The first decade of the 21st century marked a change in the design and implementation of urban strategies in Morocco through the intro- duction of sectorial policies and reforms of various kinds... Show moreThe first decade of the 21st century marked a change in the design and implementation of urban strategies in Morocco through the intro- duction of sectorial policies and reforms of various kinds aimed at encouraging investment and stimulating economic growth. Megaprojects have emerged as the preferred implementation tool of these urban strategies. In this article, we examine this development through the case of large-scale projects in Casablanca, Morocco‘s economic capital. We argue that these changes are as much a result of structural reforms as they are indicative of global and transnational neoliberalisation logics. Together, these act as the main drivers for the city‘s ambitions to increase economic productivity and become a regional business and financial hub. We further argue that this is being effected through a pro- liferation of ‚supply‘ strategies that have led to a standardisation of urban development policies and planning forms at the expense of local needs. We follow these developments on three levels: megaproject governance, influence on regulatory frameworks, and the transformation of local socio-spatial fabrics. Show less
