Urban Green Spaces, Sustainability Discourse, and Environmental Inequality in Agadir, Morocco

Publication Date

Fall 2025

Abstract

As Moroccan cities experience rising temperatures, increased drought, and rapid urban development, urban green spaces have become central to sustainability and climate adaptation agendas. However, the social, ecological, and political implications of urban greening remain unevenly examined in semi-arid contexts. This paper investigates how green spaces are envisioned, implemented, and experienced in Agadir, a coastal city shaped by colonial planning legacies, post-earthquake reconstruction, water scarcity, and event-driven redevelopment. Using a qualitative methodology combining a visual content analysis of the 2022–2027 Agadir Communal Action Plan with semi-structured interviews with local experts in agronomy, landscape architecture, geography, and regional planning, this study examines the role of wastewater reuse, aesthetic visibility, institutional coordination, and equity in shaping Agadir’s green spaces. Findings reveal a strong emphasis on ornamental, highly visible landscaping concentrated in tourist areas and along major roads, often prioritizing palms and turf grass despite ecological limitations and preferences for shade-provisioning trees. While wastewater reuse enables continued greening in a water-scarce environment, governance gaps, limited expert coordination, and little attention to neighborhood-scale needs reinforce spatial inequities. This paper argues that sustainability discourse in Agadir functions as both a technical solution and a legitimizing narrative, masking uneven access to green infrastructure. Agadir’s case highlights the need to shift beyond visual greening toward socially just, climate-responsive urban green infrastructure in semi-arid cities.

This ISP presents a thoughtful, well-researched, and analytically sophisticated examination of urban green spaces in Agadir, demonstrating a strong command of both theory and context. The student effectively situates the case within broader debates on sustainability, climate adaptation, and urban inequality, while grounding the analysis in rich qualitative methods and locally specific evidence. The ISP reflects clear research questions, methodological rigor, and a nuanced understanding of how political, ecological, and social dynamics intersect in semi-arid urban environments. Particularly impressive is the critical engagement with sustainability discourse and the attention to equity and governance, which elevates the project beyond a purely technical assessment of urban greening. In addition to the written work, the student’s oral presentation was especially persuasive, clearly communicating complex ideas with confidence and coherence, and reinforcing the strength and originality of the research.

Disciplines

Life Sciences | Social and Behavioral Sciences

This document is currently not available here.

Share

Article Location

 
COinS