosh, Bendahan, Assayag, Ettedgui, Mellul and Benzaken …

At the start of the French protectorate, the main market in Casablanca, located outside the city walls, was situated where the United Nations Square (formerly France Square) now stands. One of the challenges faced by the French General Director was finding a way to replace the existing souk with a new market that would offer better hygiene and improved standards.

Once the new location for the market was chosen, Lyautey’s office began negotiations with the landowner, Salvador Hassan, through his representative Haim Bendahan, to exchange the lands. After several rounds of discussions, the two parties reached an agreement, and the land was exchanged.

Following multiple adjustments to the market’s design, based on Prost’s plans, the final location was fixed and the design was assigned to the French architect Pierre Bousquet, who began work on the project in 1917.

Marche Central occupies a significant place in Casablanca’s history and has been the site of many events, including an attack by resistance fighter Mohammed Zerktouni against French colonizers. Today, Marche Central remains one of the city’s most important markets, renowned for its French seafood and fish restaurants.

As Casablanca expanded, the demand for entertainment grew as well. The city began offering more and more intertainment for its residents, with cinemas opening on nearly every neighood. Some notable theaters included the Rialto, Ritz, Lutetia, Empire, ABC, Imperial and Vox (which has since been destroyed) in Sidi Belyout. Verdun, Opera, Empire in Anfa. Kawakib, Monte-Carlo, and others in other neighborhoods.

Moreover, several sports facilities were built, such as La Casablancaise for physical education, the Velodrome which contained tracks for bikes and other for Dogs, a Bullfighting arena, and the Orthlieb Pool which was considered as the world’s largest swimming pool. This pool was later replaced by the impressive Hassan II Mosque.

In addition to the cinemas and stadiums, numerous shops were established around 16th November Square and along Bd de La Gare (Mohammed V street), catering to the growing shopping needs of the population.

The concept of passages in Casablanca started with the construction of significant commercial arcades, the first being built for the Glaoui, Pasha of Marrakech, by architect Marius Boyer in 1928. These passages were unique architectural innovations, first seen in Casablanca, combining elements from Moroccan Kissaria markets and European hallways like those on the Champs-Élysées in Paris.

Notable examples include Passage Sumica, designed in an Art Deco style, and Passage Tazi, featuring a large rotunda with glass-covered pavements and luxurious Zellij finishes. These passages represented a blend of traditional Moroccan and European influences, enhancing the commercial and social life of the city.

💡 The word Kissaria has its origins in Morocco’s Idrissid period. It comes from “Kaissar,” which refers to Caesar. These covered marketplaces got this name because they were frequented by the upper class, people of high status. – Credits to Casapocket

In addition to the Jewish and French businessmen drawn to the emerging city of Casablanca, several prominent Moroccan businessmen and politicians also established their businesses there or relocated to the city.

Among the most notable were the port director Ahmed Touzani, Mohammed Zemmouri know for importing tea, the founder of Wydad Athletic Club Mohammed Benjelloun, and later figures such as Thami El Glaoui the Pasha of Marrakech, Omar Tazi the Pasha of Casablanca, Abdelkarim Ben Msik and many others.

United Nations Square is considered by many Casaouis to be the heart of the city. Originally known as France Square, it was once home to the Sokko Market, one of the first markets outside the city walls, as well as several Jewish residences.

After extensive negotiations, the Protectorate managed to demolish the existing structures and convert the area into an open square. Since then, United Nations Square has held a special place in the hearts of Casaouis, remaining a lively and central spot where significant events occur and where locals gather to celebrate their city.

When I arrive at the Place de France, very long and quite narrow, I find the noise and triviality, an uproar of creaking trams, newspaper vendors shouting, carts, in a setting of ugly hotels, branches of Parisian stores, cinema entrances, and brasserie terraces. The bustling crowd there reminds me of my worst Neapolitan impressions. I see greasy, curly-haired, and dark-skinned individuals, with big watch chains crossing their bellies, cigars stuck in their thick lips, who are brokers selling everything, from rabbits, peanuts, women, anything. The little filthy shoe-shiners, the little beggars, are just as annoying as on La Joliette or in the narrow streets of Spain, and the inevitable, cosmopolitan goat-skin traders and dreadful rug merchants have, as everywhere, the air of fake Arabs, even if they are real. – Les couleurs du Maroc - Camille MAUCLAIR.

In the early 1990s, Casaoui people, along with foreign communities in Casablanca, lived according to various time standards, including British time, Spanish navy time, and Moroccan time measured from dawn to sunset.

To unify the city’s time, Major Dessigny constructed a clock tower near Bab El Kebir. This approach was repeated with additional clock towers in Mohammed V Square and at the Casa Voyageurs train station.

Casamemoire is a non-profit organization focused on promoting and protecting Casablanca’s 20th-century architecture.

The organization was founded in 1995 by Jacqueline Alluchon and other Casaoui architects following the demolition of Villa Mokri. Since then, they have worked diligently to promote Casablanca’s heritage and raise awareness about the city’s architectural significance through various events and online initiatives.

They have also led efforts to register many of Casablanca’s buildings as national material heritage and are working towards getting Casablanca recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site.