Il riflesso del porto. Il progetto Tanger Port fra promozione politica e frammentazione urbana.

Abstract

"The reflection of the harbour. The Tanger Port project: political promotion and urban fragmentation" Relying on several large-scale projects launched during the fifteen-year reign of King Mohammed VI, Morocco is addressing its unprecedented infrastructural development as a crucial tool to bolster its economic competitiveness, and to turn the country into an attractive platform for foreign investment. Contributing to enhance the northern region and its Mediterranean façade, the Tanger Port renewal should be framed within the context of the colossal container terminal of Tanger Med, in a scenario distinguished by the current political promotion of the monarchical discourse. As the Tanger Port project reaches completion, a number of critical issues have been raised regarding the application of this trend in urban waterfront regeneration. The generic architecture master-planned by Forster, Reichen and Rober, ends up isolating the old town, especially Medina, from the new linear luxury fragment on the coast. The misinterpretation of the cultural and potential values expressed by this unique spatial identity, increases the social and economic gap dividing this fragmented urban realm. Because infrastructure always acts on a symbolic level, the influence of Tanger Port on the city of Tangiers questions the role of innovation in these processes, and illuminates how these new forms of spatial production, driven by foreign capitals and delineated by megaprojects, respond to the renewal of urban structures.