Moroccan official: Cities face increasingly complex risks today

Cities currently face increasingly complex risks, including floods, landslides, and extreme climate events, stated Ilyas Essabai, Head of the Professional Relations Division of the Ministry of National Territory Planning, Urban Development, Housing and Urban Policy of Morocco, at the event "Nature-Based Solutions for Sustainable Arab Cities: From Local Action to Urban Transformation" organized within the framework of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) held in Baku, Report informs.

According to him, these challenges require reconsideration of traditional approaches to urban development and housing provision in order to better integrate adaptation and prevention: "Within this context, we have initiated structured discussions on adaptation – that is, adapting the housing sector to climate change – and the assessment of climate vulnerabilities and risks has made it possible to identify the main hazards affecting urban and residential areas. This assessment forms the basis of the housing sector adaptation plan, in which we aim to strengthen the resilience of both the built environment and communities. The plan is built around several strategic pillars, including strengthening housing resilience, reinforcing governance and ensuring coordination among stakeholders, as well as expanding capacity through training and awareness-raising, and promoting sustainable financing mechanisms."

"This plan also gives great priority to innovation, research and development, technology transfer, and international cooperation. At the operational level, the plan promotes concrete approaches such as improving rainwater management, adapting buildings to climate risks, limiting urbanization in at-risk areas, as well as integrating green infrastructure into urban areas."