A symbol of informal trade that resists all prophecies of its demise. In the heart of Casablanca, the Derb Ghallef flea market continues to fuel rumors and make headlines: relocated one day, converted into a mall the next. At the extraordinary session of the local council held on Tuesday December 2, one of the items on the agenda was the approval of the development plan for the Maârif district, immediately rekindling speculation about this teeming commercial ecosystem.

The urban planning document, which reclassifies the land as a « public amenity, » was seen by many as the prelude to a radical transformation of the site. All the more so as several leaks and hasty readings suggested the emergence of a vast shopping center covering more than seven hectares, feeding the idea of an imminent blank slate.

In line with the Maârif’s new development plan, the area in question is to be given over to R 4 buildings, while preserving the commercial activities that have structured this singular space for decades. For Derb Ghallef is more than just a row of stalls: it’s a dense social fabric, supported by thousands of small traders, repairers, retailers and craftsmen whose activities go far beyond the simple commercial dimension. A place of ingenuity, recycling and constant negotiation, which over time has become a veritable parallel economy.

Elected representatives temper speculation

« A number of proposals have been put forward, including that of creating a shopping mall on the land housing the current joutiya [flea market], but this is no more than a suggestion and no decision has been taken to date, » Karim Glaibi, a member of the local council, assures TelQuel. He points out that no development can be decided without a formal consultative framework involving representatives of the 3,000 or so traders who operate on the premises.

Abdessamad Haiker, a member of the local council and the Maârif district council, agrees. In his opinion, the area should retain its commercial function, and there is no reason to anticipate a change of direction. He insists that no formal decision has been taken, despite the rumors circulating about a possible repositioning of the site.

He does, however, set out the terms of the land debate: to give substance to the new classification, only two paths are possible. The first would be to acquire the land, an operation made difficult by the multiplicity of rightful owners. The second would involve expropriation, which would make it possible to maintain the joutiya in its current location, while enabling a more controlled reorganization of the perimeter over time.

The aborted relocation project of 2019

Today’s cautious approach echoes a past attempt to reconfigure Derb Ghallef, which came to nothing. In 2019, the City Council announced its intention to relocate a number of historic markets, including Derb Ghallef, Derb Omar, the Rahba and the city’s two scrapyards, mobilizing a budget of 8 million dirhams to finance a feasibility study. The idea, at the time, was to identify new sites likely to host these economic hubs, a project that was part of the programming for a World Bank loan. The decision was passed, the budgets allocated and the ambition vividly displayed.

Then nothing. The study failed to produce an operational roadmap, no relocation was initiated, and the project died as quickly as it had been announced. Today, this abortive attempt is fueling the skepticism of those involved on the ground: in Casablanca, Derb Ghallef seems doomed to be perpetually « transformed » without ever really being redesigned.

At the time, the initiative raised many questions, both from shopkeepers and from the elected officials themselves, about the real feasibility of such a massive relocation. Between the difficulty of finding a sufficiently large plot of land and the complexity of a reorganization involving thousands of economic players, the project gradually lost momentum, until it disappeared from the commune’s agenda. Its silent abandonment remains today a point of reference for those who fear that the current announcements around Derb Ghallef will meet the same fate.

Written in French by Younes Saoury; edited in English by AngloMedia Group.