Éco-Cité Zenata: Smart Strategy

We formulated the Smart City strategy for a novel sustainable city set to arise in Morocco, encompassing a holistic vision that places people and well-being at the center and proposing a deployment plan for 5, 10, and 20 years.

The challenge

The Éco-Cité Zenata project emerges as a response to the challenges posed by rapid population growth and urbanization trends in the metropolitan area of Casablanca, Morocco. This endeavor envisions the development of Zenata city, accommodating 300,000 inhabitants, with a central focus on placing people and the environment at the core of its design philosophy.

The complexity lies in creating a sustainable, efficient, and livable urban development that harmoniously combines the principles of an Eco-city with the strategic prowess of a smart strategy. This convergence is further amplified by the aspiration to encapsulate the essence of the Moroccan lifestyle within this integrated urban framework.

Our approach

In 2016, Anteverti led a consortium of four companies to take the helm of the Smart Zenata initiative. Following a successful bid, the Société d’Aménagement de Zenata (SAZ) entrusted us with crafting the strategic blueprint for the forthcoming Zenata city.

Our approach involved a comprehensive methodology, entailing intensive research, diagnostics, participatory sessions, and workshops. By engaging all relevant stakeholders, we meticulously designed the strategic vision that underpins the city’s development. This process was instrumental in defining the guiding principles that shape the city’s DNA – an innovative and people-centric eco-city that embraces digital progress. Moreover, we identified four strategic sectors to serve as economic engines for the city’s growth trajectory.

The culmination of our approach involved outlining a detailed deployment plan for Zenata, envisioning its evolution over 5, 10, and 20 years. Nearly 120 initiatives were conceptualized and prioritized to align with the city’s overarching vision. This encompassed ICT infrastructure blueprints, a functional and operational framework, an investment strategy and business model, and ultimately, a Governance and Change Management strategy.

The impact

Zenata is taking shape across a sprawling 1,830-hectare expanse along the Atlantic Ocean, a short 25-minute drive from central Casablanca. Embracing a neighborhood-based urban concept, it aims to redefine the quality of life through proximity and human-scale development. The city’s design includes 470 hectares of green spaces, while its three innovation hubs anticipate generating 100,000 future jobs, positioning Zenata as a reference for progressive urban planning in Morocco and Africa.